I've just got back from a short hop home to Ireland to see my family. We do plan to go back to Ireland for Christmas but with uncertainty around Covid and the possibility of another lockdown there, I wanted to make a quick dash home to see the fam in case we're unable to make it for Christmas. October and November have been busy months and it's only going to ramp up now for December. It was lovely to get back home for a break to recharge. My parents kept me fed and watered and I didn't have to lift a finger for four days. It was bliss.
But anyway, here's the details of the second half of our London trip as promised.
Wednesday
Our Bond for a day experience was something I’d booked nearly two years ago for Gordon, and while it was frustrating not being able to use the tickets in the interim, it was really nice to have something to look forward to once things settled down. There was nobody else booked on the day that we went so we had an unexpectedly private guided tour. The day started with brunch and mimosas at the Civil Service Club. We alternated between walking and a being driven around London, taking in the key places where Ian Fleming worked and wrote. The shooting range was great fun. It took me a while to find my mojo, I ended up shooting with my non dominant hand because my eyes wouldn’t focus properly using my left hand. It was close but I did catch up to Gordon in the end, speed and accuracy for the win!
Shooting range fun!
The Floris perfumery (where Ian Fleming and therefore James Bond bought their signature fragrances) was a unique experience. Getting to smell the scents of famous figures in history was weird and also wonderful. If we'd had more time, we could have booked in to create our own signature perfumes. The tour finished with Vesper martinis at St Ermins Hotel in St James at 4pm. Our guide was charming and extremely knowledgeable. We would very much recommend it if you are a Bond fan, even if you are not (like me) it was still very interesting to learn about spying in Britain and Ian Fleming’s life and work. If you would like to try it for yourself, we would recommend booking directly with the tour company: https: //www.imaginexperiences.com/bond-for-a-day-experience-london
Floris Perfumery
For the rest of the afternoon, we walked back to Soho to find Gosh! Comics,(https://goshlondon.com ) where hubby had a good browse in the haven of graphic novel goodness. We tried the magnificent ice-cream macarons at Yolkin (https://www.instagram.com/yolkinmacice ) and hit Marylebone to find Daunt books (https://dauntbooks.co.uk ) before heading for dinner.
Amazing ice-cream macarons from Yolkin
Our visit to London coincided with London Restaurant Festival. During this week, lots of restaurants around London do special festival menus at reduced prices as a way of enticing patrons to try new places. We took the opportunity to book in at the Cinnamon Club for our evening meal. They serve Indian fine dining in the beautiful surroundings of the Old Westminster Library. Their festival menu was £55 per person for a five-course tasting menu. It was absolutely sumptuous! Every course, from the canape of chickpea gnocchi (which was a creamy spicy delight), via the lamb millefeuille starter and main course of halibut with shallot tamarind sauce, to the desserts of pistachio kulfi and passionfruit cheesecake at the end, was a unique experience. We loved every bite! Service was slick, friendly and very efficient. We would definitely go again.
A selection of the dishes we tried from the Cinnamon Club tasting menu.
Thursday
On our final morning, we availed of the late check out (a generous 12pm as standard) and had a lie in and late breakfast. We then had a bit of a run about London. We made the pilgrimage to Fortnum and Masons where I spent a happy hour perusing the foodie delights. I try to justify it as research but really it's just me drooling over everything. We picked up some Christmas presents and stocking fillers and a few treats for us to eat on the train on the way home. We did not know that the Scotch egg was invented by Fortnums! They were actually super tasty, complete with gooey runny yolk in the middle. Probably the best scotch egg I‘ve ever eaten.
Fortnum and Mason. Foodie Heaven!
After Fortnums, we had a quick swing around the South Bank open air book market (https://southbanklondon.com/attractions/southbank-book-market) and stopped for a noodley lunch at Ippudo ( http://www.ippudo.co.uk/store/ 31A Villiers Street, London WC2N 6ND). The ramen definitely lived up to the hype! Rich delicious broth, bouncy noodles and tender tasty pork. Then it was time to pick up our bags and head to the train home. As ever, we had a lovely time but we're always delighted to be back in the comfort of our own home again.
This trip was our first post lockdown visit to a very busy, densely populated place. We were very careful with hand washing/sanitising and wearing our masks in busy areas and indoors. We also did lateral flow tests on ourselves before, after and during the trip and we came through unscathed which has given us much more confidence in travelling and being out and about. I had felt very anxious prior to travelling but life does go on and all we can do is take as many precautions as possible to protect ourselves and those around us.
Ramen lunch at Ippudo
This will be our last relatively quiet week before the full on madness of December. We'll be at a Christmas Market near you! At the Cheshire County Sports Club on the 4th of Dec and at the Taste Cheshire Christmas Market in the Grosvenor shopping Centre 9th-12th Dec. We're super excited to get to our first in person markets! Ho Ho Ho!