The Royal Oak Beefeater Review

I was recently invited to experience the freshly refurbished Royal Oak Beefeater in Wrotham Heath.

Whilst I'd like to say I took the whole family to experience the entire menu, I opted to leave the children with grandparents and have a rare and relaxing evening out with my husband. 

source

We arrived on time at 6pm, were seated instantly and introduced to our waitress who promptly took our drinks order. 

I was excited to try the Beefeater Festive Menu as I had heard good things about it in other restaurants but this didn't appear to be available. In fact there were no festive decorations to speak of although being November it was perhaps just a little early. So we took our picks from the standard evening menu and admired some of the quirky beef-related artworks mounted on the walls while we waited for our starter.

Because we went in the evening, I cannot say what this restaurant is like in natural daylight. Of an evening it is bright but cozy and has an air of familiarity that you come to expect from a Beefeater. The atmosphere was homely but vibrant and very family friendly. All of this was reflected in the staff who were extremely welcoming and a pleasure to talk to. The Royal Oak is also wheelchair friendly with great disabled access and the staff are more than happy to help with any needs or inquiries.

The food itself was wonderful. There is a fantastic selection of starters with three vegetarian options. In the end I went with the pulled beef in red onion gravy, yorkshire puds and a horseradish cheese sauce. This was a tough act to follow. The shredded beef proved to be a bit of a balancing act trying to keep it from falling off the well portioned yorkshire pudding pieces but this starter was amazing. I would've been happy even to have this as a main course.
My husband opted for the sticky duck wings. I was surprised with the amount of meat you get from these wings and the sweet chilli glaze gave the perfect kick to the dish.

Our main courses weren't far behind. Despite experiencing some technical issues, our meal choices were taken down and they were brought to us in good time, hot and delicious!

I figure you can't go to a Beefeater without eating (more) beef, so I had steak and chips and my husband went for the mixed grill. His dinner went down a treat and while my beef was ever so slightly pinker than I'd expect from a medium, it was an excellent main course and tasted great.

For dessert my husband scoffed down a giant sundae before I could even focus the camera, and I asked for the raspberry bakewell with ice cream. It arrived with custard and actually I think that turned out for the best! The slice of bakewell was rather large and came with a generous helping of custard to be poured over it. This was absolutely delicious and rounded off the evening meal perfectly.

I'd like to say a huge thank you to the Royal Oak for having us. I had a wonderful time sampling the menu and taking in the friendly atmosphere on a Friday evening. I'd thoroughly recommend this restaurant to anyone in the area and I'd completely and absolutely suggest that you try the pulled beef starter.

(This review was given in return for free, delicious food. This has no bearing on the content of the review and all opinions are my own.)

Top 5 Christmas Movies

No Blogmas is complete without a mention of festive films and a list of our favourite flicks of the season.
As mentioned in my Christmas Bucket List, I aim to watch my top 5 movies between now and Christmas Eve.

There are films that could go on this list (Die Hard, Home Alone, The Grinch) but this list is for those Christmas movies that I go back to year after year without fail.

Santa Claus The Movie
The one where an elf runs away from the North Pole and tries to find his way in New York.
The heartbreak when my little sis spilled orange juice on the video tape rendering it unplayable will never be matched ever. Thank heavens we grew up and bought our own copies on those new fangled DVD things.

Elf
The other one where an elf runs away from the North Pole and tries to find his way in New York. I was a bit of a Will Ferrell hater until Buddy showed up but this is a film that the kids and I love equally. Basically if you don't like Elf you're a cotton headed ninny muggins.

Love Actually
Billy Mack, Top of the Pops! This is my Christmas Eve movie. Last minute wrapping next to the tree with a glass of Baileys falling in love with Mark in that scene where he's probably being a douche by declaring his undying love to his best mates wife.

It's A Wonderful Life
After the wrapping is finished, Love Actually has ended and the Baileys isn't far behind I sit alone and watch this. And I cry. And I remember all the times I mocked my mum for crying at a silly old black and white movie. And I cry some more. Attaboy Clarence.

Polar Express
I was still living with my parents when this came out and I didn't see the appeal at all. But it's actually a very sweet film that has fast become my childrens favourite movie. It keeps them quiet which is good enough for me... and who doesn't love Tom Hanks?

Okay, okay...

Die Hard
It just felt wrong leaving it out, ya know? Yippee ki yay.

Enough now...

Christmas Bucket List

Good evening folks!
Do you, like me, enjoy making lists? My usual starts as a well meaning To Do List first thing in the morning which eventually turns into The Big List Of Everything You Didn't Do Today by mid-afternoon.

But there's something about this time of year that makes me want to do a Christmassy bucket list. So without further ado, I present to you The Little List Of Things I Probably Won't Get Around To This Christmas.

What are your "must do" plans for the holidays? Do you have a Christmas bucket list? Let me know what you'd add to the list in the comments below!

So This Is Blogmas

Hooray, it's December!

One day into Advent and I've already put my poor young boys in their Christmas jumpers, made a gingerbread house (out of paper, not actual gingerbread so... just a house) and sat them down to watch Polar Express with hot chocolate and marshmallows. To say I'm feeling festive is something of an understatement so I've decided to channel my Christmas cheer by taking part in Blogmas this year.

Every day from now until the 25th I'll be posting to the blog. It won't necessarily be about Christmas every time but I'm fairly certain I'll cram in as much festivity as possible in the next 3 and a bit weeks. Here goes!

Way To Go, Scarlett & Jo!

It's been five weeks since I began #thisisplus, a campaign for diversity in models and plus size representation on the high street. Of course there are a few brands who already do this and the first brand that always comes to mind when I think of equal representation across the board is Scarlett & Jo.

If you've ever searched for a brand which supports, no, LOVES to design beautiful functional clothes for ladies with curves and rolls, you need look no further. Scarlett & Jo is the one.
They don't take small patterns and make them big. They make patterns which consider curves from the outset and create timeless classics in fabrics and styles which flatter and fit plus sizes, from tunics to maxis to 40s style tea dresses.

Previously only available at Evans, Scarlett & Jo have recently extended to include Yours Clothing amongst their resellers and today they launch their very own website at scarlettandjo.com.

I'm so excited by this as Scarlett & Jo have been the frontrunners in championing every body and showcasing their clothes on models of different sizes, shapes, ages and heights for a very long time.

Long may it continue!

A photo posted by Scarlett & Jo (@scarlettandjo) on Oct 10, 2015 at 4:26am PDT

A photo posted by Scarlett & Jo (@scarlettandjo) on Oct 10, 2015 at 4:38am PDT

Don't forget to visit Scarlett & Jo and check out the different ranges at Evans and Yours Clothing (where their purple velvet prom dress is to die for).

#THISISPLUS at Curve Fashion Festival

It's been a week since the launch of the #thisisplus campaign and I have been completely bowled over by the response. Hundreds of submissions have come pouring in on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and email, showing us that us plus size shoppers really do feel left out in the cold when it comes to "plus size" high street advertising campaigns.

I want to thank everyone single one of you for supporting this campaign in its infancy. You are all amazing individuals and it could not have happened without you. Thank you!

Beauty In All Shapes & Sizes

I'm sure you are aware that Curve Fashion Festival took place over the weekend and despite not being able to attend the event myself, I was inundated with photos from the incredible Daisy (daisysays.co.uk) who flew the #thisisplus flag in my absence.

Thank you Daisy!

By all accounts the Curve Fashion Fest was the place to be last weekend for any plus size fatshionistas and I'm so proud that #thisisplus was not only represented but also supported by so many.

Ruby, Becky,  Steph
Sharon, Tanya, Kat
Nikki, Daisy, Sarah

I am more inspired now than ever before to show brands who we are and why we're not happy with this promotional image of plus size in all its 5ft 10in size 16 hourglass glory. This Is Plus and it will not go quietly.

Lucie, Lisa Riley, Lottie

Remember to tag your images on Instagram and Twitter with #thisisplus and keep sharing!

#THISISPLUS - The Campaign For ALL Plus Size Bodies

We've all seen by now the plus size campaigns by the likes of Evans and Lane Bryant, championing all shapes and sizes and throwing around catchphrases and hashtags like 'Style Has No Size' and 'Plus Is Equal' whilst parading women around the high street and in shop windows.

In Case You Missed It...

But these campaigns have left a sour taste in the mouths (and fingers) of social media users the world over.
People are quite rightly asking, if style has no size, why are all of the models on the lowest end of plus size? Where is the size 24 model? The size 32? Where are the women of colour? Who is representing the petite among us? Why can't we see a shorter model amongst the 5'8+ leggy ladies?
It seems that unless you are tall, white and have and flat tummy to complement your size 16 hourglass figure, then plus is NOT equal.

But it should be. It has to be.
Who out there will represent my hanging belly? Who represents Sarahs 4ft 11 in frame?

Sarah blogs at plussizeproud.co.uk

In the same way that we can't get style inspiration from a size 6 mannequin, we can't be inspired by barely-plus models posing for photoshoots in shop windows. Plus bodies are so so varied and we need the clothing industry to realise that. To represent and inspire ALL. OF. US.

Inspirational plus size bloggers Katt (fatgirlforlife.co.uk), MoG (murderofgoths.co.uk) and Tanya (secretplussizegoddess.com)

#THISISPLUS is a tag for everyone but specifically anyone who feels that the high street plus size campaigns do not represent them. For the petite ladies, the older women among us, those of us with visible belly outlines or darker skin or a shape that differs from "industry standard."

#THISISPLUS is for you.

The world is not made up of industry standard people. We should not have to aspire to fit these standards. The outdated ideals are old fashioned and need a fresh start. We are all beautiful in our bodies and we deserve for those bodies to be represented fairly.

#thisisplus exists to show the international plus size industry that they need to take note. To change things up and start celebrating ALL plus size bodies, not opt for the same old formula that showcases only a tiny percentage of the people it is supposed to represent.