Welcome to Petworth

Remember that wedding we went to in Kirdford? Well we actually stayed in a nearby village called Petworth. Hub and I explored this quaint little place the day after the wedding and I've got to say, it was like being lost in Jane Austen. 

We stayed at the Angel Inn and it was so cute! They had a great outdoor courtyard where we ate everyday...

And interiors that were so old! I mean I heart these narrow little hallways...

The night before the wedding we had dinner with the groom at the Inn and the food was pretty tasty. Hearty English classics and country pub staples. They also offered us a generous complimentary breakfast menu and hands down the best porridge we've ever had...

Petworth is much bigger than Kirdford. They had sweet little shops and cafes everywhere and I just loved the decorative touches on homes...

After breakfast we headed to Petworth House, which was a manor house in the village open to the public. I felt like Lizzy wondering through Mr. Darcy's house. Swoon!

we checked out their art collection...

 

and explored the different rooms...

 

and strolled through the grounds...

How awesome would it be to get married here? If only English weather was like this every day or 360 days of the year. If you want a weekend in the country, check out Petworth and it's only an hour and half outside London. Ace.

Welcome to Kirdford

Last weekend we went to a friend's wedding in West Sussex, one of Hub's oldest mates from his Guildford years. The wedding took place in one of the cutest quintessentially British villages I'd ever seen. Kirdford has two main roads, two pubs, and a post office...

 

 

And beautiful homes covered in wild flowers and greenery....

 

And a church that dates back to the 1100s with lots of old graves where the names have been covered in yellow moss...

And gorgeous neighboring barns like St. Bartholomew Barn where the reception was held...

 

  

 

And endless fields where you can sprawl out for a tipple or two...

And contemplate about philosophy or life in beautiful Kirdford...

We loved it here, just as much as our trip to Bibury. I look forward to sharing with you all more photos of where we actually stayed.

Life in Bibury

This past weekend, Hub and I went to a wedding in the Cotswolds. It was at the Swan Hotel in Bibury and it was one of the most picturesque places I'd ever seen. After the ceremony, we took a little stroll around the hotel and imagined what life would be like in Bibury....

We would live on a street like Arlington Row in a light color stoned cottage with tulips in the front and a door shorter than we.

 

 

 We'd take morning walks at Bibury Trout Farm and buy fresh trout, local cheeses and wine from the shop inside.

And our local haunt would be The Village Pub in neighboring Barnsley.

 

We stopped their for lunch on our way out and had double baked cheddar cheese souffle, a bowl of mussels in parsley & cream, battered haddock with mushy peas & chips, and toffee pudding with vanilla bean ice cream.

 

 

Ahhh life in Bibury....

Thornbury Castle

So my birthday just passed last week and I have now entered my 30’s. Many people have asked/said “wow, you’re 30! or how do you feel…” etc., etc. and I have to say these are exciting times. Life has never been sweeter.

For this momentous occasion, I originally wanted to plan a trip with my family to Mexico. What with my birthday so close to Christmas and me based in London, it was too expensive. In the end, I spent a dreamy evening in a castle.

A few months ago, the Hub told me to take a few days off from work. He wanted to whisk me away somewhere special and it was a surprise. My in-laws always joke about how I’m a Royalist, I have an obsession with Royal culture and of course castles, manor houses, and titles. Can’t help it, we just don’t have those things in America!

Well after our 3-hour car journey, we rocked up to Thornbury Castle. You can imagine my surprise when we drove up, I welled up within 3 seconds into the gravel driveway. 

Oh and it gets better. He booked us a night in the same room that King Henry the VIII and Anne Boleyn stayed in.

This bed was amazing. First I love canopy beds, but the mattress was like a cloud. We just sunk into it. One of the best sleeps of my life. 

The fireplace was kept on throughout our stay. I love fireplaces, the smell of burning wood is so calming. I've never stayed in a room with a fireplace, so it was so nice to have that all throughout the night and the warm glow it gave our bedroom. Definitely want one in our future dream home. 

The castle has an award winning kitchen, so naturally Hub booked us in for dinner that night. We started with sauteed scallops and chorizo in a lemon caper dressing and home made mushroom ravioli with black truffles and a rich buttery sauce.

For our mains we had pan fried halibut with gnocchi, morels, and cauliflower and Hub had home made beetroot gnocchi with melted goat cheese and fresh beets. Oh so delicious. I liked his better than mine, so we shared. 

And finally for dessert, Hub had chocolate torte with honeycomb ice cream. Normally, that's something I would go for, but I'm going through this sorbet faze (moved by 34's Almafi lemon sherbert) and so I went with the lemon tart with raspberry sorbet. Loved it, super tangy. The following day we read the paper, had fresh pastries (the cinnamon buns were divine, i had two) and eggs with smoked salmon. 

We took a final walk through the gardens and grounds of the castle, which are kept in the same state as they would have been in Tudor times. 

I can't recommend this place enough. Thornbury was so quiet and relaxing, it was perfect for a quick getaway. I definitely want to go back and would love to take my family here. To Thornbury Castle, until we meet again.  To my darling Hub, you are a keeper!