Lunch at Coworth Park

I couldn't wait to return to Coworth park after the dinner and and spa day.

It is dog friendly and with 100s of acres of polo fields the perfect place to while away the hours.

We met for coffee on the terrace overlooking the grounds, walked the dog for a couple of hours and then visited the Barnyard, the more rustic of the restaurants for lunch, after a bit more dog walking and a look around the spa which my companion had not seen, we returned to the main house for a post lunch coffee in the conservatory.  It was a perfect day and great way to catch properly on all the news that we had not shared over the last few months.  Coworth is definitely an occasion and demands a suitable outfit.

I have been unearthing some long forgotten treasures from my wardrobe and selected this Blumarine coral embellished silk and cashmere top (that I bought but could never fit into), very old Zara silk trousers, Versace shoes from Bicester from about 10 years ago, a (new!) Temperley bag, bought during last week's trip to Bicester and a new purse picked up from Wilbur and Gussie on Ebay.

The view from the terrace...

Gorgeous interiors in the loos...

Covetable interiors in the drawing room, I just want to move in...

The swan table should be the height of bad taste, but even this works brilliantly in the scheme....

The mini country village that houses 'The Barnyard' restaurant, all very Marie Antoinette...

We had potted trout to share to start and then I had goat's cheese brioche with mushrooms and mixed leaves and my companion had beetroot, walnut and mixed leaves plus a large sparkling water and it cost £29, which is not bad for a full day's entertainment! 

Perfect day, looking forward to another excuse to visit.

Dressing like a Toffifee

I have reverted to the 'this is what I am wearing' posts, which take 5 minutes and almost no thought.

I feel very superficial, but this was meant to just be fun, and weirdly more people comment on these anyway.

This post was started a couple of weeks back with this super summery outfit, boots, two jumpers and suede coat yep it's another bar b q summer!

I have added to it today as Toffifee is a great source of inspiration...

Fatal fashion blogger error (will never really be my thing) where did clothes come from.
Suede coat Morgan (does that still exist?)
Tan jeans Top Shop Jamie jeans
White jeans River Island
Jumper Zara
Copper top DVF
Bag Principles (it is a copy of an Anya Hindmarch one that I loved, but I think Principles did it better)
Boots ASOS

Pretending the sun is shining...

On Saturday we were committed to a whole day outside, regardless of the weather, there would be no shelter and a minimum of 6 hours on a cricket pitch. I was torn between a cagoule, trainers and fleece trousers and dressing in the expectation of sunshine.  As my mother always says, if you expect a child to behave it will live up to it and so perhaps the same is true of the weather.

I went for all out sunshine in a Temperley top, this is meant to be a dress, although it must be for someone of fairy like delicate proportions.

These jeans are my new big find, they are age15 from Next (so VAT free hurrah! and fit better than any of my J Brand or 7 for all Mankind, which are slowly being sold off on Ebay as I am now being merciless in my  culling of jeans that do not fit just as they should).

The bag is from Anya Hindmarch and the jacket Zara, I was heading to Tonbridge in Kent, so I had to tick all the right boxes, nothing too revealing or too fashion forward and no logos!

Still trying to get basics right 2

Country life requires darker tones and loads of pockets, no one take a handbag when walking the dog.  The field where I walk for an hour each day is (still!)a mire and I am sick of washing everything after just one wear.  My height and shoulders rugby players would kill for,  mean that most of the time I look a little like...

He was actually quite yummy, (hence second gratuitous image) such a shame about the slightly unhinged version that we see now.

Back to clothes, these skinny cargos are from Oasis, they are a great fit and replacement to my J Brand Houlihans, which although a size 10 always seemed to stretch until I was swimming in them, (secretly I probably just liked writing that, since it has never happened before and will probably never happen again)

These were £15 in the sale (vs over £200) and a much better fit and more comfortable.

The hoodie is from Lamis Khamis, I was inspired by the owner of Bray Story near Heston Blumenthal's restaurants.  She mixes hers with original 80s Alaia and Danish jewellery and looks very chic, but then she is of tiny proportions and has a delicacy that I can only dream of.

The look isn't good on me, so I have tried to make a little more feminine with waterfall cardigan (Zara), ruched cotton top (New Look) and an armful of dangly jewellery.

 The beads are similar to Marco Bicego, if you squint and look away quickly...

A Spa day at Stoke Park

Stoke Park is one of the most spectacular buildings that I have ever seen.  Approaching the main house down the long drive, with the sunlight bringing the creamy coloured building to life, I would defy any one not to feel a frisson of excitement for what lay ahead.

The main building houses part of the hotel, the tea room and the dining room.  As it is members only, to use any of these facilities, vouchers have to be bought ahead of visiting.  These are not easy to find on the website, there is no 'afternoon tea' option you find it by clicking on to 'gift vouchers' and searching from there.  

The dining room is also open to non members for dinner.  Memberships start from about £600 annually, but this is only to use the amenities in the main building, it does not include the spa, tennis or golf.

The spa and indoor tennis are housed in a separate new building at the side of the main house.  It is very luxurious and beautifully built combining modern and old style seamlessly.  The car park illustrates the clientele, lots of golfing chaps in Bentleys and Aston Martins and spa-ing ladies in Range Rovers and Minis.

I used the gym, which was empty and really well appointed, the pool was quite busy with mainly Russian families.  On a warm summer day it could be fantastic as the floor to ceiling windows all open fully on to the most glorious lawns.

The spa definitely caters for the Russian taste, every thing is perfect and luxurious, no part of it is shabby or indeed tries to embrace the 'shabby chic' look.  The carpets are all 3 inches thick and cover every floor, even the family changing area, where they must need to be changed monthly to keep the wet dog smell at bay which inevitably comes with prolonged damp.

I couldn't take any photos in the treatment and rest area, these areas are behind the pool and are joined by a huge two way aquarium.

I had a Caci facial which cost £110 and lasted nearly an hour and a half, it included  Microdermabrasion and the microcurrent treatment and my skin certainly glowed afterwards.  The therapist was excellent and did not spend the entire session trying to sell me products. 

There is a range of Stoke Park Club products, but I am not sure that they quite live up to the quality of Stoke Park.

There is complimentary tea, coffee, mineral water and biscuits in the relaxation area, but I wanted to have the full Stoke Park experience and so asked the spa reception to organise an afternoon tea voucher for me.  They were incredibly helpful and the tea was £20, good value for the experience. 

This is not a place to wear traditional work out wear when not in the spa area, I wore cream Sportmax trousers, a Zara top and Sergio Rossi boots and blended perfectly with the blonde surroundings.

The famous golf match in Goldfinger filmed at Stoke Park.