Rock The Cotswolds: The Big Launch

June's been quite the month, and before I forget - though I really won't forget - I thought I'd tell you about a super special party I was invited to a few weeks ago.

On Friday 6th June (coincidentally my birthday!) approximately 275 rockers, movers, shakers, media, influencers and VIPs descended upon Blackfriars Priory in Gloucester City Centre to celebrate the launch of Rock The Cotswolds.

Founded by Oli Christie, of Neon Play, Cirencester, Rock The Cotswolds champions everything cool about this lovely area. Sure, we have some fine scenery, idyllic countryside and chocolate box villages, but we're not all tweed clad horse racing fanatics or the stereotypical red trousered snobs*. We have some truly innovative, creative, proactive people working within the Cotswolds, and its time to open everyone's eyes to this fact.

*I've no problem with either of these - embrace it, don't hate it.

There are fantastic companies designing and selling in some of the hottest global industries. There are hotels and restaurants galore. There are fashion labels that are recognised worldwide, and many a superstar who call the Cotswolds 'home'. This proves that not everything is centered around London, and you certainly don't need to escape to the big smoke in order to 'make it'. What Oli's determined to do with Rock The Cotswolds is to challenge those preconceptions, and make everyone realise that this is one of the best places to live and work in the UK.

The launch party toasted to the first selection of 'Rockers'; a hotlist of 75 people, businesses and events, which were picked from over 300 nominated in the previous months. You can see the full list on the website, along with all the trusty supporters - or 'fans' - that they've gathered along the way, but a few to mention are; 2000 Trees, Giffords Circus, Cheltenham Festivals, Superdry and Missy Malone. Oh and Cherry Press were responsible for the gorgeous invitations too.

The venue was not one I'd been to before - Blackfriars Priory - built in the 13th century on the site of Gloucester’s Norman Castle, it is the most well preserved medieval Dominican Priory in Britain. Only having recently reopened in 2012, it's now available for meetings, conferences, exhibitions, weddings and other private hires and events, like Rock The Cotswolds.

Drummers and circus performers entertained the guests as they arrived, and a quick red-carpet-style snap was taken as soon as you entered. (Tactical.. it's always good to get some nice 'before' photos. Everyone looks progressively worse as the night goes on, especially when there's a free bar!)

Cocktails and canapes were doing the rounds as people mingled, and explored the venue. There was a bit of celebrity spotting with Lawrence Llewelyn-Bowen, Phil Vickery and Adam Henson, and there was a lady with a very large, but very friendly snake round her neck.

Relish Events sourced all the fabulous food; I had an amazing pizza courtesy of Baz & Fred, whilst the chap scoffed a burger from a local butchers. Later in the evening ice creams from Dolcetti made an appearance, along with cheese from Simon Weaver and tasty Hobbs House Bread. Erm, I may have eaten a lot of cheese.. one hell of a lot of cheese. I had to soak up the alcohol somehow right? As a result, I'm laying off the Brie for a while. Please don't judge me.

Drinks consisted of Black Moth Vodka, Brennen & Brown Gin, Heritage Wine, Arkell's Beer and Cotswold Cider, cheerfully served by the folks from Cirencester's Somewhere Else.

We had live music from Duke, who are MASTERS of beatboxing. They use only their three voices and one guitar - no backing tracks, looping or sampling - which is mega impressive when you hear the sounds they come out with. If you've not seen them locally, you might recognise them from X-Factor a couple of years ago, where they made it to judges' houses.

Glowsticks and dodgy shades were dished out as the DJ, Luke Delaney, played some cracking tunes. We even bumped into the Hobbs House gang - it seems to have become a bit of a thing now, hasn't it? - and we all busted our best moves well into the night.

The bus home is a little hazy, but I think the launch of Rock The Cotswolds made for one of the most exciting birthdays yet.. 'Til next year?

A Month of Munching

It's been very quiet on the Western Front lately (unless you've been following me on Twitter or been keeping up with my Vinspire posts). How on earth has it got to June already?! Well, I've just returned from a wonderful week-long holiday in Scotland, but before I divulge on my indulgences up north, I thought I'd best report my latest eats and experiences. So listen up..

I should probably start with where I left off at the end of April *slaps wrists*.. A 5 year anniversary celebration with The Chap saw a surprise trip to Cheltenham's KIBOUsushi. We went for lunch a week or so after it's opening, loved it, and vowed to return to try the dinner menu; it took us way too long to do this. Cheltenham had been missing the sushi boat for ages, and in the space of a few weeks, both KIBOU and a Yo! Sushi opened up. I'm sure Yo! Sushi is great, what with it's conveyor belt of food on brightly coloured dishes, but independent is always better in my eyes. Being tucked away in a basement on Regent Street, like a secret hide away from the bustling town centre, makes the whole thing much more memorable.

We started with some pork gyozas and scallop and venison tataki nigiri, then The Chap had a prawn/pork/sesame main dish, and I had an orange-y duck breast with pumpkin korroke (a bit like croquettes); both of which were off of the specials board. Everything was delicious, and I'm already thinking about when I can go back to get my next sushi fix. If you go, make sure you get a glass of the plum wine, as well as the obligatory jasmine tea.

A week later, I found myself at Cheltenham Jazz Festival drinking way too much wine and frolicking in the bank holiday sun. Being a massive lover of all things Hobbs House (thanks to the Bread Baking Masterclass I went on in February), I booked to go to Henry Herbert's Hobbs House Pop-up Supperclub on the festival site in Montpellier Gardens.

Being one half of The Fabulous Baker Brothers, and an advocate of all things local, Henry's Supperclub was destined to be something that you wouldn't want to miss. Upon entering the tent lined with tables and benches, we were handed a cocktail (I've no idea what it contained) and then showered with various canapés whilst we got settled into our seats and chatted to our jazzy neighbours.

No veggies here, BBQ Beef was what we were treated to; juicy charcoal grilled rib eye and a smoked brisket, which practically fell apart with as much as a glance. Bowls of Boston beans, slaw and blue cheese iceberg salad were shared round, along with a never ending supply of sourdough, and everything was kept topped up until we were sufficiently full.

Dessert was a doughnut trifle. Now I'm not normally a fan of those stodgy beasts, and the thought of having them topped with additional custard and cream was a bit daunting, but actually, it totally hit the spot and was just the right size. Coffee and truffles were kicked to the kerb until Henry had done the rounds thrusting picklebacks on every table. A shot of pickle brine and a shot of Chase Smoked Vodka sat in front of us, then on the count of three we downed the vodka then chased it with the pickle. It might sound a bit rough, but trust me, it works. Line them up please!

A trip to Bath was next on the agenda; a belated Mother's Day spa session with my Mum and Sister. I'd had a few recommendations on places to have lunch, and Acorn Vegetarian Kitchen was the venue of choice. We decided to opt for the tapas-style sharing dishes, ending up ordering pretty much the whole menu because it sounded that good.

We had mixed pickles (kohlrabi, radish and carrot), hummus with bread olives and harissa, asparagus in a lemon thyme dressing, brocolli with wild garlic, polenta chips and rhubarb ketchup, chickpea fritters with an orange rosemary emulsion, local leaf salad with toasted seeds and rhubarb dressing, and red wine fig and shallot salad with candied curried pecans. The one thing I love about veggie/vegan restaurants is that they're always so innovative; even the most stubborn carnivore couldn't possibly miss meat with this bounty. The red wine fig and shallot salad stole the show, along with the asparagus and polenta chips.. Actually, all of it was great, and our bill came to just over £30, which seemed great value considering how much we ate!

Last minute panic buying in preparation for a wedding resulted in a shopping slog at Cabot Circus, Bristol. In an attempt to get just an hours break from the herd of Saturday shoppers, we went to St Nicholas Market to refuel. Spying a queue at Grillstock surely meant that they were dishing out good grub, and on a sunny day, something meaty in a bun - alongside a cold beer - is just what the doctor ordered. I had the hickory smoked pulled pork with slaw, spicy sauce and extra jalepenos. It's messy business, but who cares when its this good?

Something sweet seemed necessary, so we popped into Source Food Hall & Cafe and I was blinded by this beauty; a salted caramel and cherry brownie. I think I died and went to heaven.. Though hell's probably more fitting, being so devil-iciously dark, rich and salty..

Nothing I can say will be able to follow that, so I shall leave it there.

Keep your eyes peeled for Glasgow goings on..