Life | Afternoon Gin's & One Too Many Cakes

First of all apologies for being MIA for the past few weeks. The good news is all is well so lets get to it. Instead of doing separate posts I thought I would do a round up of my recent days out and favourite places I have been.

Lazy Lounge, Leeds

I started off heading over to Leeds to meet my old uni pals for an afternoon tea with a difference. My friend had been bought an afternoon tea for 4 at the Lazy Lounge and invited me along. What I didn't know was that the Lazy Lounge is a Gin bar with a multitude of different Gin's to try, along with an odd cocktail or two which we enjoyed. The food was delish and considering they had to cater for 1 vegetarian and 2 dairy and gluten free customers (I was the none picky one who could try the whole platter yum) I thought they provided a great selection of sandwiches and desserts. Smiles all round.

The bar itself was very warming with barrel's and wooden table tops aligning the floor. The decor was perfect for their theme and I could have easily hid away from the rain in there all day long. Although I wasn't a massive fan of gin prior to this visit we got a gin cocktail in a tea pot with little tea cups and saucers which I thought was very cute and it was gorgeous. I'm not sure what the cocktail was called but I would be perfect so summer. So fresh and light. Upstairs in the bar there was a tasting session on which I thought was a great idea and something I would like to consider going to next time. I ended the day with a few glasses of fizz while we chatted and put the world to rights before heading back home. Perfect afternoon to catch up with friends, lovely food, tasty drinks and homely atmosphere. 

Pot of Cream Just for Little Old Me!!

Need any more excuse??

Cheeky game of Jenga and a Bellini next door @ Toast, Leeds

East Avenue Bakehouse, Liverpool

Next I headed over to Liverpool for my cousins baby shower that was being held at this little, quaint bakehouse. Again, we went for the afternoon tea but this time there was definitely less alcohol involved but we did each get a glass of champagne which I thought was a lovely touch.

The food here was absolutely amazing. I was excited as soon as I walked in as there was fresh bread and cakes out on the counter for sale and they smelt and looked gorgeous.

We all got pots of tea to share and the teapots, cups and saucers were super cute. None of them matched and added to the quaint factor. The milk also came in old fashioned mini milk bottles which I just wanted to pop in my bag and bring home but I didn't! 

As I have already said the food here was on another level. I was stuffed and couldn't finish my tray (you shared with your neighbour at the table) but the waitress came round with boxes so you could take home anything you wanted to which I thought was a nice touch. A word of advice the chocolate brownies are THE best I have ever eaten. A must buy if you go!

A lovely afternoon in a unique bakehouse and another great place to chat away to my family while celebrating a lovely occasion.

Really cute baby shower touches to my place setting.

Love Darcey Ru Bridal Boutique, Bolton

Last off was the launch of my sisters new Bridal Boutique in our hometown Bolton. She has worked so hard with her partner and BFF to bring this beautiful boutique to life and I couldn't be any prouder. The launch was a huge success and the dresses they have in store are out of this world. If only I needed another wedding dress.... hmm when can I renew my vows again? The night was topped off with glasses of champagne (or orange for us drivers), cake pops and cupcakes. It looked a heavenly mix of pink and whites with splashes of glitter, perfect setting to find your dream dress. So if you are looking for your perfect wedding dress, or need a dress or two for your bridesmaids and are in the North West area then I would highly recommend Love Darcey Ru. If only there was a boutique around like this when I was planning my wedding...

 Let me know if you've been or plan to go to any of these lovely places and I'm still looking for more blogs to read so get sending me your links.

*All comments are my own and the places I ate at have more on the menu, this was just a snapshot of our visit*
Please note this post was written a few weeks prior to my Dairy Free diet changes.