Rhubarb at Prestonfield House Hotel

Rhubarb at Prestonfield House Hotel link

I return to my Edinburgh adventures to share the chosen venue for dinner to celebrate Ben's birthday. The Rhubarb at Prestonfield House Hotel is a favourite of his sisters and one she often chooses to celebrate her own birthdays, engagements and the like so we were all quite excited to see what was on offer.

Car doors were opened by kilted members of staff and we were led through the double doors and up stairs to one of the many dining rooms. The whole setting was amazing although slightly lacking in atmosphere, it was all very quiet and we were slightly disappointed that despite numerous tables available we were sat next to a couple who were clearly not going to receive any privacy that evening and any sweet nothings would have to be whispered very quietly. 

Those of you that know will not be surprised that I had already scanned the menu and was aware that my dinner was going to be very similar to that of The Witchery but I did spot soup available to start so I could mix things up a little. Once handed our menus' there was no soup to be found and whilst I feared it would be beetroot and goats cheese once again for me on asking one of our waiters we were brought an additional menu we could also choose from. This was similar of the small touches that were missing at the Rhubarb that made our experience slightly lacklustre. Whilst we were lucky enough to layer our tables with cocktails it took some time between drinks being brought, ordering our wine and then of course our food orders that left us checking our watches and having to call waiters over rather than them come to us.

Gressingham duck and foie gras terrin, lime brioche, nibbed cacao and macerated blueberries

Isle of Mull scallops, saffron-braised chicken wings, charred spring onion and crispy anchovy

Starters arrived and I'm so glad I tracked the soup down as it was delicious. My memory is a little hazy but I'm pretty sure it was a butternut squash soup of some description. It was actually served with some goodies (blog speak for I can't remember what) at the bottom of the bowl and the soup poured in by the waiter which was a nice touch. My fellow diners were for the scallops and terrine which I hear were delicious also.

This evening Ben was happy to have steak too so we all ended up choosing the Chauteaubriand which was served in delicious platters. Whilst the spectacle was quite nice having the waiters serve it felt time consuming when all I wanted to do was dive in! It was something of a carb overload (no Aitkens fans here) with crushed potatoes and the most amazing crunchy yet smooth potato croquettes that unlike the previous days dinner after eating a full plateful I was beyond stuffed and ready for a snooze. A subsequent picture of me went on Facebook of me pretending to fall asleep in the restaurant that far too many people fell for and I was living with 'I can't believe you fell asleep in the restaurant' comments for days.

Chateaubriand for two

Belly fit for bursting I chose the mix of ice cream, sorbets and sherbets needing something a little lighter whilst Lavinia was slightly braver and kept going with a chocolate fondant which was melt in the mouth delicious.

Freshly churned ices

Whilst I'm glad to have visited the Rhubarb and I'd be interested to return in the Summer as the grounds were amazing and would love to stay there and perhaps try their Afternoon Tea the evening was slightly lacking. In comparison to The Witchery were there was a gothic ambience Rhubarb felt too stuffy. It was a shame that the rather large table next to us below wasn't filled earlier in our evening. When the group did arrive in full kilts and evening wear they added the energy our evening needed.

That said and despite all that food I still managed to pinch a cake leftover from Afternoon Tea on my way out! 

Have you ever visited this restaurant? 

Airline Approved Beauty

When a trip to Edinburgh was discussed I was naturally enthusiastic. Flights and accommodation were booked and then it came to packing and I realised that I was only allowed hand luggage and that meant a limited selection of make up and beauty products - cue panic!

All the products shown above fitted in this airline approved travel bag from Sephora as well as a few samples of moisturisers and serums to use from Kiehls. These products are also those I generally know work well and with better planning and more time (packing was somewhat last minute) I might have put more thought into double duty products.

Soap & Glory Clean On Me link
You can't go wrong with a Soap & Glory shower gel. The right size for travel, wonderfully scented what more can you ask for? Soap & Glory are great for offering many of their product in travel sizes and often on 3 for 2 offers.

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush link
My biggest worry was hair products. I'm so used to reaching for various products depending on whim but none were available to my in mini size nor suitable for decanting. I have since investigated and know that my favoured Bumble & Bumble Dryspun finish is available in travel size and have been testing Collab which I am loving and is also available in a handy travel size for forthcoming trips.

That aside I had a small can of Batiste in Blush available. As you will know I prefer the Brunette version which is only available in full size but the floral and fruity scented version did what I needed to give enough oomph to my hair.

Jo Malone Vitamin E Cream link
Adding this to the travel bag was something of a faux pas as I'd somehow read it was an eye cream, which it is not. I even used it as such and thought 'hmmm this is a bit greasy/oily/weird for an eye cream'. It was only the following day (when less cocktails had been consumed) I realised my error.

It's a shame I hadn't taken this along and used as intended it would've been just the thing. An oil-based moisturiser to treat dry, dehydrated or weathered skin would have been perfect after spending the day walking the cold windy streets of Edinburgh and battling snow storms. Likewise you can use on elbows, feet which I didn't benefit from during my stay. At least I'm informed for next time.

Avene Thermal Spring Water* link
The Avene Thermal Spring Water is fast becoming a travel essential for me having popped up in my beach bag and sightseeing essentials posts of last year. It was a no brainer to throw this handy can into my hand luggage. It's probably more suited to trips to sunnier climes but as a refresher from the biting wind we experienced this was perfect and suited my toner step in the regime.

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish link
An oldie but a goodie. The cleanser of choice for me whenever I travel. I've little to say but a handy travel size cleansed that works in the am and pm and tackles make up as needed.

Nivea Men Aqua Cool Deodorant link
I don't know why I have this travel sized mens deodorant but I did and took it away with me. I don't mind using mens deodorants as I find they often have quite a pleasing scent and work a little harder than female equivalents.

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil link
Whilst I had Kiehls Ultra Facial Moisturiser by day (in sample form) due to my drier skin over Winter I still wanted to enjoy the indulgent evening step of an oil. It came to Tarte and their Pure Maracuja Oil to do the job. I love this oil (as you will know if you read this post) and as I type this post I'm wanting to dig it back out and start using day to day again.

Bumble & Bumble Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner link
As I said products that travelled to Edinburgh were those that I rely on and enjoy using. Bumble & Bumble's Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner is a range that I repurchased almost immediately after sampling travel sizes (these are decanted as I kept the bottles for this purpose). You can read that post here. This duo was needed more than ever as I was travelling without my usual styling products and it gives me enough volume to get by.

I'd love to know how you manage to travel light when working with limited liquid allowances.

*PR Sample

The Witchery, Edinburgh

The Witchery by the Castle link

There were two restaurants that Ben wanted to visit whilst in Edinburgh for his birthday, The Witchery being one of them which we booked for our first night of our weekend break. I was quite excited to dine there myself as anyone I spoke to about Edinburgh recommended it. 

The Witchery is hidden down an alley in Edinburgh's Old Town, the entrance through an ancient 'close' below a guild heraldic sign. Unfortunately I have no photos from outside as it was very cold, dark and wet when we arrived for our reservation.

Despite arriving just five minutes before our scheduled reservation our table wasn't ready and due to the size of the restaurant there is no bar or area to wait. As mentioned it was a particularly grim evening so we had to make do with an offer of a drink whilst we waited and crammed into a small bench behind the host. Not ideal especially when the arrival drinks did not end up being complimentary (and I won't mention the incident with a selfie stick that resulted in aforementioned drinks ending up on the floor!). 

We were not left waiting and were soon sipping red wine whilst perusing the menu. If I'm honest I already pretty much knew what I'd be ordering as I always read menus in advance - anyone else do that? We were also told we were the last reservation for our table that evening so could enjoy our meal in leisure, more than making up for our short wait. 

Ben picked his favourite the steak tartare of seasoned raw prime Scotch Borders beef, with remoulade and raw quail egg and I went for the slightly less exciting but pleasing for my fussy taste Roast Arran Beets, Katie Rogers crowdie, toasted hazelnuts, smoked cauliflower puree. I must confess it was the only starter I thought I'd eat but wasn't sure I'd like it but was pleasantly surprised. I'm having something of a moment with beets of late. Lewis went for the Witchery Haggis which unfortunately I was unable to get a snap of.

After our starters it was time to do the obligatory photos before the main course arrived. Lewis and I both chose the Fillet of Scotch Borders beef whilst Lavinia and Ben shared the Lamb Wellington. Lamb Wellington isn't something I'd order but I was able to try some and can't deny it was delicious and melt in the mouth. We shared the usual sides of mash potatoes, greens and baby carrots which unfortunately we were not fans of an jokingly referred to them as sambuca carrots due the chervil butter.

Thankfully due to the wonderful service at The Witchery which allowed us to take our time before courses we were able to wait a short while before we ordered dessert. I had to pick the Pineapple Tart Tatin with rum caramel and coconut ice cream, the pastry was so light and Lavinia chose the Dark Belgian chocolate tart with orange marmalade ice cream which was rich but delightful

We gave our waiters the heads up that it was Ben's birthday and they added a candle to his cheese plate which was a lovely touch. Slowly the restaurant emptied completely but for us but there was no rushing  from the staff as they cleared up around us and left us to our evening. After one or two glasses bottles things started to descend into chaos so we made our leave and returned to our hotel for a few more cocktails.

The whole experience whilst off to a slow start was fantastic. The service was impeccible and I had some expectation that the evening would be stuffy and we wouldn't be allowed to talk and laugh as much as we would like but I was proved very wrong.

I can fully see why The Witchery has such a good reputation and I will be joining the ranks of people recommending it whenever I hear anyone is travelling to Edinburgh. 

Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh | The Caledonian | Part 2

Following on from my previous post about the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Edinburgh today I'm covering the food options, or more specifically breakfast and drinking activities we participated in - sometimes even combining the two.

We decided to order breakfast and a bottle of Ben's favourite Laurent-Perrier Rose Champagne to our room on Saturday morning to celebrate his birthday. This meant that after our evening at The Witchery there would be no rush to make ourselves presentable for public dining, we could all gather in the room to watch Ben open cards and presents and then head out to the streets of Edinburgh.

My first criticism is that we requested the breakfast at the front desk as we headed out for dinner Friday evening. I assumed they would take the details and make the arrangements, instead I had to use their phone to call the in room dining team and order. Not a big hassle it just seemed a little unnecessary.

The second gripe would be that the breakfast wasn't great. We went for the pastry baskets which were essentially piles of cold toast and stale rock hard mini croissants and pain au chocolats. Luckily the bottle of LPR was chilled to perfection and masked any dissatisfaction of the breakfast.

For our breakfast Sunday morning we decided to dine in the hotel's Galvin Brassiere De Luxe. Our flights home weren't until later that evening so we tried to balance our dining for the rooms check out so we would not be left with too much time hanging around.

There were two options of picking a breakfast option from the menu or the full buffet selection which of course we decided on. It wasn't the cheapest option available but the food choices were expansive including the your traditional bacon, sausage and eggs as well as cheeses, pastries, pancakes and the like. Our waiter was particularly attentive ensuring our teas and coffees were refilled which was necessary after our heavy night.

The Caley Bar was a favourite for us once we'd return from our evenings (or days!) out. We'd sit around working our way through the cocktail bar, enjoying the tray of snacks and chatting and planning our next trips (Dubai if you're wondering). The bar staff were again attentive and there was a lovely waitress who gave us tips when we were asking about extending our evenings to some local bars. When I was sitting there relaxed with my french martini's I couldn't be more happier.

Peacock Alley was formerly the station concourse and ticket office and its main feature is the gorgeous lit wall. The bar had a wonderful old school feel about it and we enjoyed drinks before dinner here both evenings of our stay. With a pianist playing in the background it felt very grown up as we sipped on cocktails and nibbled from the selection of nuts and treats put in front of us. On Saturday afternoon we saw it filled with people enjoying Afternoon Tea which was very tempting.

Our trip to Edinburgh was about relaxation and good times with friends and the ambience of the bars certainly aided this. It was lovely to sit and chat with delicious cocktails in bars which still had a great atmosphere. The breakfasts may have let us down slightly but they didn't disappointment and I would happily return or recommendation a stay at Waldorf Estoria Edinburgh.

Now tell me, what is your favourite cocktail?