Winter In England

My fiance is British, born and raised. And though he's now a So Cal resident, all his family lives back in England. He's the only one that chose to cross the pond. One consequence of this is frequent trips to the UK on our part...and I can't complain. The fashion there is fun and different, and the chocolate is to die for. My suitcases are always heavier on the return flight because of all the goodies I bring back. 

I was particularly thrilled to visit this December due to a fashion exhibit showcasing at Somerset House in London. The exhibit (still on) is a tribute to the late Isabella Blow, who was largely responsible for skyrocketing the careers of designers such as Alexander McQueen and Philip Treacy. On display were many items from Blow's own wardrobe, including a large selection of pieces from McQueen's senior collection at Central St. Martins...a collection which Blow famously bought out after attending the show. Along with loads of McQueen, including some phenomenal couture pieces, there were many, many Treacy hats. Now I must admit I don't think I'd ever seen a Philip Treacy hat in the flesh prior to this exhibit. They are absolute masterpieces. Sculptural works of art. Even my fiance, whom I dragged along, was impressed by the hats. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside the exhibit or I would have snapped some pics to share!

After the exhibit, we wandered around Notting Hill and stopped by Jamie Oliver's Recipease for a quick snack. Check out those gorgeous meringues!  The baked good there were unbelievably awesome.

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I've been on a British chocolate craze since my first visit there in 2011.  The chocolate is just better.  Even your run-of-the-mill drugstore chocolate (i.e. Cadbury) is of a higher quality.  It's yummy and inexpensive.  So imagine my delight when hunny bun surprised me with a trip to the Cadbury World chocolate factory in Bournville. Bournville is a tiny village adjacent to Birmingham, and we arrived there by train.  The whole village is built around the factory, and it was very Willy Wonka-esque. There was even a real-life river of chocolate sludge!!  And the whole surrounding area outside the factory smelled of minty chocolate goodness.  My absolute favorite (of course) were the bespoke chocolate shoes.  I just couldn't believe as I wandered through the factory that they had handmade chocolate shoes happening before my eyes. It was absolute bliss :)    

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Overall we spent two weeks in England, and it was quite busy...the time flew by.  To round out the trip we took a few days to relish the English countryside.  We stayed in Tewkesbury, at a golf resort and spa refashioned from an old English manor house. The hotel was of course decked out for Christmas, and we had a lovely view of the grounds from our room.  The hotel bar was super chill and the restaurant served up an impeccable three-course meal.   We spent most of the time relaxing, since it was a bit chilly for outdoor recreation.  In the summertime it's a great area for walks in the hills, but we only had a few hours of sunlight each day...most of the time it was raining.  So I kicked back at the spa and got a hot stone massage instead.  Though I would revisit at a warmer time of year to hike the hills of Malvern. 

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Mini Harrods at London Heathrow Terminal 5.  Nothing like the actual store (which is mind-blowing) but still very chic.

A small sampling of the sweet snacks I brought back.  This is basically what was left after I gifted out a ton of chocolate upon my return.  The chocolate packed away in my luggage made my suitcase overweight for the return trip...hunny bun was a bit grumpy about it, but the British Airways rep at the airport didn't seem surprised when I mentioned it was the chocolate.