24 hours in Oxford

Sometimes you just have a rogue day of annual leave left to take and nothing much to do with it - and when that happens, it's always best to try and get away! I also had a TrainGift voucher burning a hole in my pocket, a birthday present from lovely family members, so myself and my wife decided to book a night away in Oxford. Here's what we got up to...

Liverpool to Oxford

As mentioned, I booked our trains using a voucher for TrainGift - it was super easy to book our tickets, and I just paid the difference myself. Then disaster struck as we remember it was the final race of the F1 season the day we were travelling, and our train would get us into Oxford midway through the race. My wife is a big Lando fan, so this simply wouldn't do. I was a bit unclear as to whether the tickets I'd booked would allow us to travel on the earlier train, as the ticket split showing for the prior route was different - but the customer service team at TrainGift were really helpful and very friendly, and we got it all sorted.

Watching the F1 in Oxford

We arrived around 45 minutes prior to lights out, and legged it through the rain to one of a few places in Oxford that show the F1 - O'Neills on George Street. It's a chain, it's nothing special, and we'd been unable to reserve a table, but we did manage to squeeze onto some stools in between two other tables and got chatting to some locals before the race started. The drinks were around the price I expected - it was just over £11 for a pint of Coors and a bottle of non-alcoholic cider, of which they promptly ran out after I'd only had one. Never mind. Anyway, we watched the race and I left O'Neills with one very happy wife, ready to properly start our 24 hours in Oxford!

Premier Inn, Oxford City Centre

While there are plenty of lovely boutique hotels in Oxford, we were booking quite last minute and a lot of places were either booked up or way out of our budget. We opted for the Premier Inn, which is right opposite Westgate shopping centre and around an 11 minute walk from the train station. I booked us a Premier Plus room, which was really fresh, clean and well decorated with some extra features you don't see in their standard rooms...

• Choice of pillows
• Rainfall shower
• Luxury toiletries (Baylis & Harding 'Goodness' range)
• USB ports next to the bed
• Comfy chair
• Coffee machine and mini fridge
• Sweet treats
• Iron & ironing board
• Ultimate Wi-Fi

We were really impressed, and we added breakfast to our stay as we had a busy full day on the Monday so it was definitely the convenient option.

Sunday in Oxford

Anyway, back to Sunday. After checking in, we went for a wander through town - we visited the famous Covered Market, which was really nice, and popped to see the Christmas market too. The latter was much smaller than we expected and quite disappointing in all honesty, but hey it's festive! We also had a quick look at some of the colleges, but this was our main plan for Monday so we didn't want to spoil it for ourselves too much. By this point it was raining and miserable, so we went back to the hotel (via a mooch in a Japanese supermarket) to chill, read and freshen up for dinner.

The Ivy, Oxford

For dinner I thought we would be spoilt for choice, but again this was a last minute trip so most places were completely booked up! We opted to eat at The Ivy, having never been there before together. We had a 7pm booking on the Sunday night and it was fairly quiet, so we were served really quickly and everything was very positive. The restaurant is beautifully decorated during the festive season, and they had some excellent Christmas drinks on the menu.

I opted for the Wild Berries mocktail, which has spiced berries, passion fruit, and Wild Idol sparkling white. It was honestly delicious, even at £10.50! For my dinner I had the The Ivy Truffle Burger and my wife opted for Traditional Fish and Chips. We honestly couldn't fault the food or service at all, and we really enjoyed the whole experience.

Monday in Oxford

We got up, got ready and headed down for our Premier Inn breakfast, then it was off out into the cold (but thankfully dry) weather to explore. 

We had a little wander around the castle area before heading into town to meet our guide as we had booked a "free" Oxford walking tour. Our guide was hilarious, such a dry sense of humour, and of course really knowledgable about the city. Some of the highlights we got to see were:

• The Sheldonian Theatre 
• The Bodleian Library
• The Bridge of Sighs
• A tree and a window both featured in the Harry Potter films
• The Radcliffe Camera
• All Souls College (from the outside)
• The door that allegedly inspired The Chronicles of Narnia
• The house where Edmond Halley lived
• The Turf Tavern
• Mansfield College grounds

So all in all a great list of famous places, with some great stories to go along with them. The tour was around 1.5 hours, and we did end up paying £10 each - you're not exactly forced into paying, but we did feel like we had to!

After the tour we visited Blackwell's, a huge bookshop where I bravely bought NOTHING, then visited the spot where three martyrs were burnt at the stake in the 1500s. We headed round to the Ashmolean as I really wanted to stop for a mocktail in the rooftop restaurant, but they put us in dreadful seats where we couldn't soak in any of the view - presumably because we weren't eating! Instead, we headed to the gorgeous Morse Bar at the Randolph Hotel. I had an utterly delightful mocktail here by the fire.

From here we headed back round to visit University Church of St Mary the Virgin, and then popped into the grounds of All Souls College for a peek in the chapel and to catch some lovely views. Our last stop before heading back to the train was St. Phillips, a secondhand bookshop, where I picked up a very old copy of Tom Sawyer. 

I'd say our 24 hours in Oxford was a roaring success; it's a very pretty city with plenty of gorgeous architecture to see, lots of filming locations and some great history. We really enjoyed this last minute staycation and I'd definitely recommend a visit!

November 2025 reading round up

I can't believe this is the penultimate reading round up of 2025 - this year has flown by! Without further ado, here's everything I read in November 2025 and what I thought of them...

The Hidden Girl by Lucinda Riley

I picked this up in Waterstones when I was spending my birthday gift vouchers, and my wife actually chose this for me as she liked the cover. It's not my typical genre of choice, but I was absolutely awed by this book. I ended up choosing it for our mini bestie book club, and I was so pleased I did. It's a beautiful story about a young girl who is whisked away from her quiet Yorkshire life in the 60s to become a model; intertwined with her life, and the tragedies that happen to her, is the story of two young siblings during World War Two. The way the story seamlessly weaves between the decades and shares so many perspectives is expertly done, and it's just honestly fantastic. 5 stars from me!

Their Double Lives by Jaime Lynn Hendricks

I listened to this one as an audiobook while working; it's a mediocre thriller about a woman who's been paid to kill a man at a country club and what happens when she can't go through with. Told from the dual POV of her and the man's fiancée across two timelines, it's relatively well-written and the twists, though not too difficult to guess, are tied up nicely. I gave this 3.5 stars.

The Ex Hex by Erin Sterling

What a whole lot of fun! This is the kind of fantasy I can get behind; I'm not an ACOTAR girly and I don't read about faes and dragons etc, but cute witchy urban fantasy with cosy vibes? That's a bit of me. This book had been on my TBR since last autumn, so I was really happy to finally get around to reading it this year. A very enjoyable, easy read - well written and cute with a fast paced storyline and good spice! 4.5 stars from me.

One Of Us Is Lying by Karen M McManus

I read this for our November pick at the main book club I go to, and I loved it - YA thrillers are definitely one of my favourite genres, and this didn't disappoint. I *had* seen the TV show, quite a while ago, so I had a vague sense of what was happening but I'd forgotten the twist and had a completely different suspect in mind. It's really well told and a very interesting story; I gave this 4 stars, though it's more of a 4.5, and I'll definitely continue the series.

On The Ferry to Skye by J A Forde

I absolutely loved this - books set in Scotland really seem to do it for me. It's a lovely romance about two childhood friends who never quite get together, then completely lose contact. When life brings them back together, it's a bit of an enemies to lovers, second chance romance situation and it's gorgeous. With the exception of some really questionable decisions by the FMC, I really enjoyed everything about this. 4.5 stars!

What Have I Done? by Teresa Driscoll

This was a thriller ARC, and it was good! It follows a family who have been drawn into the orbit of a cult, lead by a very dangerous woman, and the whole family get completely wrapped up a whole lot of drama which all stems back to one horrific event a year or so prior to when the book is set. The twist was really good and I enjoyed the subplots too! 4 stars from me; releases January 2026.

Dove by Paisley Hope

I adore Paisley Hope - her writing style is honestly brilliant. I believe this book is set before the first book in the Soldiers of Bedlam series (confusing but whatever) and it follows Sean, ex-soldier and member of the town's very intense motorcycle club, and Layla: struggling student/server who has been left orphaned after her parents were killed by another MC. The spice is intense but so well done, and the plot is of course very insta-love but also very cute. Overall I just really enjoyed this book and gave it 4 stars,

The Eight Heartbreaks of Hanukkah by Jean Meltzer

My 100th book of the year and my first holiday romance of the season! This is a retelling of A Christmas Carol, but with a Jewish twist and set in NYC. It follows a TV producer who is married to the job, and still reeling from her divorce - throughout Hanukkah, while preparing for a big live action TV show, she is visited by eight 'heartbreaks' who take her on a journey through her life to see what she can learn. With a second chance romance plot too, this was an enjoyable read although I found it a bit odd in places where the character literally explains she is living in a retelling. That felt a bit jarring! Overall though, 3.75 stars!

Second Chance Romance by Olivia Dade

Rather unimaginative title aside, this was a really sweet... second chance romance, of course, set in a small town following an audiobook narrator who goes back home upon learning about the death of her old best friend, who actually turns out not to be dead but running a cute bakery. The two rekindle and things go from there, but there are plenty of fun subplots and the romance is an enjoyable slow burn. 3.5 stars!

Some really good reads in November, and I was thrilled to hit the 100 books mark for 2025 - I'll probably end the year at around 108, but we'll see in my December reading round up...

My Great British Bake Off 2025 bake along journey

If you follow me on instagram (lucky you) then you might know I've been doing my own version of a GBBO bake along - not baking what the contestants have to bake each week, because my blood pressure couldn't handle it, but instead just baking something to fit the theme of each episode. I thought I would document everything I baked, and my experience/what I might do differently etc, in this blog post. I'm excited to look back next year and see if my baking has improved!

Cake week

Week 1 of GBBO 2025 was cake week, of course. I opted to make Crunchie chocolate cupcakes, using a Jane's Patisserie recipe and utilising my new Progress stand mixer which was a 30th birthday present from my family. Honestly these couldn't have turned out better; the bake was super easy and they were the ideal texture, and decor wise I was really happy with them too. This was literally the very first time I had used a piping bag, too - so I was honestly quite happy with how the buttercream looked on top! They were absolutely delicious and I plan on making them again for sure. I did Crunchie spread in the middle (don't recommend having this in the cupboard as it's simply TOO delicious) and chunks of Crunchie on top. Splendid effort for week one.

Biscuit week

I wasn't sure what to make for week 2, biscuit week - so I asked my fiancée (now my wife at the time of posting this because I did literally get married in the middle of a bake off season) what she fancied. Her favourite biscuits are the Fox's Viennese chocolate sandwich ones, so I thought I would make something similar but hopefully easier. I used this Viennese biscuit recipe, dipping one end in milk chocolate. The dough was straightforward to make, and then I had to pipe them out onto greaseproof paper on a tray. This was my second ever time piping and honestly, it could have been better but they did turn out pretty good if I do say so myself. I think I was cautious and not applying enough pressure at first, so they didn't come out as thick as I would have liked meaning I re-piped some, which is why they're definitely not even looking. Wouldn't win any Bake Off technical awards but hey, they tasted lovely (if not quite as sweet as we might have hoped) and the texture was genuinely spot on. 

Bread week

For GBBO week 3, it was bread week. I've never made bread before but there's a first time for everything! I opted for focaccia, and I already had everything I needed - you only need flour, yeast, water, salt and oil. I mixed the flour, yeast and water in my stand mixer, letting it knead for 15 minutes using a dough hook. Honestly, if it wasn't for this mixer, I don't know what I'd do. Then I transferred it to an oiled bowl, letting it sit for half an hour - around 20 minutes into this time frame, I filled by baking dish with boiling water to let it warm up. At the half an hour point, I emptied the water from the dish and dried it, then put the dough in there to prove for another 30 minutes. Just before popping in the oven, I pressed my fingers into the bread to dimple it and topped with more oil, salt, mixed herbs and also some chopped peppers to make a flower and sun design. This bread was unreal and I can't believe how simple it was to do, and I've made it MANY times since!

Back to school week

Bake Off week 4 was a new one in the schedule - back to school. Of course my first thought was classic school cake, so I ordered a square tin and again followed a Jane's Patisserie recipe to make the cake. I didn't actually let it cool long enough before adding the icing, so it was very runny and didn't really stick to the top of the cake properly - but otherwise, this was another success and it tasted delightful.

Chocolate week

Week 5 (and at this point I was very impressed to have stuck at this every week in the midst of planning a wedding AND working full time) was chocolate week; I really didn't want to do anything too complicated, so I went with a biiiggggg fat chocolate orange cake. I used the Jane's Patisserie basic chocolate cake recipe, adding some orange essence into the chocolate buttercream and decorating with Terry's segments. I was so proud of everything about this cake - it tasted and looked absolutely fantastic, and we were living off it for days. Possibly my favourite one!

Pastry week

When it came to pastry week, I'll admit I failed Paul Hollywood and cheated by using pre-made pastry. I've never made pastry in my life, and at this point it was 2 weeks before the wedding and work had ramped up big time, so pre-made pastry to the rescue! I opted to make sausage rolls, but to jazz them up a bit I did mix the sausage meat with some sage & onion stuffing. Honestly they were a delight, and of course this was a super easy recipe - though I did have to separate an egg for the first time to do the egg wash/glaze, so that was a new skill for me.

Meringue week

This was the week of our wedding, so I went simple with what turned out to be basically meringue blobs - made in my mixer, of course, and topped with a chocolate drizzle and fresh raspberries. The meringues took ages to whip into a stiff peak in the mixer, like honestly an absurd amount of time, but otherwise this was really easy to do. It was also only my second ever time separating eggs, so that was a new skill for me! I did add sprinkles to the meringue mixture but they didn't really show up much or taste that good, so I wouldn't do that again.

Dessert week

Week 8 was dessert week and this was just 3 days after my wedding - I was in Poland, and had absolutely not had the time to try making any sort of dessert for the occasion which was such a shame as I could have definitely put something delicious and chocolatey together...

Patisserie week

Another fail on my part - in my defence, this was a few days after we got home from Poland, and we'd been to a gig AND I was straight back to work, so my time was completely eaten up. Not so devastating because I honestly don't have a *clue* what I would have been able to make for this one!

The final

Aaaaah, the final! SO pleased Jasmine won, what a superstar - as there was no given theme for this week, I went with a basic (and sensational) Victoria sponge with some granny chic, chintzy floral piping on top. *Still* practicing my piping skills, though I'll be honest I don't really seem to be improving at all. I feel like it's something you need three hands for?! Also the cake just wasn't level at all, but it's rustic and a 10/10 for taste.

And that's it done - until 2026, when I'll definitely be attempting this again, hopefully with even better results and with every week ticked off.  I've learnt new skills, tried a lot of new things, and added some amazing regular recipes to my roster! And for that, I'm calling this challenge a success.

Croissant gift guide | Christmas 2025

Gift guide number three - croissants! Honestly, this is a trend I can definitely get behind because a) I love pastry and b) everything is just so cute. So if you're Christmas shopping for the croissant lover in your life, I've definitely got some good ideas for you...

Dinette Les Croissants Linen Tea Towel

Perfect for any new homeowners - this tea towel is absolutely gorgeous and very on trend.

Eleanor Bowmer Croissant Mug

I loveeee Eleanor Bowmer's design style (keep an eye out in TK Maxx if you're also a fan) and this croissant mug is absolutely to die for.

OHS Croissant Cuddle Cushion

It's cosy season and who doesn't need a cuddle cushion? These are perfect for sitting in bed with a good book and a hot drink, or even for binge-watching TV. So comfy, and I love how cute this one is.

Leather Croissant Bag Charm

Who doesn't need a croissant bag charm in their life? Bag charms are definitely very 'in' right now, as they allow you to really change up the look of a bag without, you know, buying a whole new bag.

Devon Wick Buttery Croissant Wax Melts

I love a wax melt, and I just know these smell absolutely flipping delicious.

Rebel & Wild Gold Croissant Earrings

Stop it, these are the cutest little earrings I've ever seen - the ideal stocking filler for the croissant fan in your life.

Kiki Candles Buttery Croissant Candle

Again, this must smell unreal. Candles are an excellent gift idea, and this one looks classy but smells fun. What more could you want?

Rumble Cards Croissant Notebook

Writers rejoice - a croissant patterned notebook?! This would bring me so much joy writing my daily to-do list over breakfast.

TU Breakfast Pyjamas

The viral Primark breakfast pyjamas may have been and gone, but these from TU @ Sainsbury's are just as cute and the quality of their PJs is brilliant.

Croissant Cap

Sun protection, cool outfit addition, and with a croissant on? How absolutely delightful and there's loads of colours to choose from too.

Jellycat Amuseables Croissant

The OG of all cute croissant gifts, and something that I've put on my family secret Santa wishlist to go with my birthday cake and my cinnamon bun. Love love love.

Crafty Glass Croissant Decoration

Imagine this hanging in the kitchen window? Yeah, exactly. Who is behind Crafty Glass is so talented - I always see their pieces on social media and they look amazing.

Estella Bartlett Gold Croissant Necklace

Last but certainly not least - I really love Estelle Bartlett's jewellery, and this gold croissant necklace is just beautiful.

Random, niche but absolutely adorable - croissants seem to be everywhere right now and rightly so. All of these pieces would make the perfect gift for croissant lovers!

Stripy gift guide | Christmas 2025

I promised the gift guides would be quite niche this year - so I'm back with another one, full of stripy gifts. Stripes are a really popular pattern right now, and you can find a ton of really cute gifts below for the stylish friends or family in your life who are all into the striped vibe!

Monty Shoulder Bag

I love the design of Monty bags - they're so simple but really cute, and they're handmade in India from recycled nylon. We love a sustainable option, and the red & pink of this particular bag is a gorgeous combo.

House of Hetty Striped Earrings

I already own some House of Hetty earrings and the quality is great - these striped ones are really cute, and they're not too big or crazy so you could get away with them day to day for sure.

Habitat Stripy Photo Frame

Can you ever have too many photo frames? This striped one is so cute - Habitat do home decor *really* well.

OHS Stripy Pyjamas

Pink and red again - they just go together so well. Online Home Shop products are great quality but really affordable, and these PJs are so cute.

Stripy Mug & Coaster

I love love love this set - they come in a few different colours too, so you could mix and match! The shape and design is just adorable.

Primark Striped Rugby Polo

I'm never sure if these shirts really suit me, but they're super popular and the stripes are lovely, of course. Perfect with jeans and Uggs for a casual daytime look!

Gisela Graham Striped Vase

Glass vases are out, ceramic patterned vases are in - I absolutely love the little handles on this one too. It's just absolutely charming and would look gorgeous with some contrasting sunflowers in it.

M&S 3 Wick Candle

Candles are another classic go-to gift for Christmas, making an ideal stocking filler or secret Santa present. This one is stylish and sticks to the stripy theme without being too bold. I love it!

Juniqe Vasenliebe Notebook

As a writer and serial list-maker, there's nothing I love more than a new notebook. The design on this one is just too cute.

So many cute stripy gift ideas! I mean honestly this is mostly just a wishlist for myself because I love every single thing, but I hope it's given you some inspiration during your Christmas shopping...