Blogging: #LivHelps Blogging Event

Blogging: #LivHelps Blogging Event

Tuesday, 23 August 2016

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This Saturday just passed, I was lucky enough to spend my afternoon with a bunch of fabulous bloggers at the #LivHelps blogging event. The event was hosted by the AMAZING Sammy at the equally fabulous Dough Bar just around the corner from Lime Street in Liverpool city centre. I’d never been to the venue before the event but I can say for sure that I’ll be dragging the other half there at some point soon as it was a lovely place with amazing food. But more on that later…

When I got to the event, I was a tad nervous as I wasn’t sure there’d be anyone there that I knew. Needless to say, I had absolutely no worries in sitting down and chatting to some of my fellow bloggers. I sat down at a table with Marie, Katie and Kayleigh and I am seriously glad I did because they’re absolutely lovely girls and it was an absolute pleasure to meet them. When we got there, Sammy handed out white envelopes- I opened mine up to discover that I’d won a little Clinique gift-set and was naturally over the moon there. We ordered drinks and food (I got loaded cheese fries with pulled pork which was absolutely AMAZING) and spent the vast majority of the afternoon chatting with the girls and getting to know one another. It was really nice to go to an event and have so much in common with people I’d never met before.

Sammy put on a little raffle which was full of the MOST AMAZING prizes (including a happiness planner that Sarah from Saloca in Wonderland was lucky enough to run away with!!). In typical Hollie fashion, I was blissfully unaware that I’d won a prize until Katie, stood next to me, let me know and I chose some vouchers for a little bar and restaurant on Liverpool waterfront. I’m looking forward to using them to have a much-needed little date night with my Other Half in the coming weeks!

The goodie bags that Sammy put together were ON ANOTHER LEVEL. They had all sorts of amazing goodies inside them, including (but not limited to!) a Diva Cup (which I found myself getting way too excited about), an amazing moisturiser from Alphah which everyone seemed  to go wild over but I’ve never heard of! I’ve used it and it makes my face feel amazing so I guess it’s definitely a winner! They also included a Love With Food subscription box, full to brim with gluten free goodies! I don’t follow a gluten free diet myself but a lot of gluten free products are also dairy free, for the sake of making things easier for everyone. I DO follow an (almost) dairy free diet so the box was a perfect way for me to try out some yummy snacks. Sammy let me know that the brand who provided us bloggers with the boxes also donated 50 boxes to Food Banks on our behalf, so that’s obviously an amazing thing!

We also got to choose a pair of sunglasses from Peridot, which was great for me as I have a habit of losing my sunnies every time I go away on holiday. Guess who just got back from Spain, sunglasses-less… The ones I chose are super cute and I’m looking forward to taking them away with me (and DEFINITELY coming home with them this time, I promise!)

Thank you SO much to Sammy for arranging such an amazing event- it was really obvious that you put a lot of time and effort into organising everything and getting such amazing brands on board. It was much appreciated, and I’m already looking forward to the next event!

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FOOD: Be At One, Seel Street Liverpool Launch Party!

FOOD: Be At One, Seel Street Liverpool Launch Party!

Thursday, 28 July 2016

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A week or so ago, I attended one of the opening nights at a brand new cocktail bar in the heart of Liverpool. Be At One is the PERFECT place for the cocktail lover, and I’ll tell you a little secret here: I am a complete cocktail girl and I was well and truly won over by this amazing venue!

When I arrived, I was greeted by a lovely lady who took my name and gifted me with my free cocktail counters. As far as I’m concerned, the only thing better than cocktails is FREE cocktails so I was particularly chuffed to have a few freebies to choose. This meant that I went for drinks that I probably wouldn’t normally risk going for: I’m a very “play-it-safe” kind of girl and usually stick to what I know and like, so it was really nice to try something a little out of my comfort zone. I got a Pornstar Martini, which I’ve actually never tried before so I felt hella sophisticated with a martini. You got a teensy shot of Prosecco with it as well: I wasn’t really sure what to do with it so I just bunged it in with the drink. It tasted amazing so I guess I didn’t do anything TOO wrong there! I spoke to one of the barmaids, an Italian girl called Sara, who was up from one of the London bars to help with training. She helped me choose the cocktail  which was perfect for me, and of course, it contained gin. I’m not sure which one I had here, as it was pretty loud and I kind of just pointed at the menu, but it was full of mango, gin, and happiness! I’m sure if you say that at the bar, they’ll know exactly what you mean (wink wink!)

Later on in the evening, I met up with some pals and I tried out the Singapore Sling. This one was my absolute favourite of all the cocktails I tried: a mixture of gin, Cointreau and fruit juices, it was exactly what I was looking for and I’ll definitely be making this one my signature drink. I was told by one of the barmen that there are over 180 cocktails to choose from, so there really is something for everyone!

I was also lucky enough to meet with one of the owners, Leigh, and have a chat with him about the business and how things have grown over the years (as well as have a little boogie and a couple of drinks with him and his associates!) The company has been going for a blooming long time, starting off in London and now spreading nationwide. Along with this brand new Liverpool bar, there’ll also be a bar opening in Nottingham in the very near future. You could tell that Leigh had a lot of passion for the business and the name and that really stood out as being a reason to get behind him and his team in his Merseyside venture.

The bar itself was fantastically designed: it was colourful, you could see what you were being poured, how much and could watch them mix everything together right before your very eyes. It’s on Seel Street, which is pretty central to everywhere in Liverpool city centre, but it took me a little while to find none the less. It’s away from the hustle and bustle of other bars but close enough that the environment of those bars is mimicked here.

Be At One was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. Imagine this situation: having an absolutely fantastic time, sipping away at a cocktail with absolutely no cars in the world. Then suddenly, bam: Proud Mary is blasting through the sound system and the barmen and women are ON THE BAR dancing while they mix! It was fun, it was exciting and I’ll definitely be going back for more! This will definitely add to the appeal of the place: I found myself having as much fun as I would have had on a night out in town, and I was home and tucked up in bed by half 11!

I’d definitely recommend you check out Be at One if you’re local to Liverpool, but if not, there are plenty of them scattered around the country!

Food: Revolucion de Cuba Liverpool Bloggers Event

Food: Revolucion de Cuba Liverpool Bloggers Event

Thursday, 16 June 2016

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Last week, my boyfriend and I were invited along to the Revolución de Cuba event on the Albert Docks, Liverpool. I’ve never been to any of the Revolución restaurants before so didn’t really know what to expect in terms of the food and drink, but my-oh-my am I pleased that we went along for the ride on this one!

In typical bloggers fashion, the drinks were flowing and it didn’t take long before I found myself feeling pretty tipsy. As soon as we arrived we were treated to Mojitos – I must be honest, I’m not a big fan of Mojitos (but obviously wasn’t going to turn down a free cocktail) and I’m pleased to admit that actually I quite enjoyed it. The mint wasn’t overpowering as I’ve found in the past with mojitos and it really quenched my thirst whilst we were waiting for everyone to arrive. As we got there quite early on in the evening, Jack gave us a tour of the place and I was blown away, principally because of the sheer size of the restaurant, but also because of its positioning on the docks and the beautiful designs throughout. It really was an amazing refurbishment and the team should be really chuffed with what they’ve achieved with this place!

After the mojitos had been (quickly) drunk, we were treated to a voucher each which entitled us to any drink from the bar. Paul and I obviously went for cocktails, with him choosing a Zombie (with it’s secret recipe!) and myself playing it safe with a Cuba Libre (aka a fancy rum and coke.) I was ever so slightly jealous as Paul’s was fun and fruity but I loved my choice none the less! 

Once everyone had arrived, the night kicked off and was quickly in full swing! We started off with a little tapas tasting session. A little secret about me: the key to my heart is through tapas. It’s my absolute FAVOURITE style of dining and I could honestly eat tapas every day and remain pretty content! We were treated to a fair few dishes and they were all fantastic. Firstly, we tried Chicken Quesadillas, which consisted of chicken, peppers, onions, a dash of cheese and a DELICIOUS pineapple salsa, all between crispy tortillas! We had Albondigas, my personal favourite tapas choice – chorizo, pork and beef meatballs. I enjoyed these but they were in a very strong tasting red-wine based sauce so that taste overpowered ever so slightly. In spite of that, they were still pretty damn good so definitely can’t complain there! We also tried Mojito Battered Prawns, which were my absolute favourite! I’d go back to Revolución de Cuba JUST for those prawns. All of these tasty tapas dishes were accompanied with a side of Honey Roasted Vegetables and incredibly spicy Patatas Bravas.

After we’d tried and tested the best of the tapas menu, we were treated to a cocktail masterclass, with each of us allowed the opportunity to make the cocktail of our choice. I chose to play it safe and make another one of the Cuba Libre cocktails, while Paul was a little bit more adventurous and tried his hand at making a Passion Fruit Mojito. As if we weren’t getting drunk enough (and believe me, at this point I was starting to feel a little bit tipsy), we were then taken further into the beautiful space that Revolución had created to try a few different shots of rum. I’m definitely a rum girl (as well as a gin girl!) and I LOVED this aspect of the night, although by the end of the session the shots were way too strong for my mouth (and my head) to handle. Special thanks to Koko for giving us tonnes of information on the different types of rum.

Finally (!!!!) we had a go at making our very own burritos. During the day of the event, Revolución de Cuba had an offer going where the first 500 customers through the door could grab a free Burrito. That said, I’m pretty sure Jamie the head chef was sick of the sight of burritos by the time it was time for us to make them, so hats off to him for taking the time to show us how to roll our own! My burrito looked fab to begin with but then fell apart in my hands as soon as I started to eat it, so obviously I’m not destined to be a burrito chef.

Special thanks to Jack for the invitation and for organising such an amazing bloggers event. We had an absolute BALL and I’m really looking forward to going back at some point in the future – I just have to, I’ve been eyeing up their Croquetas ever since I left the joint!