No More Wires with the GTech Air Ram K9 & Multi Vacuum Cleaners *REVIEW*

Last month I was sent a GTech Air Ram K9 cordless vacuum cleaner, and GTech Multi handheld vacuum cleaner to review. 

Those of you who have followed my blog since the start will know that I have a serious back condition which has resulted in me having three slipped discs in my lower back. This has meant having to wade through a year and a half of trying different medications, physiotherapy, acupuncture, and even an epidural to help deal with the pain. It has also meant having to change my lifestyle to ensure I only do things I can physically manage - I can no longer do any high impact exercise, I can't lift anything remotely heavy, and I haven't been able to use our heavy vacuum cleaner since my back trouble started as it always aggravates my back. 

At first, the not hoovering didn't bother me at all - I hated using the vacuum cleaner anyway, it was boring and it hurt. Hubby took over that job and I didn't think any more about it. But, as the weeks passed I realised how much I missed being able to just 'put the hoover round' whenever I felt the house needed a clear up. When I was in charge of hoovering it got done at least once a week, and I was happy that my house looked clean and tidy. However, after hubby took over the role of Chief Vacuum Operator it didn't get done nearly as often as I wanted - I hated having to ask him to vacuum, I sounded like a bore and didn't want to seem like a really nagging wife but it wasn't getting done, and the house was suffering. I felt frustrated, I even had a go at hoovering again on the sly, but it hurt like hell and I regretted it instantly. 

Then I saw an advert on the TV for the GTech Air Ram vacuum cleaners, and I thought to myself - is this too good to be true? I wondered whether they would be suitable for me to use, and whether they would be the answer to our vacuum debacle. When I was offered the chance to give them a go, I couldn't believe my luck. I opened the boxes, crossed my fingers, and hoped for the best...

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GTECH AIR RAM K9 & GTECH MULTI

REVIEW

The GTech Air Ram K9 cordless vacuum cleaner

The GTech Air Ram K9

GTech Air Ram K9

The GTech Air Ram K9 is GTech's newest model of the Air Ram cordless vacuum cleaner. The machine is so small and compact that it looks like a powered carpet sweeper rather than an actual vacuum cleaner! GTech pride themselves on having created a product that rivals any mains powered vacuum in terms of performance, but without the cords, bags and faff!

This new generation machine is now strengthened by zinc alloy components and so is more resistant to the wear and tear caused by the toughest cleaning jobs. AirRam K9 features upgraded brush bars which help to reduce the build up of stubborn pet hair, and filter fresheners which scent the room while you vacuum. 

This machine is so easy to maintain - in order to empty out the dust and debris after hoovering you simply pull off the dirt chamber in one swift motion, take off the lid, and empty the collected dust bales straight into the dustin. 

The dirt chamber removed, ready for emptying...

The lid off, revealing the dusty filter (top) and the two dust bales (bottom) ready for the bin! 

The GTech Air Ram K9 on charge - simply leave it plugged into the mains for 4 hours and you'll receive enough charge to vacuum your whole house twice. 

This machine definitely stacks up against any corded vacuum I've ever used in terms of its strength of suction. It has all the functionality of a standard hoover, but is infinitely easier to use. 

GTech Multi

Because the Air Ram K9 is just for upright vacuum cleaning, GTech have developed a small and very light handheld cordless vacuum called the GTech Multi - this clever piece of kit can do all the little things that the K9 can't, and is so small and light that you'll be able to do so much of your general day to day cleaning using this machine alone. 

The Multi comes with a small brush attached for vacuuming in hard to reach nooks and crannies, a 36cm extension tube for cleaning skirting boards without bending and cobwebs without climbing. 

The GTech Multi with its 36cm extension tube - making it easy to get into the nooks and crannies…clean the skirting boards or suck up all your cobwebs. Genius. 

The Multi also comes with a stairs/upholstery tool making cleaning around your home an absolute breeze! Also, when you press the power button on the Multi it shines a bright LED light onto the surface you are cleaning, making it easy to see what you're doing - clever stuff. 

Cleaning the stairs is a breeze with the GTech Multi!

I never thought I'd actually enjoy hoovering, but with the GTech products I actually do! 

We have been using both products in our home for the past month, and we absolutely love them! In fact we haven't had our old hoover (a Henry) out of the cupboard since the GTech's arrived - there really isn't much chance I'd ever go back to using a corded vacuum cleaner ever again now that I've had the pleasure of using these fab machines. 

What do I think makes the GTech Air Ram K9 & Multi so special?

• Both vacuum cleaners were remarkably straight forward to set up - I had both items out of their packaging, put together and working within 15 minutes of the parcel arriving! 
• GTech vacuum cleaners have cordless technology. The lithium batteries are rechargeable, plugging into the mains with a small charger, and then are unplugged for use once the battery is charged. This means you can hoover freely throughout your home without tripping over wires, plugging and unplugging in each room etc. 
• The GTech Air Ram K9 & Multi take around 4 hours each to fully charge, each charge will give you over 40 minutes of use - enough time to hoover all the carpets in your home twice. 
• GTech hoovers are bagless. You do not have to purchase special dust bags, all the dirt and dust is collected up into either tiny bales (GTech Air Ram / K9) , or a dirt chamber (Multi) - both of which are just emptied straight into the dustbin.
• The filters can be washed by hand, and left to dry over night meaning that you don't have to pay to replace filters at any point. The K9 filters now contain lavender scented inserts, which can be replaced - so now you can freshen your rooms while you clean (you can currently send off to get a packet of scented inserts free when you purchase a K9 vacuum)
• The GTech Air Ram K9 weighs just 3.8kg meaning it feels light to push around the house compared to standard vacuum cleaners - this means people with back problems like myself won't find this vacuum cleaner a struggle.
• The GTech Multi weighs just 1.6 kg making it easy to hold for use on stairs, skirting boards and cobwebs. 
• The GTech Air Ram K9 and the Multi both have just one button - the power button. Both are so simple and uncomplicated to use. 
• The K9 vacuum cleaner is suitable for all floor surfaces (carpet, wood floor, tiles, vinyl) and doesn't need to change settings to go between different surfaces - all you need is an on/off switch. 
• Both vacuum cleaners have a clear green/red light bar system to tell you how much charge your machines have, and when they are ready for a recharge. 

Prices

GTech Air Ram K9 is priced at £249

GTech Multi priced at £149 

OR 

For a special offer price of £299 you can buy the GTech Air Ram K9 & GTech Multi together - creating GTech's ultimate cordless cleaning system.

For me, these machines are a total revelation, and in my eyes completely worth the money. Vacuum cleaning my home is now finally do-able for me despite my back problems, and running around all day after a very messy toddler has been made infinitely easier by having them in my life. 

What I love best is how on hand both products are - I don't store either of them away in the back of a cupboard like I had to with my old vacuum cleaner. Instead, the Multi lives in the study on the bookcase, ready to pick up at any moment my toddler decides to throw his breakfast at me, or crumble a biscuit around the house. Similarly, the Air Ram K9 is so small and unassuming that it usually lives next to the desk in the study, or by the patio doors in our dining room - the fact that I can just pick it up and go means that I now sometimes vacuum my home multiple times in a day - its never looked so tidy!

Before using the K9 and Multi, vacuuming was an event in our house - we planned when to do it, dreaded it, and always felt obliged to do the whole house from top to bottom if we'd bothered to retrieve it from the back of the broom cupboard and untangle the wire etc. Now, with the K9 and Multi we do lots of small maintenance vacuuming sessions of a few minutes here and there, and it no longer feels like a chore. In fact - hubby has miraculously started hoovering far more often that he ever did before (what is it they say about boys and their toys?)

A big thanks to GTech for gifting us these great products, you have truly changed our day to day lives and made keeping the house clean and tidy SO much easier. From the bottom of my tired-mum-of-a-toddler heart, I thank you - and implore any worn our parents out there to get yourselves these awesome bits of kit, you won't regret it. 

Mrs B 

xxx


Disclaimer: I was sent the GTech Air Ram K9 and GTech Multi for the purpose of this review. All words, opinions and images are my own. 

Sweet Treats from Bonne Maman *REVIEW*

I have the sweetest tooth. Nothing new there then! Obviously, most of the time I enjoy the baking process almost as much as the eating, and I especially love sharing my bakes with friends and family. But sometimes when life gets seriously hectic, or surprise visitors show up, its always handy to have a tasty sweet treat in your store cupboard that you can bring out when an emergency tea party needs to be thrown together.

On the whole I don't eat shop bought cakes and biscuits - when hubby and I embarked on our weight loss, we both pledged that we would no longer 'waste' calories on food stuffs which we didn't really enjoy that much - no more eating for the sake of it. On the whole, shop bought cakes and biscuits are a bit ropey, especially in comparison to a home baked treat - so we decided that we would just enjoy the homemade stuff every now and then, rather than the processed items more frequently.

The only shop bought cake item we agreed that we would still be likely to buy and eat 'off the shelf' was a Bakewell tart (The Mr Kipling variety) - they are our guilty pleasures, and for us, would never seem like a 'waste' of calories. 

Are there any other shop bought cake varieties out there that would stack up against a homemade treat, I wondered? 

Bonne Maman *REVIEW*

Then, a few weeks ago I was asked if I'd like to review some Bonne Maman cakes and biscuits. I decided it would be interesting (considering my new stance on shop-bought patisserie) to see what we made of them.

I had heard of and tasted some Bonne Maman products before such as their jams and marmalades, I had also tasted one of their desserts (Baba au Rhum) at a friends house for a dinner party last year, and was very impressed at the taste and quality of the products. 

My previous experience with Bonne Maman had left me excited by the prospect of trying more of their range, and I wondered whether these shop bought treats would be good enough to make it onto my 'will buy/eat' list for shop-bought confection. Luckily, upon trying this new selection of their famous Madeleines and Gallettes, we weren't disappointed.

An exciting delivery in The Bishop household

Bonne Maman are an authentic French company who pride themselves on their traditional French recipes, methods and ingredients. Their dedication to the quality of their products shines through, and upon tasting the selection of goodies sent our way it really is hard to find fault with what they have to offer. 

Aside from the fantastic flavour and texture of their products, for me, the things I were most impressed by was a) how they are packaged and b) the calorie content. 

Coming from someone who has recently lost 6 stone through calorie counting, it is vital for me to truly understand what I'm eating by having the nutritional information for that product. Bonne Maman print the nutritional information onto everything they sell, and make it clear what the calorie content is per each individual item/portion, instead of per 100g as you find on so many packets of items, which makes it difficult to calculate. Best of all, for me, each of their cakes and biscuits is packaged individually - meaning you can open a bag of Madeleines or box of galettes without feeling obliged to eat the whole lot. Nothing is going to go stale or ruin, as each item is wrapped in plastic, and so preserved. 

Having been a greedy over eater for so many years of my life, the novelty of opening a packet of biscuits and just having one or two is a relatively new one for me, but with the Bonne Maman galettes (butter biscuits) each box contains five packets of two pre-wrapped biscuits, making moderation an effortless thing, and meaning that nothing needs to go to waste. 

What Have We Tried?

We were sent a packet of plain Traditional Madeleines, a packet of Chocolate Madeleines, a box each of Traditional Butter Galettes, Rich Chocolate Galettes, Lemon/Poppyseed Galettes, Caramel & Sea Salt Galettes, Lemon Tartlets and finally, Chocolate Caramel Tartlets. 

What a selection! We were sent these items a month ago, and I'm pleased to say we've tried everything, shared some with friends and family, and still have some left! We will have no trouble using up the goodies we have remaining in the lead up to Christmas, the practical packaging makes these sweet treats the perfect store cupboard ingredient - oh, I also think they are fabulous for lunch-box treats, their size and packaging means they are small enough to not be too horrendously calorific, but still delicious, and would travel well in their pre-wrapped form. 

Madeleines

Traditional Madeleine

All wrapped up

These scallop shell shaped traditional little sponge cakes are simply delicious! The perfect accompaniment to an afternoon mug of tea, these moist and rich sponges taste truly scrumptious. Close to a Madeira sponge in texture and flavour, these light, yet sticky little handfuls have become a firm favourite in our house. 

Each Traditional Madeleine is 113 calories, and each Milk Chocolate Madeleine is 137 calories.

We also tried the chocolate dipped Madeleines, which are equally delicious (although, I have to say, I have a soft spot for the traditional ones, they are to me, perfect). 

Bonne Maman's Madeleines are available to buy for £1.99 per bag of seven individually wrapped cakes from Sainsburys, Tesco, Waitrose, Ocado, Nisa and Booths. 

As an alternative to an afternoon treat, these Madeleines would be fantastic to bake with - using them in place of sponge fingers in a trifle or tiramisu would be incredible, or, if you fancied something a little more extravagant for dessert this Christmas you could try famous French chef Eric Lanlard's recipe for Winter Fruits and Madeleine Charlotte Cake...

Galettes

Galettes are traditional French biscuits that bring a little sophistication to your mid-morning coffee or afternoon tea. Packaged in portions of two biscuits these large thin biscuits are little slices of buttery heaven. They are the richest and most decadent tasting biscuits, and so two at a time really is enough. 

Bonne Maman produce their galettes in a fabulous variety of flavours - my favourites were the lemon/poppyseed which are so fresh despite their intense butteriness. We also adored the Caramel Sea Salt flavour (the first box to be emptied completely) whose intensely sweet buttery caramel flavour is perfectly balanced with a sea salty final note - these biscuits taste like such an indulgent treat, but at around 145 calories per two biscuits, they really aren't remotely as bad for you as they taste. 

Our selection of galettes...

Lemon/Poppyseed buttery biscuit heaven

Chocolate galettes in all their glory

The Bonne Maman galettes are available to buy for £1.49 per box of 10 biscuits (5 pre wrapped packets of 2) from Sainsburys, Waitrose, Co Op, Nisa and Ocado. 

Tartlets

The final product we tried in the Bonne Maman range were their newest additions …deliciously authentic tartlets made from all-natural ingredients. These Petit butter pastry Tartlets are perfect for celebrations, or just an indulgent afternoon treat - they are small, and again pre-wrapped, making them a great lunch box or picnic treat. 

They come in three flavour varieties - Chocolate Caramel, Lemon, and Raspberry. Closer to biscuits than tartlets because of their size and 'set' chewy middles, I enjoyed these little bites of yumminess with a cup of tea as a late afternoon pick me up, as well as serving them to friends with lunch, or on an afternoon tea platter. 

Each Chocolate Caramel Tartlet is 74 calories, and each Lemon Tartlet is 61 calories. 

Wrapped Chocolate Caramel tartlet 

Delicious bite sized tartlet

Bonne Maman tartlets are available for £2.15 per box of 9 individually wrapped tartlets at Ocado. 

A Final Note… 

Overall, I am really delighted with the range of products we've tested from Bonne Maman, so much so that I would definitely pick them up for my store cupboard when I next see them in the supermarket. 

For me, their quality means I would happily and confidently serve them to guests, and they most definitely make it onto our 'will buy/eat' shop bought cake list! These traditional products are so authentic you could easily be mistaken into thinking they were homemade and fresh from the oven. 

I think that little Bert is perhaps one of Bonne Marman's cutest fans ;0) He's enjoyed quite a few tasty treats courtesy of this delivery - he likes nothing better than getting into a super melty-chocolatey mess with a chocolate dipped Madeleine or tartlet…

Ramming in a chocolate tartlet - is that nice Bert? 

I think that face means "Yes Mum, they're delicious!" 

This Christmas, make your life easier, and serve your guests some delicious treats with no work at all. During this busy festive period we can't always have a batch of just warm from the oven mince pies at the ready - so for those moments when you have no time, or are caught off guard, having Bonne Maman treats in your store cupboard will mean you'll never be caught short again! 

Afternoon Tea - Bonne Maman style! 

Disclaimer: We were sent a selection of Bonne Maman cakes and biscuits for the purpose of this review. All opinions, words and pictures are my own, excluding the Bonne Maman logo. 

Mr Bishop & The Haynes Men's Pie Manual *REVIEW*

Hi all, Mr Bishop here! Bit of a change from normal today. Mrs Bishop was recently asked to review a copy of a new cookbook, the Haynes Men’s Pie Manual by Andrew Webb . As the book is aimed primarily at men, we thought it would be a good idea for me to give it a road test instead and write a guest post review. So for one day only, get your aprons on and wipe your floury hands on the back of your jeans, as its Mr Bishop’s Attempted Bakes and Banter time!

The Haynes Men's Pie Manual is available from Haynes priced £21.99.

The first thing to say about the book is that it’s in the style of a Haynes car manual, so with that and the writing inside, it’s definitely aimed at men who might not be the best of cooks.

Everything is written very simply and is easy to follow in an easy-to-understand informal style, without being patronising. It aims to give you lots of extra information on cooking processes rather than just give instructions like ‘Crimp’ or ‘baste’ or ‘add a pinch of’ or something else equally familiar but vague. So it’s not just a book of recipes, there is a quite detailed section at the front of the book (‘Tools of the Trade’) which takes you through several cooking skills that you wouldn’t normally find in a cookbook. Basic info on lots of kitchen areas that are often assumed knowledge, such as ‘Stove top things’, ‘Correct oven and hob use’, ‘ Pastry amounts for specific tin sizes’, ‘Pie funnels’ and loads more helpful stuff.

There is also a huge section on making your own pastry if you don’t want to buy it ready-made, with tips on rolling, resting, blind baking, flour types, crimping and loads of others. There are recipes for 7 different types of pastry you can use. Basically everything you wanted to know about pastry that isn’t in a normal cookbook.

The book is a hardback, the pages are full colour with big pictures of the food, and quite thick paper, so it can take a bit of battering with floury/greasy/eggy hands in the kitchen and hold up well.

Onto the recipes! There are loads of sections and a huge amount of recipes in here, so loads to choose from. There are some really simple ones for beginners, up to some quite impressive more complicated recipes for veteran chefs. Here are the sections and a few select recipes from each I like the sound of, but there are tons in each. Every section has a few pages at the start, giving some tips on how to cook meat/put together the pies and other stuff it would be handy to know etc

Tools of the Trade

Making Pastry

Stocks and Sauces

Meat Pies - Steak and Kidney Pudding, Chilli Beef Pie, Lamb Bomb, Oxtail and Beef Cheek Pie, Espresso Cup Pie, Meatball Pie

Chicken and Game Pies – Chicken and Mushroom Pie, Chicken and Stuffing Ball Open Pie, Chicken in a Frying Pan Pie, Venison Pot Pie

Fish Pies – Smoked Fish Pie with Chedder Mash Topping, Prawn Cocktail Pies

Potato Topped Pies and Cobblers – Shepherd’s Pie, Individual Gnocchi Topped Fish Pie, Beef and Guinness Cobbler

Veggie Pies – Magical Mushroom Pie, Bubble and Squeak Pie, Cauliflower and Broccoli Cheese Pie

Things That Are Almost Pies – Cornish Pasty, Beef Wellington, Bedfordshire Clanger (a local classic to us Bishops)

Sweet Pies – Pecan Pie, Cherry Pie, Pear and Chocolate Chip Pie

Accompaniments – Making Proper Gravy, Ketchups and Condiments, Baked Beans, Beer

And loads more in every section. That’s enough of a few favourites to keep me going for a while!

Right, obviously no cookbook review would be complete without making a few dishes from it. So after getting flour all over my jeans, I strapped one of Lucy’s aprons on and was ready to cook. For my main course, I decided on...

Fry Up Pie

This one appealed to me as it’s basically a fry up in a pie, so I had to give it a go. Not your classic pie recipe, but that’s what I love about this book! It’s a pie everyone wants but never knew it until they saw it in a book. There is a bit of info on the classic fry up at the start of the recipe, and why which ingredients are included in the pie, so after reading through that and getting all my bits together, I started the baking. The full recipe can be found in the book, so I’ll just take you through the basic process and show you how I did. *cue drooling*

I started off by frying each of the main ingredients one after another in the same pan (preserving flavour). So we have pork sausage, bacon and black pudding (eg the Holy Trinity of breakfast).

The recipe calls for 2 smaller pie dishes but it does state you can make 1 big one, and being a fan of massive pies, I went for a big one. So I put the ingredients in my trusty pie dish, made 2 indents in the filling, and cracked an egg into each, over the top of the sausage/bacon/black pudding mega-mix.

Next I rolled out my shortcrust pastry using a big wooden rolling pin (the bigger the better, doubles up as a sword when kitchen play-fighting). I put the pastry over the filling, crimped my edges, egg-washed the top and I was ready to bung it in the oven and bake!

And here we go, Fry Up Pie!

I served it with baked beans, fried mushrooms and some hash browns. It was delicious! I was worried it might be a bit dry without any pie-gravy but the egg had filled in all the gaps and baked it all together and kept it moist, a little like a quiche filling really. The pastry top was great as well. It really did taste like a fry up in a pie, which makes it more acceptable to have for dinner rather than breakfast. Brilliant stuff!

One thing to note, it doesn’t look like the most appetising pie filling ever, but who cares when it tastes so good! I know Mrs Bishop normally includes the calories for each dish, but I haven’t here as a Fry Up Pie is so obviously a treat dish and I didn't want the total to put me off.

For dessert I tried out something from the Sweet section...

Mars Bar En Croûte

The original recipe called for a Snickers bar, but I'm not a huge fan of nuts and chocolate together (weird, I know!) so I opted for a Mars bar considering they are basically the same, minus the nuts. I wanted to do something simple seeing as I had already made a normal pie that evening already.

Again the full recipe and details on the dish are in the book. Here are the Mars Bars ready to go.

I measured and rolled the right amount of pastry and wrapped the bars specifically to keep them encased (no leaking of molten Mars wanted!). A quick chill in the fridge (whilst we ate the Fry Up Pie) and then an egg-wash and it’s in the oven. 

And here we go!

This was AWESOME. Imagine a molten chocolate caramel Mars Bar encased in pastry. Go on. It looks this good and tastes better. You know you want it.

It would be great as a dessert with added ice cream. You could do them in advance and leave them to chill all day in the fridge ready to pop in the oven when you needed them, if like me you were in a rush making other pies and didn't want to be doing pastry prep in the evening. It would even be good as a warm afternoon snack if you had some friends round and were feeling decadent.

Overall I was really impressed with this book. It’s aimed at men who probably aren’t experienced cooks, but it’s not patronising at all. I’d say women could get a lot from it as well. It has absolutely loads of information on all aspects of working in the kitchen, so when it tells you to do something, it tells you how to do it as well. There are a huge amount of recipes, classic pies as well as some modern interpretations. I will definitely be using it again. I actually thought it was such a good book that I went out and brought another copy of it to give away as a Christmas present to a male family member who also loves to cook, but, like me, finds most recipe books frustrating! I hope he'll be pleased with this one. 

This book really would make the perfect Christmas gift for any males in the family who'd like a helping hand in the kitchen. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the Mr Bishop’s Attempted Bakes and Banter guest post today, I’m off to finish my Mars En Croûte with a coffee!

Mr Bishop 

Disclaimer: We were sent one copy of the Haynes Men's Pie Manual for the purpose of this review. All words, opinions and photos are our own. 

Afternoon Tea Bucket List & Miss B's Tea Rooms: Melton Mowbray *REVIEW*

Having afternoon tea is by far my favourite thing to do (can you call eating afternoon tea a hobby?) I love everything about it - the fact that it is shared, that it looks beautiful, is usually served in beautiful surroundings, it's classy, and yet it is so greedy. Anyone who reads this blog regularly will know how much I love my food - so any meal which means you can eat sandwiches, a selection of cakes AND scones with clotted cream and jam is a winner in my book. 

A while ago I spotted this list of '21 Absolutely Charming Tea Rooms You Have To Visit Before You Die' over on Buzzfeed. I loved the idea of having a list of top places to have afternoon tea, and couldn't wait to have a read to see if there were places on the list I'd heard of/been to already. 

So, the list names the following tea rooms:

1. The Bat's Wing Tea Room - Isle of Wight

2. Blackbird Tea Rooms  - Brighton

3. Tiny Tim's Tea Room - Canterbury

4. The Bridge Tea Rooms - Bradford-on-Avon

5. Claridge's - London

6. The Hidden Treasure Tea Room - Devon

7. Sally Lunn's - Bath

8. Betty's - Harrogate

9. Miss B's Tea Rooms - Melton Mowbray

10. The Willow Tea Rooms - Glasgow

11. Lucy's Tea Room - Stow-on-the-Wold

12. Peacocks Tearoom - Ely

13. The Three Sheep Tea Rooms - Skipton

14. The Orangery - Whitstable

15. The Essex Rose Tea House - Essex

16. Harriet's Cafe Tea Rooms - Cambridge

17. Mad Hatters - Chester

18. Lee Rosy's Tea - Nottingham

19. The Cobbles Tea Room - Rye

20. Anteaques - Edinburgh 

21. Tu Hwnt l'r Bont Tearoom - Conwy

I hadn't heard of all of them - but some of them were already on my "Bucket List" (Betty's of Harrogate, and Claridge's). There are a couple of places that serve afternoon tea that didn't make it to the list on Buzzfeed, but that I'd certainly add to my top list: The Goring (London) being one, and Luton Hoo Hotel (Bedfordshire) being another - both of which are renowned for their awesome afternoon teas. 

I'm not one to turn down writing a list, so I've picked the places that I would like to visit the most and have created an afternoon tea specific bucket list! They are all located in places I either visit regularly or are in places I'd like to visit or holiday to in the future. 

My 'bucket list' of Afternoon Teas:

- Betty's, Harrogate

- Claridge's, London

- The Goring, London

- Miss B's Tea Room, Melton Mowbray

- Tu Hwnt l'r Bont, Conwy

- Harriet's Cafe Tea Rooms, Cambridge 

- Blackbird Tea Rooms, Brighton

- The Hidden Treasure Tea Room, Devon

- The Bat's Wing Tea Room, Isle of Wight

As I visit each one, I'll come back to this list and tick it off - I have no need for speed on this one (calorie counting and weight loss aren't the best partner for afternoon tea) so, just as and when the opportunity arises to visit one, I will. As you can see, one of the places is already ticked off - and that's because we had the opportunity to visit there this weekend. 

Miss B's Tea Room in Melton Mowbray caught my eye, as I knew we'd be driving past Melton Mowbray on our journey up the A1 to Yorkshire for my review stay at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel in Scarborough last weekend. It seemed like fate had thrown the top afternoon teas list my way, and it would be rude to turn my back on fate, right? So I booked Liam and I in for their luxury afternoon tea for lunch on Saturday, to help break up our long drive to Yorkshire. 

Miss B's did not disappoint - situated in the heart of the sweet market town of Melton Mowbray, this quaint and very traditional tea room ticked all the boxes for me. We had opted for their 'luxury' tea option, and it really knocked our socks off.

The tea room is situated on the upper floor of a charming listed building in the market square. The friendly staff were dressed in traditional black dresses and white apron/cap combos, and the whole tea room is decorated with a stunning vintage vibe. In fact, both hubby and I said we felt as if we were being transported back in time!

We had booked our table for luxury afternoon tea in advance, and so were seated instantly, served our pot of tea, and within minutes the most delightful cake stand was bought over for us to enjoy. The Luxury Afternoon Tea at Miss B's included: 

Delicate sandwiches with crusts removed

(Potted Beef, Egg and Cress, Cheese and Pickle, Coronation Chicken, Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese)

Portion of Melton Mowbray Pork Pie

Scone with strawberry jam and clotted cream

Selection of miniature home made cakes

(Millionnaires shortbread, coffee and walnut cake, lemon drizzle, chocolate fudge cake, butterfly cake, Bakewell tart)

All served with a pot of speciality real loose-leaf 

Delicious loose leaf tea served in charming vintage china teacups

I have eaten a fair few afternoon teas already in my 28 years, and this was by far the best one I've ever had. The sandwiches were fresh and there was SUCH a selection; the smoked salmon was the most delicious I've ever tasted, and the Coronation chicken and potted beef were especially good.

The homemade cakes were where this afternoon tea specifically shone - each one was truly wonderful - they tasted truly homemade, and looked brilliantly rustic.  

Perfect Afternoon Tea

And the view of the other side of the cake stand (so you can see everything)

As well as the sandwich selection we were also served two wedges of Melton Mowbray pork pie each - it was of course, amazing, as expected being as we were dining in its home territory. It was really nice to enjoy the extra savoury item on the stand - true afternoon tea decadence. 

For me, the best part of afternoon tea is always the scones with clotted cream and jam - I believe that without a doubt it is the best foodie trio around, and it will always be my treat of choice. There is something so comforting about a cream tea, even more so when its served with sandwiches, cakes and a pot of tea to boot. 

The scones at Miss B's were still warm and perfectly crumbly. The clotted cream was thick,  unctuous and tasted perfectly decadent. The strawberry jam served was Wilkin & Sons Tiptree Strawberry Jam, which is always my jam of choice too. 

Cream tea perfection 

The absolute star of the show was the best looking (and tasting) millionaires shortbread I've ever had the pleasure to eat. Millionnaires shortbread is hubby's favourite sweet treat, so I knew when I saw it on the cake stand that he would want to devour it, but he kindly gave me a taste and it was A-MAZING. I'll let the photo do the talking...

Anyone who could resist this clearly has a problem! ;-) 

I did happen to notice that they serve giant slices of the millionaires shortbread if you're a one cake only kind of person. They also have a brilliant selection of other homemade cakes by the slice, as well as a full lunch menu serving sandwiches, toasted sandwiches, homemade quiche and of course, Melton Mowbray pork pie. 

I thought the luxury afternoon tea was incredibly good value for money - for the amount of scrumptious food you are served it is an absolute bargain at £14.95 per head. I've seen places charge double that for measly portioned cakes with zero charm in comparison to the ones served at Miss B's.

I would whole-heartedly recommend Miss B's Tea Room to anyone who wants to enjoy a truly perfect afternoon tea - if you happen to be visiting Melton Mowbray, or can find a reason to stop by, then do! 

You will not regret it but your waistline might!

Thanks to the lovely staff at Miss B's for making us so welcome, I'm absolutely sure we'll be back again one day! 

Mrs B 

xxx

You can follow Miss B's Tea Room on Twitter @Missbsmelton 

Please note that I was not asked to write this review, and received no gifts, payment or freebies in return for this review, I'm sharing it on here because it was so good and I wanted you all to know about it. :-)