Happy 2019 all!
I was recently invited to a lovely evening with Future Inns to try out their new afternoon teas with a handful of other bloggers. 
If you haven't heard of Future Inns before, they are a small Canadian chain of hotels, currently based in the UK in Cardiff Bay, Bristol and Plymouth and not only do they offer overnight stays with free parking and WiFi (priorities!) and easy access to the city centres, but they also have a fantastic restaurant that we were lucky enough to visit. They're currently pushing their Taste of Wales afternoon tea which is all made from scratch on site. 

You might know by now that I'm a big fan of Cardiff's City Road. It's right on my doorstep and offers numerous delicious dining options. The latest addition to my list of favourites has to be Mediterranean restaurant Deli Fuego. The exterior is grand - you really can't miss it! And as for the interior, it is HUGE, boasting balcony and ground floor seating. Deli Fuego kindly invited Tim and I along to try their food and drinks and I'd been past a few times but I can't believe I haven't tried it until now! 

If you're a local, you'll no doubt be aware of Cardiff's City Road - jam-packed with so many delicious eateries from all over the world, you really are spoilt for choice. Saray is a Turkish restaurant situated about halfway down the infamous road, and they kindly invited me, along with a few other bloggers, to a cooking masterclass with their fantastic chefs. 

We were sat down in the restaurant and offered a beautiful cup of Turkish tea - very unlike my usual morning English Breakfast tea! The aromas were fantastic too and complemented the smell of freshly baked breads coming from the kitchen. 

We started off with an Adana kebab masterclass using minced lamb (my favourite meat!). We were shown how to roll and place the mince onto the skewers so that they look presentable before they are cooked. They made it look a lot easier than it actually was! Regardless, I like to think I did a pretty good job of it in the end! 

We then went through to learn how to make their fresh breads, and we also made Pide - a kind of Turkish pizza. These can have an array of different fillings - we made a Ispanakli pide (feta cheese, spinach, red peppers, onion and mushrooms) as well as two meat pides (one chicken, one lamb) but the vegetarian pide was my favourite for sure.


The best bit about the cooking class? Being able to eat it all at the end! They say food always tastes better when you've made it yourself, and this was no exception! The lamb kebab and pides were beautiful, and the fresh bread and dips complemented the dishes perfectly. The fact that we saw all the food being freshly prepared made me realise how different Saray is to other Turkish restaurants I've been to. Every single thing I ate (even the hummus) had been freshly prepared in the restaurant - and you can really tell! The flavours were fantastic and I can't wait to go back and bring along friends and family.


If you're a Cardiff student like me (or even just visiting Cardiff) looking for somewhere to eat out - perhaps City Road feels a bit overwhelming with its huge choice of restaurants - look no further than Saray!   

This month, two of my favourite things in life (Japanese food and talking about mental health) came together and I couldn't be happier. I visited Wagamama in Princesshay, Exeter a couple of weeks ago to talk about their current collaboration with the charity Mind - and of course a lot of delicious food was devoured in the process.

As a Psychology graduate and also now a Psychology PhD student, mental health is something I am and have always been interested in, and I'm aware that Mind are a fantastic charity that provide invaluable resources and advice to so many people across the UK. 

Wagamama are donating 25p from every one of their Positive juices that they sell up until 6th March - AND they're delicious! The juice is made up of pineapple, lime, spinach, apple and cucumber and is super refreshing. All the ingredients are great to cleanse the body, as well as the mind.

Wagamama are also promoting mindfulness and its benefits for improving mental health. Their paper placemats are the perfect canvas for some mindful colouring while you wait for your food. They are also supporting mindful eating - the act of being in the present and taking in and appreciating every single mouthful. 

During my visit, I tried the grilled duck donburi along with numerous delicious side dishes - my favourite side had to be the ebi katsu: gorgeous crispy fried prawns with a chilli sauce. The duck was also beautiful. I wanted to try something different from my usual ramen noodles and I was recommended the donburi, which was a great choice!

I'll definitely be visiting Wagamama again soon and picking up a Positive juice to support Mind and the amazing things they do... and hopefully you will too!

In the heart of Exeter but located in a more secluded area of Princesshay shopping centre, Coffee #1 is the perfect retreat away from the crowds of shoppers on a Saturday afternoon. Princesshay asked me to visit Coffee #1 as part of their summer EATS! campaign, promoting the diverse range of restaurants and eateries situated within the shopping centre. Despite its quiet location, the cafe is still buzzing and clearly a popular hangout. 


After a busy morning of shopping, Tim and I were ready for a mid-afternoon refreshment. I ordered a spice chai latte while Tim opted for a white hot chocolate deluxe. We also both grabbed a maple bacon, eggs benedict and spinach English muffin to keep us going. After ordering, we sat down in the best location (in my opinion!) in the whole cafe - right by the window in the cosiest armchairs. 

The decor is quirky and has a rustic feel, with wooden floors and an impressive exposed brick feature wall. The bookshelf and recycled hessian coffee sack canvases are a nice touch too. The whole atmosphere is very chilled and relaxed, despite it being full of people. It really is perfect for working, reading or just catching up with friends.

As for the taste test, the chai latte was perfectly milky and aromatic, while Tim's white hot chocolate (which I sneaked a sip of) was rich and frothy - perfect if you have a hankering for something sweet. Our English muffins were extremely tasty too and ideal as a late lunch snack. You can't beat bacon really!

I really can't fault our visit to Coffee #1 - it topped off a perfect day of browsing round the shops! If you're interested in finding out more about Princesshay's other eateries, follow this link here. Thank you Princesshay and Coffee #1 for the chance to sample the fab food and drink on offer!

The food and drink lounge has a chilled out, modern vibe but encompasses some historic twists to the décor, nodding towards its past use as a goods shed along the South Wales to London railway line. While I started off the evening with a bikini martini (a summery combination of vodka, Malibu, pineapple juice and grenadine), Tim opted for a Brains beer - arguably one of Cardiff's finest creations.

Apologies for the poor photo quality - I just couldn't wait to tuck in!

The bed was so comfortable - almost too comfortable as Tim and I overslept and almost missed breakfast! Cleanliness of the room was to such a high standard, I couldn't fault anything about it. Our stay also included a full buffet breakfast - probably one of the best I've ever had too! Staff were so efficient and helpful, it was a really relaxed and enjoyable stay at Cardiff's Novotel.

Recently, I received an invite to the press launch of Exeter's newest restaurant with a Caribbean twist - the much-loved Turtle Bay chain. I'd heard so many great things about this chain, including its incredible jerk chicken, rum cocktails and vibrant atmosphere. I can easily say that the new Exeter chain lives up to these claims too! 
I decided to take my mum as my plus one because she definitely deserved a night off for once! We were warmly greeted by the beautiful decor and a VERY strong rum cocktail (and a non-alcoholic passion fruit cocktail for my mum who was driving). We were then given a lesson in rum - including tasters of course - which really got us in the Caribbean spirit! Adam the rum expert was absolutely brilliant.

After a lot more rum, we were seated to soak it all up with some scrummy Turtle Bay tasters. With the cocktails still flowing, a tray of starters was brought over to our table, including jerk chicken wings, sweetcorn fritters (my favourite!) and garlic 'n' herb flatbread. The main dishes came shortly after which included curried goat (it was stunning - I'd never tried anything like it before but I'd definitely choose it again!), jerk chicken and two beautiful sides of dumplings and rice 'n' peas. It's safe to say that as a rare consumer of hot foods, my mouth was on fire by the end of the main course - but this isn't to say that the food wasn't delicious! The flavours from each dish were to die for. 


I have a seriously sweet tooth, and so it's no surprise that the highlight of the evening for me was the dessert tray. I found it so hard to choose a favourite because I loved all of them - the gluten-free brownie was one of the best brownies I've ever tried; the banana and toffee cheesecake was basically heaven on a plate and the BBQ pineapple complemented the rich desserts beautifully. All of this was washed down with a strawberry daiquiri and refreshing Raspberry Reggae cocktail.

I'm so glad Turtle Bay has now landed in Exeter and I can't wait to go back! It officially opens on Tuesday 23rd August in the new Queen Street dining quarter. Have you ever tried Turtle Bay's food or cocktails before? I'd love to hear your experiences in the comments below!