Social Planning with Squaremeal

Readers… today I’m talking restaurant and venue booking!  Why? Not only is it currently the most wonderful time of the year, but, for anyone doing party planning it’s sometimes a struggle to work out where to book, how to book and find something that keeps everyone happy – be that friends, family or being handed the responsibility of the work Christmas social. Ahhhh.

I’m a regular fan of eating out plus am a bit of an event organiser having done a series of big(ish) charity events, balls and fundraisers all requiring me to find a venue. Yes, there’s Google and you can do it yourself or you can find a platform like the Square Meal website, which will take some of the hassle out of venue sourcing for you.

Square Meal operates across London, Manchester, Bristol, Edinburgh and Birmingham and can help you with anything from finding a restaurant or a pub to sourcing your wedding venue (anyone who’s recently got married will understand how painful this research part is…)  There’s even a concierge service to help you with all those traumatic work jobs like finding a meeting room in a different city last minute or finding a private dining room for 20 people you’ve never met, that that your MD has decided must be taken out for dinner in 2 days’ time.

Square Meal is all about making your life that little bit easier by taking some of the stress out finding a venue and giving you the time back to work on the parts of the organisation that really matter, you know, like finalising the cocktail menu.

In the spirit of it currently being the season of giving, today I thought I’d share with you, my top 5 tips for organising and planning a great event (I’ll even tell you that these are tips for life, not just for Christmas).

1.  Start Early

Venues book up quickly – especially wedding ones – some are booked 2 years ahead in peak season.  If you’ve got your heart set on somewhere, as soon as you have a date for your event, start researching venues and contacting your preferred choice(s).

2.  Know Your Numbers

It’s impossible to predict exactly, however, most venues will want a final total 1-2 weeks before (depending on how big your event is).  Prepare for call offs, but also prepare for people to be so disorganised, they appear last minute and expect a seat at the table.

 

3.  Set Expectations

You’ll never get a 5* private dining room in Mayfair, for the price of a function room at your local pub.  Work with your team to set expectations about what is and isn’t achievable for their proposed per head budget.

 4.  Don’t Forget Dietary Requirements

People are veggie, vegan, lactose free, coeliac, gluten free, have nut allergies and more… please don’t forget to ask your guests or party goers if they have any dietary requirements and make sure the venue knows – there’s nothing more disappointing than being presented with something you can’t eat.

 5.  Check in A Few Days Before

Whether it’s the team Christmas lunch or a large-scale event, make sure you check in with your venue 48 hours before to confirm any last minute details, changes to plans or provide any information that can help your night run smoothly… once you’ve checked everything off your list, don’t forget that you’re there to enjoy yourself too!

This post is a paid collaboration with Square Meal.

A Weekend Break to The Four Seasons Hotel, St Fillans

Readers, hello! We’ve been off on our travels again – last month we were in Mexico – more on that soon, but for now, I’m focussing on somewhere a little closer to home – Perthshire!

We were recently invited to enjoy an overnight stay at The Four Seasons Hotel, a 3 Star hotel in St Fillans, a small Scottish village located next to Loch Earn.

The hotel was bought over two years ago by Sue, a lovely lady with a history of working in some of the big-name chain hotels who had a dream of buying a small independent place in the highlands of Scotland.

For those of you not familiar with St Fillans, it’s a small village, it sits right on the banks of Loch Earn (amazing views!) and enjoys a gorgeous vista over the hills and mountains beyond.   Around 200 people live in St Fillans and nearby you’ll find walking routes, golf, fishing and other water sports available to you.

The Four Seasons Hotel offers accommodation for all – providing a range of rooms and chalets for guests. A number of rooms are also dog friendly, which is great for those not wanting to leave their furry friend at home. We met a few friendly pups during our stay!

We arrived at the hotel late in the afternoon, having enjoyed a countryside drive up from Glasgow and a stop off at the antiques centre at Doune on the way.  We then went for a stroll around the village after checking in.  There was homemade shortbread waiting for us in our room and Sue had left a letter for us, with information about the local area, to make us feel welcome.  Our room (room 10) was located at the end of the corridor at the far end of the hotel and had spectacular views across the loch. 

It was roomy, had all the necessary amenities and the bath with a rubber duck waiting on the edge was a welcome addition.  There were bathrobes in the cupboard, fresh bottled water and a small TV, should you not wish to enjoy what’s outside the window!

As the weather was spectacular, we decided to sit at the outdoor seating area in front of the hotel, where several other guests had congregated to enjoy the views and a beer (or two) in the sunshine.  There are around 6 tables available for guests, each seating 2 to 4 people and bar food is also served outdoors during the good weather.   A few guests were enjoying the fish and chips when we were there, however having dinner booked in the restaurant later, we decided to hold back.  

A note to any guests – there isn’t a huge amount of facilities in the village itself, so it’s probably best to drive, or hire a car if you’re coming from overseas, to allow you to explore the surrounding area easily.  We brought our Uno cards with us, which provided hours of entertainment in the hotel bar, however we did spot a number of board games in the corner of the bar, so please don’t feel the need to pack your own!

We were booked in for dinner in the hotel’s Meall Reamhar restaurant where we were offered both the bar food menu and a more formal set menu.   We chose the bar menu, for its more varied selection, however the staff were kind enough to let me order the scallops from the set menu, so I could try them.  They were delicious and incredibly well cooked (there’s nothing worse than a chewy scallop).  Mr What Claire Did had the soup of the day to start with – a hearty portion served with fresh bread.

For mains, we both went for the fish – me, I had the fish and chips I’d spotted the other guests having earlier on.  2 small pieces, in a light and crispy batter, was just enough, plenty of chips and a side of minted crushed peas were very much enjoyable.  Swordfish was the dish chosen by Mr What Claire Did – which came with 4 different types of corn, including popcorn!  I didn’t try it, but he did comment that the fish had been well cooked.

The portions we had were generous, so two courses may well be enough for you, however, I’d been told the white chocolate tart with chocolate strawberries was a favourite and I felt it would be rude to not at least try it! Did I manage to finish it?  Not quite, but, I had also dipped into Mr What Claire Did’s bread and butter pudding by this point.  

The restaurant had 4 or 5 other tables in for dinner when we arrived, but the food arrived with us quickly and was hot and fresh.

It was dark by the time we finished dinner, so we couldn’t enjoy the great views any longer. We did decide to have a drink in the small bar next to the dining room (the hotel has two bars; however, we didn’t visit the other) and play a few games of Uno before bed. 

The hotel is located in a quiet and picturesque location – despite being on the other side of the road from the loch, we weren’t bothered by any traffic noise from our room.

Our stay also included breakfast the next morning – there was a selection of cereals and juices, some pastries and a help yourself hot selection, however I didn’t try this. Toast and tea was brought to the table by the staff and each of the tables has a “reserved for X room” sign, so you can find your way to the table that designated for you at breakfast.

From chatting to the owner Sue before we left, it’s clear she’s keen to strike the balance between developing the hotel for future, but also not taking too many big steps that puts the local clientele and regular visitors off return visits.  The lounge area outside the restaurant has recently been redeveloped with modern furniture, is freshly painted and has some lovely plants that I’d happily have taken home with me! There are parts of the hotel that would benefit from development in the future, however, we can’t fault the cleanliness of our room when we arrived, which is always the first thing I look at.

The hotel offers several pet friendly rooms; however, these are clearly marked and not all rooms are available to pet owners.  The views from the rooms at the front of hotel also showcase Scotland’s scenery at its best.

A Saturday night stay in low season at The Four Seasons Hotel in St Fillans starts from £86 for a classic room (via booking.com) for 2 people including breakfast. 

For more information on the hotel, visit their Facebook and Instagram. 

Disclaimer: I was invited to enjoy a one-night stay at the hotel, on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis for 2 people.  Any opinions expressed are my own.

Mermaid Traybake Cake

Readers, I decided it was time for a recipe post again, as it’s been a while. I’ve been baking loads recently – a 60^th birthday cake and various traybakes for the office too, which you've possible seen over on Instagram?

Just a short post tonight, but here’s a really simple recipe for you to try.  It only takes 4 ingredients, can be made in an hour or so and is great for kids birthday parties… AND... who doesn’t love mermaids?!

Leave me a comment if you manage to try this one out!

Mermaid Themed Traybake Cake

Ingredients

50g unsalted butter

150g pink and white mini marshmallows

200g rice crispies (use more or less depending on how they mix up)

2 tbsp mermaid sprinkles

Method

1. In a pan over a low heat, add the butter and marshmallows.  Heat until melted down to a liquid.  Use a lower heat and be patient.  Stir as you go. Be careful not to burn the mixture, or it won't keep the mermaids happy! 

   

   Melting butter and marshmallows

2. Once melted down, remove from the heat and stir in the rice crispies until well coated.Transfer the mermaid cake mix to an 8x8in silicone baking pan and use a spatula to mould into the pan, ensuring it’s even and smooth on the top.

   

   Melted butter and marshmallows, ready to add rice crispies

3. Cover the top in mermaid sprinkles and transfer the mermaid traybake to the fridge to set for a minimum of 1h. 

   

   Ready for the fridge

4. Once set, bring back to room temperature before cutting into rectangles and serving.
5. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Travel Post - Alternative Algarve

Readers, I yet again apologise for the backseat taken in the blogging world. I’ve been trying my hardest to keep my Insta up to date, whilst also not becoming a slave to Insta. I’m also keen to try and post more regularly on my actual blog, because my little piece of the internet was designed to be about my words and life adventures.  Not me trying to get 20k likes because I’m in a bikini (sorry influencers).

Anyway, as some of you might have seen on Insta, last month we went to Portugal for a week, specifically the Algarve.  You might wonder why this Glasgow blogger picked the Algarve?  Having not been in about 14 years, we got a cheap deal at an amazing hotel that we spotted on Holiday Pirates and decided to take the plunge and book a cheap week away.  It turns out our cheap week in the Algarve was indeed excellent. The hotel was fantastic and it was lovely to experience a different type of holiday. 

So for today’s post I’m talking Alternative Algarve and some suggestions if you decide to go as a couple in their late 20s or 30s – I think where we stayed MIGHT be a bit tame for some of the younger squad, but perfect if you're looking for peace and tranquility. 

Monchique – Many Mountains

We stayed near Monchique – a pretty little Algarve town up the mountains. It’s suffered terribly from last year’s forest fires, so we felt it really important to go and help their tourism spend.  It’s a long and winding road up to Monchique, so you’d really need to hire a car if you’re going, but it’s an incredibly peaceful place to be.  There are some traditional roadside restaurants, serving decent grub at affordable prices too!

Hire A Car

As I mentioned above, consider hiring a car.  The Algarve is fairly easy to drive around, well signposted and it allowed us to venture across many parts of the Algarve.  Hire from a reputable company though and consider the damage waiver, as the Portuguese drives are a bit different from the brits!

Like a Spa?

We stayed at Monchique Resort and Spa – a BEAUTIFUL 5 star hotel near Monchique.  We stayed bed and breakfast (the breakfast was epic).  There’s an underground car park for your hire car, a gorgeous pool with views over the mountains and most of the rooms are suites with massive beds, outdoor terraces with loungers and a home from home feel.    The Spa at the hotel is stocked by ESPA and my massage was wonderful.  The spa circuit was also a fabulous way to spend a few hours on a windy spring morning.

Head to Benagil Caves and Beach

A bit less touristy, you can drive here, park up the car, walk around the caves and then head down to the small beach for a bit of sunbathing afterwards.  If you’d like to get close up, there are cave boat trips and paddleboarding adventures here and its’ a favourite with the Algarve surfing community.

Eat Piri Piri Chicken

You can’t go to the Algarve and not enjoy a piri piri chicken (either half or whole, depending how hungry you are) served with fries.   This is a staple dinner in the Algarve and we found a great place that was stumbling distance from Monchique Resort and Spa, called Foz do Banho, where we had dinner for 2 for less than £30.

Spot Shipwrecks

If you happen to be down in the old fishing village of Alvor on your travels, see if you can spot the shipwreck near the beach… Top tip, you’ll see it in the afternoon.

Image Credit - Instagram dougies_wee_world

Visit the Most South Westerly Point in Europe

An hour or so will lead you to Sagres and on to the most south westerly point in Europe. You can see the lighthouse, walk along the cliffs and loudly shout NEXT STOP AMERICA… if you want to be that annoying person.

Enjoy a Leisurely Seafood Lunch

The Algarve’s restaurants in the more out of town locations are what you would call “rustic”.  Don’t expect hip, modern interiors. Do expect incredibly fresh seafood, delicious Algarvian wines and a no rush attitude, where you can sit for several hours, chatting and enjoying yourself.

Go Historic in Silves

A lovely town, along the west coast, Silves has beauty and history in equal amounts.  Have a quick lunch near the bottom of the town and build your energy levels for an uphill walk to the cathedral and castle. Walk the old walls and enjoy spectacular views over the town.

 Enjoy an evening in Lagos

We decided to spend our second last night in Lagos – a beach town, with plenty of restaurants and bars to pass an evening.  We stayed in a rustic villa complex with a little outside patio around a 15 minute walk to the main town and a 10 minute walk along to the caves in Lagos.  We only stayed one night, but can recommend taking a stroll past many of the restaurants and bars, taking your time to find one you like. 

Top Tips for a Short Trip to Prague

Readers, I’ve been on my adventures again. I’ve been in Prague.  Somewhat unfairly, Prague has a bit of a reputation for a booze culture, stag and hen parties everywhere and well, that’s about it.

This Glasgow travel blogger though, reveals that this couldn’t be further from the truth. Prague is beautiful – gorgeous architecture, narrow winding streets and plenty to do that doesn’t involve getting smashed in the pub.

My latest travel blog focuses on alternative Prague.  Other cool things that the city has to offer, secret Prague if you will. Not just about landing for a weekend and drinking cheap beer. 

If you happen to visit Prague and go to any of these places, be sure to let me know.

Hemmingway Cocktail Bar

After my points above about booze, the first place I mention, is a bar. Oh the irony.  This isn’t any old bar though, it’s a 1920s speakeasy, with an amazing selection of cocktails, served in weird and wonderful ways.  You’ll need to reserve a table in peak times and it's one of the coolest bars in Prague. 

Chocolate Monkey Workshop

Fancy something a little different?  This 90 minute workshop in the heart of the Prague old town, costs around £30 per person. You learn a little about the history of chocolate and get to make some chocolate to take home with you.  A great activity for friends.

Carlos IV Spa 

Fan of a spa day? You’ll not be disappointed by a trip here.  Featuring a gorgeous, dimly lit, relaxation spa space, with sauna, steam room, pool and jacuzzi, it’s the ideal place to escape the city for a few hours, either when the weather is poor, or you want to rest those tired legs, after a day roaming the streets.

Eating Out

There’s too many places to mention from our trip, so here's some highlights. Prague does have something for all budgets. We’d advise avoiding the main square area and instead go check out some cool places in some of Prague’s neighbourhoods. Try and find where the locals go. 

We enjoyed lunch at Bakeshop (not actually far from the main square) but the pastries and baked goods were delicious.  It’s also really well priced for the quality.

For dinner, two standouts for us were Room – a tapas and mezze style bar attached to the Icon Hotel. So good, we went there twice during our 4 night stay.

Noi – a neighbourhood Thai restaurant, across the bridge, towards the castle.  Again, reasonably priced, with a  great selection of thai food. We ordered a selection of starters and mains to share.

Choco Loves Coffee is a cool, old school café we found near our Air BnB.  It does homemade cakes and gourmet hot chocolate that you can pick out your personalised combination.  Delicious.

* * * 

Top 10 Random Prague Tips

1. Get a 3 day pass for the public transport.  It’s incredibly cheap to get around Prague and we used a mix of trams and subways during our stay.  If the weather is good, it’s also a lovely walking city. 
2. Avoid taxis – we’d been told they can rip people off, so be careful.
3. Airporter – we used this great service to and from the airport, they even picked up our bags at a designated time from our Air BnB the morning we left and picked us up at a chosen location to go back to the airport. Cost was around £26 one way (split between 3 people). Great value.
4. Walk Charles Bridge and head to John Lennon Wall and Prague’s narrowest street, for some cool Instagram photos.
   
   
   
   
5. The Gingerbread Museum is not a museum, it’s a shop.  That said, the gingerbread from there is amazing, so stop by and pick up your gingerbread as souvenirs.
6. Don’t bother paying for the castle tour – it’s a lovely walk around for an hour or so, self guided.  We spent a morning there exploring the beautiful grounds.
   
7. Plan your journey well in advance if you’re walking. Google Maps is a little slow in the narrow/backstreets of the old town and more than once we found ourselves lost and doubling back on ourselves.  Just a suggestion. 
8. Make sure to try one of the delicious Trdelnik cakes – pastry, with cinnamon and sugar, filled with ice cream and toppings. You won’t be disappointed. You'll also be able to find many trdelnik shops across the city.  Price is around 4 euros for a whopping big cake. 
   
9. Buy a Lonely Planet Pocket Guide – we used this to plan out most of the places we went to.  The dining recommendations were superb!
10. Wenceslas Square was a bit of a let down.  Worth a look if you’re walking by it, but I’d say there’s much more impressive things to see in the city.