She and Home Archives

Halloween at Wild Place Project

Posted on 21 October, 2018 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

Halloween at Wild Place Project

We took our little wild thing to Wild Place Project this weekend, after they kindly invited us to come and check out their Halloween Half Term activities. For one reason or another we have never gotten around to going before so this was the perfect opportunity to check it out! Firstly, I couldn’t get over how close to The Mall (Cribbs Causeway) it is! It’s a four minute drive! (We know this as we maaaaaaaaaaaaay have popped in to John Lewis en route, cheeky). You would, however, never know this by the time you’ve parked up. You suddenly feel like you’re in the middle of nowhere and I really was not expecting such large and beautiful grounds (and a Rapunzel-esque tower in a massive field, what the heck? I’ve since learnt that this is the Hollywood Tower, which was built in 1839!). I don’t think we could have chosen a more picture perfect Autumn day to visit and it was gorgeous to just walk around admiring the trees.

There’s a lot of pretty cool family friendly stuff going on for Halloween. We particularly enjoyed watching the young wolf pack, as well as doing the pumpkin hunt through the woods – which took us past all manner of creepy characters. Poppy didn’t bat an eyelid at any of it and thought it was all rather hilarious. She kept offering the Witch drinks and snacks and spent a good five minutes blowing her kisses. She’s hard as nails, apparently. It was also an excellent way of using up energy and we ran back and forth through the woods, climbing on the many kid friendly structures Wild Place have dotted around the site. Some of the older kids were having a whale of a time climbing a big tree that had been designated for such hi-jinks.

All in all, it was a great success and, as a family, we loved it. It felt like we packed a lot in but it was all surprisingly relaxing. I thought it had the perfect mix of stuff to keep our active toddler entertained, with animals big and small, lots of space for running and a couple of really good play areas (there’s even an indoor play area for the under 5s).

She cried when we left, there’s no higher praise.

If you fancy visiting this Halloween, they are running their activities for two weeks starting on Saturday 20th October. Check out the Wild Place Project website to find out more and to book tickets

Disclaimer: We were not paid for this review, we were however invited by Wild Place Project to attend their Halloween activities and did not pay for our park entry. All words and opinions are blogger’s own and all spelling and grammatical errors are blogger’s own too.

Valentine’s Day Gift Guide | Cabot Circus Personal Shopping

Posted on 10 February, 2018 by She and Hem — 65 Comments ↓

Valentine's Day Gift Guide | Cabot Circus Personal Shopping

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, love is seriously in the air at Cabot Circus! A quick stroll around our local Bristol shopping centre will see you surrounded with hearts, flora and a heck of a lot of red hues. It’s all rather romantic, innit. Now if, like us, you’ve never been particularly organised when it comes to the buying of Valentine’s day gifts then the good news is Cabot Circus have got you covered. They are offering free 30 minute personal shopping sessions this weekend (10th and 11th February) from 11 until 5. That’s TODAY, people! Just pop along and see them in the central space outside House of Fraser and their team of personal shoppers will help you find the perfect gift for your special someone, whatever your budget! Winner.

To get you all in the loved up mood, the team challenged the two of us to go head to head in the search for the perfect Valentine’s gift! We decided to go for a Galentine’s affair and choose gifts for each other (standard) and went well and truly wild in the Cabot aisles looking for dreamy ideas. If you fancy a serious shopping spree, check out how to enter our competition at the bottom of the post to win a £50 Cabot Circus Gift Card! A little Valentine’s gift from us to you.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide | Cabot Circus Personal Shopping

We both had great success in Tiger, who have got a huge amount of Valentine’s gifts on offer to suit everyone’s budget. They’ve got everything covered from novelty socks, toiletries, confectionery and crockery! Even their boxes of plasters are romantic! It’s all there and it’s all festooned with hearts.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide | Cabot Circus Personal Shopping

If you’re other half is a foodie then you’ll be pleased to know that Krispy Kreme have gone all lovey-dovey on us with special edition doughnuts on offer! You can pick up The Valentine’s Dozen for £13.45. Failing that, Hotel Chocolate have got some beautiful gifts on offer ranging from small bags of chocolate hearts to entire hampers of goodies.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide | Cabot Circus Personal Shopping

Topshop, Monki and Urban Outfitters have all got some pretty cool gifts on offer. We both love the cute heart top from Topshop and bag from Monki. You can’t have too many hearts in February, can you? Neither of us had been into Monki before but my goodness, we are complete converts. Colourful fun clothes at really affordable prices, it’s pretty dreamy in there.

Valentine's Day Gift Guide | Cabot Circus Personal Shopping

So what did we choose for each other, we hear you cry! Well, Jo is a librarian so those adorable children’s books from Foyles and her were always going to be a match made in heaven. The artwork is just beautiful and I was thinking she would enjoy reading them to Poppy too. I also had to pick up a copy of ‘Read This If You Want To Be Instagram Famous’ from Urban Outfitters so she can spend Valentine’s Day tackling Instagram’s Algorithm! In return, Jo picked up the ‘Love Always Wins’ tee for me from Monki and I love it! I can’t wait to wear it on the 14th of Feb. She also chose a wonderful Paperchase mug emblazoned with our favourite F word. I think we both did rather well!

Hopefully we’ve inspired you to get shopping for your other half (or your bestie!) this weekend. If you’re in Bristol, definitely pop along and take advantage of the personal shoppers, it will take away the stress of all that last minute gift buying! You can find out everything you need to know about it here.

Lots of love!

J&V

This post was written in collaboration with Cabot Circus

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Saks Appeal | Win an Ultimate Vitamin Glow Facial

Posted on 16 October, 2017 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

Last week Jo and I (Victoria) had the pleasure of meeting up at Saks Beauty in Bristol to sample a couple of their treatments and indulge in a spot of afternoon tea. Not a bad way to spend a grey Tuesday afternoon, we are sure you’ll agree. Saks is based at the bottom of Park Street, making it a super convenient rendezvous point for the two (sorry, four) of us now that we aren’t living in the same part of Bristol!

We had a great time taking it in turns to baby sit whilst the other was treated to some ‘me time’. Turns out, after several months of carrying our babies around, boy did our knots need untying! My massage was carried out by the lovely Donna, who actually gasped at the state of my poor back. A good excuse to go back for a few more visits.

After saying goodbye to our stresses and aching muscles, we caught up over a delicious spread of scones and cupcakes. Delightful! We proceeded to compare notes on our various post baby aches and pains, and Jo explained that she thought the Saks massage was even better than the one she’d had recently at the The Lido in Clifton. High praise indeed. If you fancy seeing for yourself, Saks are kindly offering half price massages to all new clients – just mention that She and Hem sent you!

Now, what you’ve all been waiting for, it’s competition time! Would you like to win an ultimate vitamin glow facial at Saks Beauty? Of course you would! It’s 60 minutes of pure bliss. Simply enter below and we’ll keep our fingers crossed for you!

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V&J

Family Fun at Cabot Circus

Posted on 12 June, 2017 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

Family Fun at Cabot Circus

Now that we’ve got the girls, we are all about that family-friendly life. We spend a lot of time Whatsapping eachother (and our NCT mates) places we’ve found that are good for the little ones and it’s always super useful to know where is good to take them. One place that ticks a lot of boxes for us is Cabot Circus, who spend a lot of time ensuring kids of all ages (plus their parents!) are well catered for. One thing we love about Cabot Circus is that everything is under one big ol’ glass roof. There’s ample parent and child parking available and they have excellent changing facilities, including feeding rooms.

We popped down during half-term to check out their young hero super-school for a masterclass in superhero style. Poppy and Ada were a little young for the craft activities but there were lots of young heroes having the time of their lives designing capes, cuffs and masks! POW! Give it a few years and it will be Awesome Ada and Power Poppy to the rescue.

We left the bigger kids to the crafts and hit the shops! We had a grand old time swooning over the girls dresses in Monsoon and may have made a cheeky purchase in Zara. We always love a shop that caters for both Mum and baby! We also had a little gander in Smiggle to pick up some bubbles and bells as we are big baby sensory fans!

Speaking of baby sensory, we went for dinner at Yo Sushi which proved to be a big hit with the girls! They loved the lights, the noise, and all the sushi whizzing round! It proved the perfect distraction for them, while we sampled some of the new things on the menu. The Okonomoyaki and Salmon & Yuzu Tartare were especially fabulous and we are now addicted to Ramune Soda. The new menu is also great for those who aren’t big sushi fans as they have added a market foods section so you can sample some different styles of Japanese food. This was the first time my (Jo) husband and notorious hater of sushi, James, had visited and he was thrilled to discover that he was well-catered for. We were all pleasantly surprised by how family-friendly Yo Sushi proved to be as it wouldn’t be the first place you would think of when dining out with two babies under six months. The staff went out of their way to make sure the babies were well looked after and Poppy really enjoyed her egg shaped high chair! We were really impressed that the high chair can be tipped backwards to accommodate smaller babies and the changing facilities were fantastic.

Family Fun at Cabot Circus

Our next Cabot Circus mission is to try the baby cinema at Showcase Cinema De Lux on a Thursday morning. Has anyone been?

J&V xxx

*Cabot Circus very kindly provided our meal at Yo Sushi! but all opinions are our own.

People of Bristol

Posted on 19 May, 2017 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

People of Bristol | She and Hem

Last week I (Victoria) woke up to the lovely surprise that I had been featured on People of Bristol, an awesome Instagram account that we follow. It was fellow Bristol blogger Lily from Lily Doughball who recognised me, presumably by my oh so subtle Peanut Butter jumper, and I was pretty chuffed about it. Thanks for the tip Lily!

People of Bristol is an account that posts illustrations of those who catch the eye of children’s and commercial illustrator Nicola Colton, and I was spotted waiting for my husband outside Cafe Kino, one of our favourite spots in Bristol. As it was a sunny, busy Saturday afternoon, he had popped into see if there was enough space to take the buggy in. Nicola captured me so well considering I must have been there, rocking my little one to and fro, for less than a minute or so. What a professional! Jo and I are hoping she might venture into blog illustrations…

Alongside my Peanut Butter jumper, I was also wearing my swimmers print ankle grazers (posted about here) from Laura Ashley with my faithful yellow Superga’s. Comfy, colourful and fun all round. I’m looking forward to seeing more of Nicola’s wonderful illustrations and to find out if anyone else spots themselves. Keep your eyes peeled, people of Bristol!

People of Bristol | She and Hem

Check out the People of Bristol Instagram here and Nicola’s Instagram page here,

She and Home: Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel

Posted on 28 April, 2017 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

She and Home: Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel | Keepers Restaurant

The Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel on Bristol’s beautiful Corn Street (part of the Old Town) has recently had a makeover and we were kindly invited along to have a nosy around and sample their afternoon tea. You know us, we don’t turn down invitations that come with proccessco! Chin chin! Victoria hadn’t visited the hotel before but I (Jo) actually had my Sixth Form prom there (many moons ago) so I was quite excited about seeing their swanky new look.

We were greeted at the door and immediately handed our bubbles before being shown to our table in the newly opened Keepers restaurant. The bee theme is due to the hotel having a 40,000 strong hive on the roof and the honey they use in their dishes is produced from harvesting their nectar. We had noticed there had bee(n) quite the buzz about this place since opening, and looking around it was easy to see why! The decor is excellent and we were filled with food envy as everyone seemed to be eating something tasty.

After taking our tea order (builders and Earl Grey thank you very much) we were presented with a sharing board filled with delicious Parma ham, feta cheese, hummus, olives, red pepper, artichoke, salmon sandwiches and Mediterranean flatbreads. We also had some little bowls of popcorn which was an unexpected bonus! We were both really surprised and impressed with this selection and it made a nice change from the usual tower of cucumber sandwiches. We polished everything off! The next platter was then brought over which, much to our delight, was a pudding lovers dream! We had scones (pre creamed and jammed – controversial!) as well as brownie, shortbread and macarons. There was also a massive jug of sauce that we weren’t quite sure what to do with but it looked very pretty.

She and Home: Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel | Keepers Restaurant We walked off our lunch with a tour of some of the refurbished rooms. They are so huge! Plenty of room for two mummy bloggers with two big buggies. A particular highlight was the many nods to Bristol’s street art scene with the hotel working closely with local street art festival, Upfest, to adorn the walls with fabulous prints. A really nice touch. The furniture was pretty darn cool too and we were especially taken with the super jazzy armchairs (the ace fabric is by Kitty McCall who we are now slightly obsessed with). The girls were impressed too and we are all very much hoping to go back for a stay soon.

She and Home: Mercure Bristol Grand Hotel | Keepers Restaurant

Big thanks to the lovely Lauren from Brown and Bee (formerly PPOMG) for the invite and looking after us all on the day. Big thanks-a-latte also to the waiter who brought Victoria a coffee whilst I was gone for several days changing a particularly fun nappy.

J&Vx

She and Home: The Burger Joint, Bristol

Posted on 4 April, 2017 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

She and Home: The Burger Joint, Bristol | She and Hem | Food

It’s fair to say that maternity leave is being kind to us as far as eating our way around the West Country is concerned. Kind to us that is, but perhaps less so to the old waistline! It’s been lovely going for nice long lunches whilst the babies sleep (or don’t sleep) and gives us a chance to have a catch up and talk about how much sleep (or no sleep) we’ve had the previous night. Now, we aren’t exactly famed for our cutting edge restaurant reviews around here but, seeing as we are now chowing down on a more regular basis, we thought it was about time we upped our game and you will be seeing quite a few over the coming weeks! First up, The Burger Joint!

We should probably begin with a full disclaimer: we are massive fans of The Burger Joint. We’ve been visiting this tasty establishment for years – before even She and Hem was a thing, if you can imagine such a terrible time! So dedicated are we to the burger cause that until recently our faces graced the banner photo of their website and Jo even had them cater her wedding in 2013. See, massive fans of massive delicious burgers. So, you won’t be surprised to learn that we were more than happy to try out their new menu options at their branch on Whiteladies Road in Bristol!

She and Home: The Burger Joint, Bristol | She and Hem | Food

We really love the unique the ordering system at Burger Joint, it kinda feels a little bit like playing a really tasty lottery, but everyone’s a winner (especially if you choose the sweet potato fries!). Everything from starters to sides is broken down into tick boxes so you can build your perfect meal. As well as sampling their new offerings, we must admit that we did add a few long time favourites to our order – their sweet potato fries are seriously the best in Bristol! Although the menu was already super extensive, they have recently tried to broaden their appeal to the Vegan’s and Vegetarian’s of Bristol and beyond, by introducing The Vegan Joint and The Beetroot and Feta Joint. Nice.

I (Victoria) can highly recommend The Vegan Joint. Although admittedly I did add a bunch of not-so-vegan meat and cheese options to my burger, the patty itself was delicious. Owner Dan explained how labour intensive the Vegan Joint is to create, with a heroic veg chopping effort taking place behind the scenes. I also had the sweet potato fries, which I can’t imagine comes as much of a sweet potato surprise!

Jo is a creature of habit (just check out her Deliveroo history for proof) so went for her usual combo of the grilled chicken burger with smokey streaked bacon and brie, but threw in an extra cheesy curve ball by opting for the newly added, smoked applewood cheddar. DOUBLE CHEESE! It was delightful! As were the parmesan and truffle fries (MAKE THAT TRIPLE CHEESE), another new addition, which were so scrummy that I may have pinched a few when Jo wasn’t looking. Anything is improved by cheese, in our dairy-fueled opinion.

She and Home: The Burger Joint, Bristol | She and Hem | Food

We’ve actually been back since with visiting friends, so have managed to sample even more of the new menu. We really wanted to mention The Beetroot and Feta Joint as a standout. It’s as delicious as it is colourful! We’ll definitely be ordering it again next time we go. If you fancy getting your hands on any of the above, Burger Joint has branches in Clifton, Fishponds and Bedminster in Bristol. See you there!

V&J x

*Burger Joint very kindly provided our lunch to review but all opinions are our own.

The Wheels on the Boden Bus | Spring Blooms Tour

Posted on 23 March, 2017 by She and Hem — 2 Comments ↓

The Wheels on the Boden Bus

Toot toot! A couple of weeks ago the Boden petal-powered bus rolled into Bristol as part of their Spring Blooms tour with Bloom & Wild. A prettier mode of transport you never did see! It certainty brightened up Broadmead and added a much needed splash of colour to an otherwise dull day. How could you not get on board with that? It therefore seemed appropriate that the four of us were all decked out in their wares for our visit. It’s no secret how much we love a bit of Boden so, naturally, we’ve been pining over their baby clothes for months! Thankfully, like mother like daughter, both girls are already big fans of their novelty prints!

This beautiful double decker green bus was not only gorgeous on the outside but jam-packed with the dreamiest Spring flowers and new season garms! Upon boarding the bus, we found the bottom deck was filled with happy Bristolians being given a Bloom & Wild masterclass on how to create special edition The Johnnie Bunch, which you can grab here. Although we are two wildflowers we had the babes with us, so we were in no position to get green fingered, but we can confirm it smelt amazing. Upstairs had been transformed into a beautiful showroom where we were treated to a glimpse of the new range of occasionwear. It was blooming marvelous!

The Wheels on the Boden Bus

We were definitely overshadowed by our gorgeous girlies who caused quite the commotion in their snazzy outfits, especially Ada’s rose gold bunny booties*. You can find the rest of their bits and bobs here. We tagged along to pay for their bus fare in equally fun attire! I (Victoria) spotted this fab stripey shirt* on Amy from Me, Myself and Ivy‘s Instagram – which you must pay a visit to if you love colourful clothes as much as we do. I teamed it with a rather sensible pair of blue chino’s* and comfy silver trainers*, perfect for running for the bus! Jo sported the world’s best statement skirt*, an embroidered masterpiece! She teamed it with a pink cropped jumper* which although lovely was a little see-through, so definitely one to pop a white top on underneath. Her green flats* were a big hit as they were not only comfortable but they coped admirably in the rain. Top stuff Boden!

Things were very rosey indeed as we caught up with Bristol’s very own Niki from Miss Magpie Fashion Spy and Jess from @PorthJess who were both working their magic for the Bristol leg of the tour and it was lovely to finally meet Xanthe and Lucy, after admiring their Instagram accoutnts for so long. What a bunch of talented ladies!

The Wheels on the Boden Bus

V&J x

Our Trip to St Werburghs, Bristol.

Posted on 7 March, 2017 by She and Hem — No Comments ↓

We Made Me Soohu Sling | St Werburghs, Bristol | She and Hem

As we had such glorious weather in Bristol last weekend, I wanted to make the most of it, so my husband and I popped wee Ada into her new sling (more on that later!) and took a wander around one of our favourite neighbourhoods in Bristol, St Werburghs. Our first stop was the ever excellent St Werburghs City Farm, where Ada particularly liked the goats. As a new mum, I’m now always on the lookout to see if places are child friendly, and the farm definitely is. It has spacious baby changing facilities, a play park and many chances for little ones to help feed the animals. Thankfully, the farm is also very parent friendly and we were able to purchase some jam and chutney then grab a coffee in the farm cafe across the road. Who said having a newborn isn’t very rock and roll?

As we wanted to take a long walk around the local area after visiting the farm, we thought it would be an excellent opportunity to use a sling for the first time. To be honest, I was a bit nervous about putting Ada in a sling, as she’s still quite tiny for six weeks old, but my husband has really been looking forward to taking her out and about without the restraints of a heavy buggy. Turns out, I had nothing to worry about, as after we had worked out how to use it, Ada looked incredibly cozy, so much so that she had a lovely doze for most of the time we were out and about. If only we could have done the same! We’re all a bit sleep deprived here at She and Hem HQ.

The sling we used is the stylish red Soohu Sling* from We Made Me and I’m super impressed. The cradle carry is a winner, and I love the fact that it’s one size fits all, which means we can take her out in it until she’s 24 months old! If you are pregnant or have a newborn, I would definitely recommend looking into baby carrying if you like the idea of going hands and buggy free. We’ll definitely be using the sling loads, especially now spring is (just about) on the horizon!

We Made Me Soohu Sling | St Werburghs, Bristol | She and Hem

After an excellent cup of coffee in the farm cafe, we had a wander around the local area and swooned over all of the awesome eco houses. I’ll take the yellow one please! A short walk from the farm is Boiling Wells, 2.5 acres of woodland which home sculptures, a fire circle and even a pizza oven! It’s such a fun space which often holds weddings and theatre events. I’m really looking forward to seeing a production in the summer, and I’m sure Ada is too!

Keep an eye on the blog over the next few months as the lovely ladies at Bump Pr were awfully kind and sent Jo and I a variety of We Made Me slings to try, so in addition to trying The Wuti Wrap*, when our little ones are a few months older we’ll be trying out The Pao Carrier* (4 – 36 months). I’m really keen to try this one out as it looks so sturdy and easy to use, which is ideal when you have a very active baby and all of their bits and pieces to cart around.

We Made Me Soohu Sling | St Werburghs, Bristol | She and Hem

Are you a fan of baby carrying? If so, what slings do you rate?

Afternoon Tea at Hotel Du Vin, Bristol.

Posted on 14 October, 2016 by She and Hem — 2 Comments ↓

Afternoon Tea at Hotel Du Vin, Bristol | She and Hem

Last weekend, we were invited out of She & Hem towers to sample the new afternoon tea at Hotel Du Vin in the heart of Bristol. We’re happy to announce that it was, in the words of Mary Berry, absolutely scrumptious. Served daily from 12pm to 6pm, Hotel Du Vin have added their own spin to the traditional afternoon tea, by combining standard savories such as salmon sandwiches and sumptuous scones, with more unusual treats in the form of chocolate tea cakes and candy floss. Yes, you heard correctly, sugary sweet candy floss as part of an afternoon tea. What a treat! We had a lovely few hours devouring the two courses, admiring the gorgeous hotel and even making new blogger friends (Hi New Mum Online, Purple Ella and Forget Me Knit!). What a perfect Sunday!

Jo and I (Victoria) have both previously had the pleasure of staying at Hotel Du Vin, and after attending this event, we are both lusting after a return visit. A former Sugar House with contemporary loft style bedrooms and exposed brickwork, it’s definitely one of the most luxurious hotels in Bristol. In fact, the hotel’s restaurant is so inviting that when my husband and I stayed over recently for my birthday, we decided to eat in the hotel, something we rarely ever do.

Unfortunately, neither myself nor Jo were able to partake in the cocktail tasting this time around (damn babies!), so we’re itching to go back in a few months time to try the new drinks menu, all created especially for the hotel by the Bristol staff. Don’t feel too sorry for us though, as the ever accommodating Hotel Du Vin were more than happy to whizz up some iced coffee’s just for us! Turns out this pregnancy thing does have it’s perks.

Afternoon Tea at Hotel Du Vin, Bristol | She and Hem

Thank you for having us Hotel Du Vin, we hope to see you again very soon!

V&J