Food | Nova Scotia Liverpool

Aperol Spritz | Berry Spritz

When new restaurant Nova Scotia invited me to come and try their menu I couldn't say no! Situated in Mann Island near the Albert Dock, Nova Scotia serves great breakfasts, lunches, small plates, hearty mains and delicious deserts with a wide range of drinks and signature cocktails. 

Cod Bites

The venue looks out to the Museum of Liverpool and the city's world famous waterfront, perfect for drinks in the sun! It's not well known that the Mann Island area was previously a shanty-town called Nova Scotia. Thenwe bar and kitchen concept celebrates Liverpool's maritime past with a fresh food concept and a fantastic outside drinking and dining space in the heart of the city's riverside action.

Salt n Pepper Fries

We ordered the cod bites and salt n pepper fries to start. Beer battered pieces of cod with home-made tartare sauce which were incredible and you can't go wrong with salt n pepper fries in my opinion. For our mains we ordered The Mount Temple burger and the Royal, both which were served with chips after we'd had fries to start but these were up there as one of the nicest burgers I've tasted. 

Mount Temple

Unfortunately we never had room for dessert but the sticky toffee pudding looks incredible. We did however finish off with a cocktail and I recommend the Berry Spritz or the Tempest Hey! 

Tempest Hey | Jamaica Street

Nova Scotia is open 9am - 9 pm every day, 25a Mann Island, Liverpool, L3 1BP

Rachael xo

Gigs | My Chemical Romance & Funeral for a Friend, Sophia Stadium, Cardiff

When My Chemical Romance announced their return every emo in the world cried happy tears but with covid grounding the world, the gigs were postponed for two years and the happy tears soon turned to sad ones. 

I'd be lying if I said I was a massive MCR fan, I'm not. I used to listen to one of their albums in high school and have never really liked any of their work since Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge (I know what you're thinking, fake fan), but when Funeral for a Friend got announced as support, I knew this was something I couldn't miss. Emo Christmas. I booked my ticket and my hotel and I was happy as larry despite going on my own. A lot of people don't tend to understand why I do things on my own but honestly if the last two years are anything to go by you can't live your life waiting for other people to do the things you want to do. 

Due to there being two massive stadium gigs on in Cardiff that night, I stayed at Travelodge Newport which is a 10 minute train way from Cardiff Central and the train station is right opposite the hotel which was really convenient. I also found residential parking which was a 5 minute walk away from the hotel as parking in a town centre can be really difficult/ pricey. 

Upon arriving at the stadium the queue for entry was huge and my anxiety kicked in thinking I'd travelled all this way and was going to miss Funeral for a Friend. However the queue went down pretty quickly and I was in the venue within about 30 minutes, I even had time for a wee and a trip to the bar. 

Once I was settle, I plonked myself on the grass with a pint and waited for my favourite band to come on stage. Opening with Into Oblivion the crowd started bouncing and the atmosphere was incredible. FFAF never fail to put on a good show and this was no exception playing in front of their home city. Closing with the classic History, chills went through my spine as everyone raised their fingers for one last salute. 

New Jersey rockers, My Chemical Romance then entered the stage and my little emo heart was so excited having never seen them before. They opened with new song Foundations of Decay and despite being a newbie the whole crowd was singing along. Way is such a good frontman and although I didn't know all the songs, belting out and dancing to the classics whilst he was giving it his all on stage was so nostalgic. 

They played many crowd pleasers such as Thank you for the Venom (a fave) and of course Welcome to the Black Parade finishing with an encore of I'm Not Okay where the crowd was singing so loudly you could barely hear Way's vocals. 

Given that I only know a handful of songs I had the best time and the entire night gave me festival vibes, with sun, cider and good old fashioned emo music. 10/10.

Rachael xo

A Trip to the West End - Bonnie & Clyde the concert Review

When Jeremy Jordan announced he was coming to the UK for Bonnie & Clyde the musical concert I was beside myself. I was so excited so you can imagine my dismay when I forgot the tickets went on sale and had sold out. But fate was on my side and they announced a second date so when I got the last second row ticket, I hit book faster than you could say bang bang! 

I wouldn't allow myself to get excited for the show because of covid and was worried about restrictions especially when there was talk of another lockdown and of course travelling from the states. But the day finally came and I took myself down to London for the night. 

When I told people I was going on my own, everyone was shocked. Why would you travel to London and go the theater by yourself? The answer is, I wanted the second row experience and I enjoy my own company. Being able to grab an iced coffee and read on the train for a few hours in peace is literally a big vibe. Although I would be lying if I said I wasn't absolutely shitting myself at the idea of navigating London on my own because even though I've been before it's always been with other people who have helped me with the tubes. It was actually easier than I thought though, I downloaded an app called Citymapper which is great for helping you get round different cities! I also had best friend on hand to help me when I got stuck as I was staying with her. Doing things by yourself is so liberating and I highly recommend that if there's something you want to do then you should definitely do it.

I arrived at Theatre Royal Drury Lane and could have wet myself I was that excited, I was finally about to be two rows away from Jeremy Jordan and to see Bonnie & Clyde. Despite being labelled a concert the production was actually semi staged. The role of Bonnie was supposed to be originally played by Laura Osnes but unfortunately she was unable to perform and the role was cast to the wonderful Frances Mayli McCann. McCann was unreal as Bonnie and even thought I'd originally been disappointed that she was replacing Osnes, she more than made up for it because her vocals and talent are incredible. When Jordan came on stage the crowd squealed and his role as Clyde Barrow seemed meaner than he's ever played before. Jordan has incredible stage presence and his Clyde is unmatched for me (but I might be a bit biased). A special shout out also has to go to Natalie McQueen whose Blanche was phenomenal and had me both laughing and crying.  If you ever get a chance to see this show then you should do it because it doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

With Frank Wildhorn, Ivan Menchel and Don Black in the audience it was an extra special night and the atmosphere was absolutely incredible and I am so lucky I got to be a part of it. 

Rachael xo

Family | A Break to Blackpool

At the beginning of May I surprised the boys with a trip to Blackpool for the weekend. I picked them up after school, cases in the car and off we headed up the M6. Blackpool is a popular location with there being over 500 hotels to choose from but I would recommend doing your research before you book! 

We stayed at The Hopton Hotel which is situated approximately 2 miles away from Blackpool Pleasure Beach (or a 20 minute walk). It is also close to other attractions such as Blackpool Tower (15 minute wall), Madame Tussauds (10 minute walk) and Central Pier is less than a mile away. Upon arrival at the hotel, we were greeted by Silvia who sorted out parking for me (I hadn't booked prior to arrival), helped me bring my cases in from the car and showed us to our room after taking our breakfast order. We stayed in family room which had bunk beds for the boys and a double bed for me, all which were SO comfortable and clean. Breakfast was included, I had a full english and it was one of the nicest I'd tasted. The boys asked for pancakes when we went in and staff were happy to accommodate even though they hadn't pre booked on arrival. The hotel and staff were just fantastic our entire stay and we'd definitely go back and stay here! It costs us £168 for two nights for the three of us so was a bargain. 

On the Saturday we started off our 20 minute walk to Blackpool Pleasure Beach and on arrival we headed straight towards Nickelodeon Land so the boys could go on the rides there. Although the theme park opens at 10am not all of the attractions open until a little later on so keep in this in mind if you're thinking of visiting. Nickelodeon land has plenty of attractions for little ones of all ages and the boys loved it so we spent most of our day here. George is 7 and was tall enough to ride The Avalanche which is over in the main part of the park and as he's a big thrill seeker he absolutely loved it. Our favourite rides were The Avalanche, The Nick Streak and The Blue Flyer. 

After a very tiring day we headed back to the hotel, having a look in all the shops along the front as we walked (which definitely helped little legs). We went out of season so not everywhere was open but there were plenty of things to see along the front and the boys loved looking in all the shops full of holiday, seaside tat. We got chips on the way home, some snacks from the shop and curled up in bed watching Pitch Perfect. Bliss.

Sunday meant it was time for the waterpark! I've always wanted to visit The Sandcastle Waterpark since I was a kid but it never happened. The Sandcastle is the UK's largest indoor waterpark with over 18 slides/ attractions and a tropical climate. The boys were really excited because they LOVE waterparks. We had a locker and a prepaid wristband so we could purchase food/drinks when we were in there and not have to worry about going back to the locker for cash. In all his daredevil ways, George had me on the sidewinder with him which is a HUGE half pipe type slide that you use a rubber ring on and I was terrified. It wasn't as bad as it looked and I actually went on a second time with him (G went on 7 times). There's plenty for younger kids to do though as well, with there being rapids and smaller slides and a wave pool. We had a 3 hour slot and we also ate in there and once you've ordered food you can get a wristband that gives you an extra 30 minutes in the park so you don't miss out. 

We had the best weekend and even though I wasn't sure what to expect taking them away on my own, they were so good and I can't wait to make more memories and do it it again! 

Rachael xo