An afternoon at Ascot

I got the wonderful opportunity to attend Ascot on the 17th October for the QIPCO Champions Day*. Me and a group of other bloggers got the chance to experience the Winning Post package at the Pavillon Restaurant which included a four course lunch, afternoon tea and drinks on tap. The food was delicious, the drinks were a great addition to a wonderful afternoon and the company was delightful.

Dress: Very / Coat: New Look (similar here & here) / Shoes & Bag: H&M (similar here & here)

I decided to wear this dress which I got from Very in the Rochelle Humes collection. It fit like a glove, was figure hugging enough on the bottom half and looser of top so you didn't feel too constricted. I love the autumnal pattern and the hint of purple in it, which I feel really suits my skin tone. I was lucky enough to have a bag and some pretty heels that matched the purple of the dress really nicely to bring the look together. I got the hat very last minute online but I didn't actually like it all that much so I barely wore it but it was nice to have and I threw on this old coat as it was the only one I could find that kind of went with everything. 

Champagne, wine and my favourite flowers covered the table when we entered the restaurant. It was a beautiful sight to say the least, you can't go wrong with a few bubbles.

For the people who decided not to dine at one of their restaurants, there were lots of food trucks to choose from if you got a little peckish. Even this super adorable vintage ice cream van that I was very tempted by.

Our starter was a prawn pate with crayfish, anchovies and a crisp bread. It was nice, light and refreshing for a starter, which just made me hungrier for the next course so I had so snack on some bread in between.

After the starter we checked out the first race. I annoyingly forgot cash with me on this one so I sat out of the first few. It was exciting to watch as the atmosphere is always full of energy and adrenaline, which is what makes the races so great to begin with. 

We then went back for our main which was a delightfully tasty roast chicken, fondue potato and a side of peas, pancetta and kale. There was just enough there to satisfy your cravings and without making you feel too full. Plus I loved that kale was an option on something like this, I really enjoyed it.

I soon found a cash point and put in some bets! I'm not the gambling kind but its good fun for a one off and it really is addictive once you win. I actually won on Solow on the left which was brilliant! I didn't win my money back but it was a laugh all the same.

 To finish our meal was a tiramisu with chantilly cream and a buttery biscuit crumb. I'm not the biggest coffee fan but I do have a sweet tooth so this went down pretty quickly. It was at this point I started to get really full but that wasn't the end of delicious food for us.

The queen of England (taken on iphone)

We then had a cheese and cracker plate to devour which excited me the most. I am a massive fan of cheese and with wine at the table, I had me my very own cheese and wine night. I actually missed a lot of this as I went to see if I had won a mini cooper in a number raffle they had for the whole of Ascot. The chances were like 1 out of 9,000 but still, its a FREE car! 

I sadly didnt win but I ended up being much happier about this as on the way back I got stopped at a barrier and couldnt get through. A few moments later the queen came elegantly out the of entrance. THE QUEEN! This was an OMG moment for me as it was only a few days later I was explaining to my housemates that I would die a sad person if I never got to see the queen in real life, and there she was!! This was a massive highlight to me and a huge tick off my bucket list. Thank you iphone for not running out of storage too, I appreciate it!

When I got over my shock of the day I came back to a beautifully selected Afternoon Tea. Full of delicious treats, sandwiches and tea for us all to share. I didn't think I could eat anymore but as it was there in front of me, I couldn't help myself.

Carolin (left) & Primrose (right)

The day ended with us all having chats around the table and getting to know each other a little better. This was a good way for me to push myself out of my comfort zone and be more confident with myself. I tried my best to chat to everyone and stop myself from pulling my famous RBF and I think I done okay. Thank you so much to Ladbrokes and Victoria and Will from Branded3 for inviting us and making it such a wonderful day. It was lovely to meet you and the other bloggers who attended who I have followed on twitter for ages and some new faces too, they were all so genuine and a delight to talk to.  

Check them out here: Little Miss Katy / Beautyfromthefjord / Style Lingua / StylePetalBlog / CharlieDistracted / CardifforniaGurl / StyleLobster / Paleandinteresting

(p.s sorry if i missed anyone off, that I spoke to I'm the worst with remembering names)

Also congratulations to Primrose for winning best outfit of the day. You looked gorgeous and it was truly deserved! 

I got home shattered from the day but with great memories that I will always keep. I had a gift toopen when I got home that Vic and Will had arranged, which was this amazing tea cup with our names on. On the back it has the date and venue written on it as a beautiful keepsake from the day. I have already used it a lot and I feel the queen would appreciate this amazing gesture too.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my day. You should definitely go with friends or family next year and experience it for yourself, if only to get all dressed up for the day. 

Until next week...Love Khrissie x

Blogmas Gift Idea: Personalised Cake

Hello there guys!

Today I am sharing with you something else Christmas related as I can not get enough! The other week I received this adorable little cake from 'Baker Days'. This is a company that specialises in making cakes which are customised depending on the occasion. They are changing the way the world sends greetings to their loved ones by giving you the opportunity to send and personalised cake in the design and flavour that you chose.

There are lots of different categories of cake designs you can choose from but I decided to go for the Christmas cakes as theres nothing better than celebrating Christmas, than with food! First off you choose your design so I went with this adorable mint green one with 'Merry Christmas' written on it. The great thing about this is the fact you can personalise it with any name of your choice. I was a little cheeky and added my name as I never managed to find things with my name on and it really excited me.

You then decide on the type of cake you want from vanilla, fruit cake or even chocolate. There are also gluten and dairy free options with the added bonus of getting half and half if you can't decide on the flavour. I of course went for chocolate as I'm really craving that sweet goodness right now.
The last thing to do is choose your size from single cupcakes to large cakes that have a hefty 55 servings. I received the letterbox cake that comes in a cute little tin with a price tag of £14.99. Now this may seem like a lot of money but personalised and custom made gifts are always more as they are all made on a one off basis. The fact you get to choose your design and flavour, receive it in the sweetest tin that you can actually keep as well as a little party pack based on the theme of your cake, you can't go wrong and the best part of it all is, its delicious!

I was worried it was going to be quite dry and flavourless as all the efforts had been put into the design of the cake but once I cut into it I was surprised to see a deliciously moist cake inside. This didn't hang around long with my four housemates sniffing around but I didn't mind as Christmas is for sharing. Seeing as the cake is quite small I was worried about the amount of portions I would get out of it. It states it can serve between 3-4 portions but I cut them smaller as the cake is quite sweet with the icing and I managed to happily get double the amount of portions.

I think this is a wonderful idea for a gift. Especially if its for a family or you know someone who might be on their own this Christmas. Giving feels good and makes the person your giving it too feel loved too so for Christmas or an up and coming birthday, give something different this year and surprise them with a cake of their own. Baker Days actually have banners and balloons on their website too so you know you are catered for.

Because we love to give Baker Days are actually holding a competition where you can win your own letterbox cake. All you have to do is hashtag #bakerdays telling them your best Christmas gift idea and they will announce a winner of the cake shortly.

Right, I need to go order more cake as I'm craving it now after seeing these pictures again.
Have a lovely evening!

Love Khrissie x

Blogger Event: Afternoon Tea

source: charlotte street hotel

source: Charlotte Street Hotel

So today I went on Twitter (shocker!) and I saw that there was a little bloggers event happening that Sophie Morgan had organised. It was to meet at the Charlotte Street Hotel and have afternoon tea and a chat which sounds like the perfect thing to do on a Sunday afternoon so I decided to go along.

The girls at the event were: Jess Dante, Sunny_London, Katie Matthews, Sophie Morgan, Lottie Pearce & April Todd / Make sure you check them out as they have great blogs!

I hadn't met any of the bloggers before or even talked to many of them but one of the points of me doing a blog is to help me gain confidence and this was a perfect way to do that, as well as meet some lovely bloggers. There was a choice of two teas to choose from so I picked the traditional which included:

Sandwiches: Cheese & Pickle / Salmon / Egg
Scones with cream and jam (which were still warm! yum!)
Cakes: Victoria sponge / Carrot Cake / Orange Chocolate cake
Tea: A wide variety from English Breakfast to Green Tea
Price: £23

I was so nice hearing all the bloggers stories and getting to know them all. It's interesting to hear their back stories and what they do as a job, engagement stories! Congratulations Sophie, your story was adorable <3

I hope I get to meet them again and go to more events like this as its so relaxed with no pressure on taking photos etc. Make sure you go to the Charlotte Street Hotel if you get a chance as the food is so delicious and the interior is gorgeous! I just spent some of my time staring at the paintings on the walls.

Thank you so much for inviting me :)
Khrissie x

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