National Cake Week!

Overviews written from 5th - 9th October, pictures and news added 18th October

TL;DR: I went to 4 cafés in Nottingham and stuffed myself with amazing cake :3 don't forget to scroll to the bottom for my news!

Okay, I will freely admit that this is one of my favourite weeks of the year!

To celebrate National Cake Week, I thought it would be good (well, actually it was my Dad's idea!) to try a few new cafés in Nottingham to get me out doing a few fun things before -

Oop. I won't mention that piece of news just yet! You'll have to wait till the end of the post!

So this week, I tried the following cafés - I have done an overview of each (and attached pics!) to help you cake fanatics out (I've also attached their Twitter handle so you can look for them!):

Pudding Pantry (@pudding_pantry)
200 Degrees (@200DegreesCafe)
Copper (@coppercafenottm)
Homemade (@homemadecafe)


First of all, Pudding Pantry!

Date of Visit: 6th October 2015
What I had: Cappuccino (okay, TWO); Blueberry and White Chocolate Victoria Sponge
Price: £7.75 for all 3 items (not bad when you're still in student mode)
Food thoughts: Have never had such a colourful blueberry cake, never mind one combined with Victoria sponge! Genius!
Atmosphere: Comfy and friendly! Great location near the Cornerhouse too.
Service: Very lovely, smiley, quick service, especially considering how busy they can get!
Presentation: Amazing! These peeps are Pros!
Other notes: I find this café to be very similar to Brew and Brownie (@brewandbrownie) in York! Similar atmosphere and similar menu items (very much a coincidence, I must add), but local twists!
Next time: I'd love to try their pancakes for breakfast, or their afternoon tea! (Looking around at the stacks of food available, I may need some help!)



Next up, 200 Degrees!

Date of Visit: 7th October 2015
What I had: Cappuccino; Choccy Woccy Slice
Price: £4.20 total
Food thoughts: Great coffee and tasty cake! Reminds me of tiffin crossed with brownies! *nomnomnom*
Atmosphere: Warm and lots of people! Currently on a seat with a little 'bar' attached to the wall. Precarious but still surprisingly comfortable!
Service: Very quick service accompanied by very friendly staff! They found me with no problem at all in a crowded café!
Presentation: Lovely presentation, just wanted to get stuck in! And the coffee - we have baristas in the house, people! :)
Other notes: Drank and ate VERY quickly! I think that says something about the tastiness!
Next time: There were lots of cake choices and savouries too, so definitely worth another try!

On the same day, I popped over to the newly opened Copper Café in Nottingham City Centre!

Date of Visit: 7th October 2015
What I had: Elderflower pressé; Chocolate Ganache Cake
Price: about £8
Food thoughts: WHAT. Possibly the lightest chocolate cake I've ever eaten! Was expecting a traditional close-textured chocolate cake but was pleasantly surprised!
Atmosphere: Very quiet as it only opened today! Great décor and feels cosy :)
Service: The staff are amazing! Some are brand new and they're doing very well! :3
Presentation: Took a pic but didn't have time to look properly :3 Hehehe!
Other notes: Was totally determined to finish the cake, but sadly couldn't due to earlier cake! Very, very tasty though! Good job Copper!



And the last of the week... Homemade Café!


Date of Visit: 8th October 2015
What I had: Cappuccino (in need of comparisons!); Lemon and Raspberry Cake
Price: £5.45 total (I got a discount, so £5)
Food thoughts: AMAZING cake! Lemon and raspberry go very well together and the cake was quite refreshing! *accidentally gets crumbs on notepad*
Atmosphere: Was expecting it to be heaving with people like it normally appears to be, but I managed to come in on a quiet day! Very chilled out and relaxing :)
Service: Quick and always with a smile!
Presentation: Simple yet effective :) Loving the pink icing on the cake!
Other notes: Seems like a nice spot for a catch up - most times I look in the window it's INSANE, so it proves its popularity for this I'm sure :)


Thanks to those cafés who provided me with noms for this! I had a lot of fun, so I think I may have to do some café overviews more often... :3

I also made my own cakes for National Cake Week and took them in to a very appreciative-looking newsroom at Notts TV (See right!)

Now for my news!

I can now officially announce that I am leaving my part-time job at Whittard of Chelsea. My last Sunday is on the 25th October - and during that time I will be starting my first ever FULL-TIME job at Beaverbrooks Jewellers! 

I will be keeping my job at Notts TV as well - it'll be tricky and I will be working A LOT (Gah, more blog delays!) but it's all going to be enjoyable and worth every minute!

I'll miss everyone at Whittard, whether you worked at York Parliament or Nottingham (and the Outlet & Leeds as well! You know who you are!) but I'm very excited about everything that's happening and I'm looking forward to the future!

I can also announce that I have PASSED my theory test in driving! Now for the final stretch to driving in the practical test and then I'll be driving independently! (You might still want to stay away from roundabouts. I'm sketchy with those)

So yeah.
BRING IT ON!!!
...

I may need coffee and cake first... x



Twitter: @PinkPurpleDinky
Facebook: Pink, Purple and Dinky (Writer page)
Instagram: @katylizzie1804
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Katylizzie1804

Lack of Organisation Skills & Late Night Hot Chocolate

*Has Hot Chocolate*

*slurp*

*gulp*

*nom*

Oop. Hi!

So it's been a couple of weeks (ish) since the last post! (Gah. When will I get good at continuity?)** 
More work-y developments, such as try-outs for the Counter job at Notts TV (harder than it sounds - basically keeping EVERYONE IN THE STUDIO IN TIME) and possible supply work as a TA in the works. We'll see how that goes :P

Whittard Nottingham are having their tea relaunch NEXT WEEK, so we're a little crazy at the moment. If you happen to walk past and see us in chaos, bear with. We're excited but have a lot to do!

Driving lessons are going well (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-) and I'm actually making some progress! I've still got a little way to go, especially overcoming my fear of quite literally everything else on the road (-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA). People who like cutting corners do not help my confidence when it comes to this. Nor those who assume that I'll be slow.

I've just been night driving with my Mum, as she and Dad have put me onto the family insurance (brave souls). It's very difficult for me, especially as my eyes seem to get tired easily. But I hope my driving instructor will be proud of me when I tell him that I DID manage to spot (and not squash) a hedgehog in the road! I waited for it to scurry past and onto the other side of the road.
That 90s advert clearly did not help it. 

(You haven't seen the 'King Of The Road' Ad? Really? Get out.)

Oh, and I went to IKEA today.
*Storage...*

*Ahem*

Anyways, so much stuff to do and seemingly so little time to do it.

I mean, I STILL haven't finished Destination Paris.

It's only been a year...


**At least I'm not the TV show Sherlock. That just takes a ridiculously long amount of time.

Twitter: @PinkPurpleDinky
Facebook: Pink, Purple and Dinky (Writer page)
Instagram: @katylizzie1804
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Katylizzie1804

SO...MUCH...HAPPENING!

*Takes a deep breath*

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Okay.


So much has happened in the last few weeks! Here's the short version of the highlights:


Transferred successfully from Whittard York to Whittard Nottingham (yay!); caught up with many peoples; tried to sort my room out as I was living out of boxes (Mum gave in and did it while I was at work!); took a trip to Redcar to catch up with the York house-mates (double yay!); then they came down to Nottingham to surprise ME (triple yay!) saw Pixar's new movie Inside Out (OMIGOSH IT'S HOW MY BRAIN WORKS); and a whole lot of other stuff I'm trying to remember on demand but I've suddenly forgotten!

Oh, and I've got a part-time job as a Floor Manager for Notts TV!

WHAT?!?
Okay. :D

So basically, for frequent updates it's best if you follow me on Twitter - seems to be the easiest form of communication for me right now! (@PinkPurpleDinky)

It's a little weird being back in Nottingham now I know that I'm not heading back to York for Uni - the realisation that I've finished seems a little unreal, to be totally honest. Not that I don't enjoy being back home, of course, and I will visit York whenever I can (and who knows? Maybe I could end up going back to live there one day?). It's just... *nngh*

Starting at a new Whittard has been exciting though (still thinking of everyone at YPS!) - the company are relaunching their entire tea collection! New teas are being made and some of the older ones are getting an update, with new packaging! I know a lot of you won't find new packaging exciting, but I do - I've seen some of the new stuff (which I'm probably not allowed to tell you yet, so I won't)!

The staff at Notts TV have been great too - I was a little nervous learning what I needed to be doing, as it's all LIVE (yes, really!), but I think I've gotten the hang of it now - it's not gone wrong yet, at least! :3 So I'll be doing that a couple of evenings a week.

Family update: Twinnie Gem and Brother-in-Law Joe celebrated 4 years of marriage this month! 4 years already?!? Where did the time go??
Mum and Dad are awesome as always - they're working on a great project. A train - in the garden. That we can ride on! For all you train buffs, it's a 7 and a 1/4-inch gauge steam train - the only thing electric on it is the emergency stop! (I posted a pic of the upcoming track on Twitter! Well, mainly of whisky, but the track is in there!)

Dan's still amazing - he's struggling to find a good job (suggestions welcome!) but he's still optimistic! He's in the process of starting his blog, so I'll let you all know when that launches :)

I think that's everything for the time being, but there is one major event coming up in November that I cannot wait for - graduation day! In York Minster, no less! Our Chancellor (of York St. John University) is Archbishop Sentamu, and anyone who has ever had the privilege of hearing him speak will know that this automatically makes the event worth going to. He. Is. HILARIOUS.

Seeing Dan graduate last year was amazing; knowing that it was going to be me the following year was a little daunting but exciting! All I had to do was pass.

Although, I'll admit that getting a 2:1 in your degree is rather relieving! :D

More soon! I'll keep you peeps posted...! x


EDIT: I almost forgot to mention! Thank you all SO MUCH for helping this blog reach 10,000 pageviews!!! YOU'RE ALL AWESOME!!!!!! :D xx

Twitter: @PinkPurpleDinky
Facebook: Pink, Purple and Dinky (Writer page)
Instagram: @katylizzie1804
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Katylizzie1804

100th Post!

Before I go on to how awesome it is to have reached 100 posts on my blog, I want to say something very important.

Thank you.

Thank you all so much for bearing with me whilst I've been completing my third and final year at York St John University. Thanks to your patience and the support I have received, I have been able to finish.

And kick those essays' butts. :3

I won't lie, it's been very stressful and tiring. But it's all been 100% worth it!

More info on my final grade and graduation will be coming soon, but for now, I want to thank you again!

I've reached 100 posts!!!! WOOOOOOO!!!!

It's been a long time coming (see above!) but I enjoy writing these so much - and I love the idea of you, the reader, enjoying these posts too!

Thank you so much for reading my blog and I hope that you continue to enjoy it!

I also want to thank my friends, family and boyfriend for putting up with me through the years I've been doing this blog, especially when it came to Uni. You've been so supportive of me and although I have come dangerously close to running out of happy on a couple of occasions due to stress, you've always found a way to make me smile! :)

There is so much material for the blog on the way - adventures, a Uni theatre review(!), events and baking, as well as many other random things such as work and the daunting task of moving back home after a wonderful three years in the beautiful city of York...

Gah - I'm having to write a list so I can order what I'm going to be writing about! XD

Once again, thank you for all your support so far - it means a lot...! :D

Keep reading peeps...! x


P.S. YouTube stuff: Destination Paris episode 1 is finally finished, but there is a delay on episodes 2 and 3 due to lack of skills in video editing - I should have plenty more time to do them now! :P

P.P.S. My boyfriend Dan will have a blog coming out soon! I'll let you know when it launches! :3

Twitter: @PinkPurpleDinky
Facebook: Pink, Purple and Dinky (Writer page)
Instagram: @katylizzie1804
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Katylizzie1804

Dan's Graduation and Little Rewards!

Written on 14th November 2014

As you may have spotted on my Twitter and Instagram accounts, my boyfriend Dan graduated yesterday (13th November) with a 1st in Creative Writing and Media (Joint Honours)!! I'm so proud of him; he has worked so, so hard for this and he thoroughly deserves the grade he got (yes, I'm biased, but he's brilliant anyway!)

We headed to Frankie and Benny's for lunch to celebrate, followed by a (rather windy) walk back to the minster for more photos. His parents discovered they had a bit more time than they thought - they had caught the train to York - so we all wandered to Crumbs Cupcakery where I had organised a surprise for Dan!

Want to see it?
You know you want to!

Yummy! :3

Danielle had very kindly made an icing mortarboard and scroll to put on top of Dan's cake! I made sure it was his favourite (Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake, if you were curious) and she delivered it to the table, much to Dan's surprise! The tea (and my cupcake!) was lovely too, as always! Thanks, Crumbs!

Dan travelled to Leeds on the train this morning, and it so happened that we got up a little later than we thought we would! After a sprint to the station, and a realisation that I hadn't had any breakfast, I decided to try a cafe that I've never really found the time to visit before. It's called Brew & Brownie, and it's located on Museum Street in York.

It's a rather cosy little place, and it was very warm and welcoming when I waddled in from the rain! I decided on one particular item I spotted on their menu - American pancakes with maple syrup and bacon.

Not actual size - it was MUCH BIGGER. :3 *nom*

I was a little wary of the price (£6.50) at first, as I am only a student, but once I saw how huge they actually were, it was definitely worth it! I had a cappuccino to boot too.

Pwetty. :3

They have a ton of other very lovely-sounding stuff on their menu too, so I will have to go back there very soon!

Right then peeps, I'd best be off - I have yet more work to complete...



*ALL the linkies!*

Brew & Brownie 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brew-Brownie/412398068856876?fref=ts
Twitter: @brewandbrownie

Crumbs Cupcakery
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrumbsCupcakery?fref=ts
Twitter: @CrumbsCupcakery

My Stuff! :3
Twitter: @PinkPurpleDinky
Facebook: Pink, Purple and Dinky (Writer page)
Instagram: @katylizzie1804
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Katylizzie1804


Cathy's Caption: Hi peeps! I have been SUPER busy getting good grades these last couple of months, hence why this is so late. My 100th post will be up next, so stay tuned! Thanks! :D x