A Trip to the Fourteas

When you've spent a long old day exploring pastures new, sometimes, the only remedy for achey feet and weary bodies is a good old fashioned cup of tea. Oh, and cake. Always cake. That was precisely what we were in search of when we stumbled across this absolute gem in Stratford upon Avon.



What we discovered when we stepped through the door of The Fourteas in Stratford was another era... and a pun that we simply couldn't pass up! Waitresses in headscarves and floral dresses carried vintage crockery piled high with all of your old favourites, 1940's music played in the background and people were pouring over menus designed to look like ration books.  I was sold instantly.



The main restaurant was absolutely packed with people so thinking we were being a little ambitious we cautiously asked for a table of four before a lovely waitress led out through a narrow little courtyard and into a beautiful (and surprisingly huge!) garden,  complete with original Anderson shelter and reams of Union Jack bunting. It quite honestly looked as though someone had pressed pause on a 1940's summer afternoon.




We sat at a picnic table and had a peek through the menu which was full of home-cooked goodies, from a huge selection of sandwiches to homemade cakes and cheese scones. Everything is locally sourced, even the tea, which is a specially created Fourteas Blend from a company in the town.



Having already spied the Ivor Novello Afternoon Tea on the way in, we already had that earmarked. Full of mini sandwiches- with the crusts cut off, naturally -  traditional fruit scones with jam and cream and plenty of other little cakey treats, it would have been rude not to!



What arrived was the kind of spread you could expect on a Sunday Afternoon at your Grandmas; super fresh sandwiches in a variety of fillings, macaroons, tasty filled meringues, little tarts, ginger biscuits, cupcakes and a big vintage pot of Forteas Blend tea, complete with sand timer to ensure the perfect brewing time - something that impressed Dan, the most particular tea drinker in the land, no end. 



Absolutely everything on the three tier stand was lovely, with super spongey cakes, perfect, rich scones and crisp, fruit filled miniature tarts. Mummy Frost, our resident baking master and all around Cake Queen couldn't sing their praises enough, which is very high praise indeed! The tea in particular went down very well. My personal favourites, which as a proper Devon girl will come as no surprise, were the fruit scones, clotted cream and jam... you know what they say, you can take the girl out of Devon but you can't take Devon out of the girl!


What I loved the most about The Forteas was the fact that although it is a themed tearoom, there was absolutely nothing contrived about it. It's actually owned by a husband and wife team who met while stage managing at the RSC, just a hop skip and a jump from the tearoom. It's that theatrical flair, attention to detail and all of the little touches like the crockery, the staff uniforms and even the pitchfork nonchalantly stuck in the one of the flowerbeds, that makes the whole experience feel really authentic. It's also clear to see the family run nature of the business, with amazing service and a really lovely atmosphere. This is definitely one to pop into if you're ever in the Stratford area and one that we will most definitely be returning to when we're next around.

You can out more about The Forteas story at their website - www.theforteas.co.uk

A Dirty Weekend in the Land of Literature

A couple of weekends ago, after what felt like a lengthier than usual working week, we packed up the car and went on a spur of the moment Friday night road trip to pay a little visit to one of my oldest friends, Tom - unsurprisingly the brain behind the title of this post, it's also a bit of a long one, so i'd pop the kettle on!



With a sunny Saturday on the forecast and Stratford upon Avon, the home of the Bard himself, only a short car journey away, once everyone had got over the shock that I, the resident literature geek had never visited, we jumped in the Mini, and with the lovely Mummy Frost in tow made our way to the famous town.





Our first port of call was the home of the Royal Shakespeare Company, the RSC. Wanting to make the most of our day and with Dan in tow, who is, shall we say, a little less than enamoured with the grand old words of William, we skipped the afternoon performance of Othello and instead had a little wander around the theatre, battled our way through the crowds in the enormous gift shop and I even took up my rightful crown for a while... not an easy task to get me out of that one let me tell you...





We wandered through the little streets, admiring the beautiful tudor buildings and dipping in and out of shops to take a look at gorgeous homewares, plenty of antiques and a pitstop for some of the most amazing Salted Caramel gelato i've ever had the pleasure of eating.




While my all round blog photographer extraordinaire and lovely boyfriend snapped away (^ he was there, promise!), we took a bit of time out to get a bit regal...


And we found this foxy pair taking in the view and hamming it up for the tourists...


We obviously couldn't go to Stratford without a visit to Shakespeare's house, smack bang in the middle of the town, distinguishable by the gaggle of tourists gathered outside. You need only follow the shutter sounds and you can't go too far wrong. There was even an albeit slightly disturbing double of the main man himself wandering around... well, standing still really but hey, it all added to the atmosphere.




Dan become somewhat of a architecture pervert for the day- those beams though...


I even made time for a pitstop at Jack Wills, otherwise known as my own personal Mecca, to have a rifle through their summer sale and a peek at their new season collection, as always, theres some absolute gems. 




After an initial failed attempt at lunch (the less said about that the better...) we found ourselves in the most amazing tearoom - thats coming up in a post later in the week as it was too fab not to have a dedicated post all to itself. We finished off the day having a walk along the river, full of tea and cake and tired from a long day exploring and made our way home for a well earned gin and tonic.

What Sopho Wore | Sunny Days & White Denim

Top | Zara (Similar HERE)   Shorts | Vintage  Belt | Vintage  Sandals | Birkenstocks  Handbag | Mulberry
Sunglasses | Ray Ban
Sometimes, there is that one item of clothing, spied through the glass of a shop window in passing that just stays in your mind. No matter how many times you amble on past, telling yourself that you really do have enough clothes and asking yourself 'do you really need any more?' the answer is always, categorically yes. 

Enter my vintage white denim shorts. 

I have been after some for what feels like forever, scouring the internet for that perfect pair, only to find that the vast majority have been, well, lets just say over enthusiastically customised -aka cut so short and so high on the back that the only good place for them would be your underwear drawer. 

As always, my granny-like tendencies have prevailed and I have been steadfast in my search for the perfect length, perfectly high waisted white denim dream-shorts. Where did I end up finding them? Literal tripping distance from my flat, in the vintage shop at the top of my road- the perks of living in a quirky little town! 

Bracelet | Ardour Rose*  Watch | Michael Kors (Similar HERE)
On a particularly sunny Saturday, I donned my favourite new shorts, my trademark breton stripes and opinion dividing Birkenstocks, amazingly comfortable, but the Marmite of the shoe world it would seem. Myself and the mister took a trip to one of my favourite Stoke-on-Trent haunts, Emma Bridgewater, to take a peek at the bargain filled Summer Sale and attempt to rein in my ever expanding crockery addiction. 

While wandering through the shop we discovered the recently opened Courtyard Garden, little but perfectly formed, overflowing with beautiful summer blooms and home to some of Emma's very own chickens. It proved to be the perfect spot for a couple of outfit photos and a proper little gem in the heart of the potteries, well worth a visit if you're ever in the area. 

While you're at it, take a look at Little Vintage, you can find them on Facebook HERE. It literally is every vintage-lovers dream, headed by a lovely lady who knows everything worth knowing about all things vintage so whether you're in the area, or fancy a browse on their page, it's got top marks from me! 

Think Pink | Four Must Have Pink Polishes



It is no secret to anyone that i'm a big fan of the colour pink. My nails are no exception, especially with the sun hopefully well on its way. In my opinion, there is no better way to enhance a tan than with a pretty pale pink polish. Perfect for sprucing up your toes ready for sandal weather and an ideal accompaniment for a tanned hand full of dainty rings, pale pink shades are my ultimate summer polish choice.  

L-R: Eternal Optimist | Muchi Muchi | Fiji | Ballet Slippers   Ring | Tiffany & Co. 
As you can see, i'm a huge Essie fan, from the formulation through to the wide brush, the brand is always my go-to when i'm pursuing the stands at Boots. Plus, at £7.99 per bottle, they won't break the bank either. So first up a colour that is without a doubt one of my absolute favourites in my Essie collection, Eternal Optimist. A 'spiced rose' shade, it's one that always makes me feel quite sophisticated. In the images, i've only put on one coat, and it's perfectly opaque. This kind of colour is absolutely perfect if you have a wedding coming up, a slightly darker nude type shade that goes with pretty much anything, so it's versatile enough to take you from the office to the weekend, the wedding venue to the beach. A good all rounder!


Muchi Muchi is the perfect pretty pink shade, reminiscent of that kind of very pale pink Glacé icing that used to cover everything from biscuits to cupcakes when you spent a day baking as a child. A tan and this kind of pink go hand in hand, with the brighter pop of colour making you look all the more bronzed, think Malibu Beach Barbie but all grown up. It's also brilliant for those of us that love a bit of colour but tend to err more on the pastel side of the colour spectrum, a punchy neon isn't for everyone after all! This one is a little sheer on application but with a good few coats, you'll be left with opaque, pretty pink talons.


Fiji is an Essie colour that has been doing the rounds for ever and a day, a creamy almost white with a tiny hint of pink. I actually reviewed it in more detail in a previous post which you can take a look at here, but it has definitely stood the test of time in my collection and is a firm favourite. If you want to really enhance your golden glow, this is the one. It's a universal Pinterest based fact that there is nothing prettier than opaque white nails coupled with a golden tan, but if you don't want to go white white, Fiji is the perfect alternative. The teeny touch of pink stops it looking like the Tipex polish job you used to rock when you were bored in Maths class. This is another than tends to go on fairly sheer, so to get a properly opaque finish you will need to add a couple of coats, but you will be left with nails that just scream out for a tan, bottled or otherwise.


Finally, Ballet Slippers. This is the sheerest of the bunch, but is the archetypal French Manicure nude pink. It's fab for when you want something on your nails but nothing too much, the ideal colour for looking a little more put together and (excuse the pun) polished. Think of those impossibly chic Parisian girls that always pop up in Street Style features, it's a lovely neutral sheer shade. You can get a fairly opaque finish with two or three thin coats but if you aren't that patient, this colour looks just as good with it's intended sheer look. Ballet Slippers is a beautiful every day colour that will work all year around making it potentially the most versatile of my picks and is one that is a bit of a failsafe for me.

The Perfect Summer Reads


The old adage goes that you should never judge a book by it's cover, but when books are this pretty it's quite hard not to! As an ex English literature student, on entering the book shop, i'm always plagued by the feeling that I should probably bypass all of this kind of beautiful pastel coloured loveliness in favour of a good solid Penguin Classic, something that will really get the cogs turning. But, you know what, sometimes, getting lost in a good book isn't all about what you can learn from it and how you can analyse its meaning. It's about snuggling up, cup of tea in hand and not realising until half way through that hours and hours have passed.

With Summer on the brink, holidays booked and lazy days spent lounging around on a picnic blanket just around the corner, I wanted to put together a list of my top easy reads. Books that you can read from start to finish in an afternoon, that will transport you somewhere new and that are must-haves on my nightstand. These particular reads are perfect for those of you that love a little touch of vintage, all things fashion and a little bit of quirky romance...it is the summer after all.


The Love Letters of Great Men - Various

This one is one for all the Miss Bradshaw fans out there. It's exactly what it says on the tin, a collection of beautifully written love letters penned by men of note. From Ludvig Van Beethoven to Henry VIII, the book spans the centuries, bringing together private little moments often shared across thousands of miles, and giving an insight into how the way we express love has altered over time. It's format means that it's one that you can dip in and out of, perfect for reading by the pool if you're not after anything heavy going, and plus, it's worth a read if not just to hint at the boyfriend!

Auntie Mame An Irreverent Escapade - Patrick Dennis

This book is the perfect example of how a panic buy in the airport bookshop can turn out to be one of the best decisions you've made all year. Auntie Mame is the story of Patrick, who after being orphaned at 10 is sent to live with his only remaining family member, the thoroughly eccentric New York socialite, Auntie Mame. Taking you on a whirlwind journey from New York to Georgia as Mame goes from socialite to Southern Belle and back again, taking Patrick along for the ride. It's one of those books that you will absolutely fall in love with, packed to the brim with 1950's charm and the kind of characters that you would do almost anything to have a cocktail with. It's the opitomy of fun, sun soaked summer reads and one that you will leave you laughing out loud on the sun lounger and beyond.


Alligators, Old Mink and New Money - Alison Houtte & Melissa Houte

This is one for the people that love nothing more than a rummage through a vintage shop. Thats exactly what this book is, like a couple of hours at a vintage fair, not quite knowing what you're going to find. After quitting the world of fashion modelling Alison Houtte opened a vintage shop in Brooklyn, spurred on by her belief that every piece of clothing has a story to tell. A pick'n'mix of advice, tales of a life in fashion and memories of the pieces that have shaped her life, it's the perfect introduction to the world of vintage clothes and one that will have you running for the nearest thrift shop.

What Would Audrey Do? Timeless Lessons for Living with Grace and Style - Pamela Keogh

A bit of a tongue in cheek look at one of the worlds most beautiful women, Audrey Hepburn. Half biography, half self help book, it guides you through everything from fashion to your love life, how to decorate your home to how to do modern life right. Giving a little insight into the life behind one of the most recognisable faces the world has ever seen, this book is the perfect companion for any Audrey fans out there.


IT - Alexa Chung 

This one has been doing the rounds on the blogosphere since it came out, so it has become a bit of a blogger cliche. That being said though, if you're a big fan of Alexa, it's an absolute must have. It's almost like a scrap book, sharing snippets of her life as an It Girl with often funny excepts, drawings and photos, it's another that you can dip in and out of quite easily. With impossibly chic pictures and that no nonsense wit that Alexa has become so well known for, it's as good positioned, in typical Pinterest style, on your coffee table as it is to pop into your hand luggage for a flick through on the plane. Be warned though, you will be trying to perfect that famous cat eye flick and 'I Woke Up Like This' hair for days and days after finishing...

The Lost Art of Keeping Secrets - Eva Rice

If there are a couple of words to describe this book, it's full of vintage sparkle. In my top ten favourite books ever, it's the story of Penelope Wallace, a girl of the brink of womanhood in a post-war England on the cusp of the rock'n'roll era. Taking you on a beautifully 50's ride from Penelope's crumbling ancestral home to the petticoated cocktail parties of the capital, this book is quite honestly like a massive warm hug. Lovely without being cheesy, it's the perfect antidote to inevitable rainy British summer days and will have you lusting after nipped in waists and tulle in absolutely no time.


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