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Showing posts with label Topsham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Topsham. Show all posts
Tuesday, 17 December 2013

Devonshire Gems...

So, as you'll know if you follow us on Instagram or read our Devon round-up a couple of weeks ago, us Mice took ourselves off to the country for a long weekend full to the brim of relaxation, long walks, pub grub and lashings of red wine! We invited ourselves to Cousin Andrew's cottage in Topsham, South Devon. A perfect picturesque spot - see for yourself...



So what did we get up to? Well we have three little gems to share with you, if you ever venture to this part of the country make sure that you check out these beauties and say hello to the lovely people behind each one for us...

First up, The New Inn - a charming little boozer in a sleeping village called Moreleigh - think Rosehill Cottage in the film 'The Holiday' and you're pretty much there! The pub boasts a friendly landlord, Jeremy, the world's most attentive barmaid, Neets and Chef extraordinaire, Bridget.

The New Inn is packed full to the rafters with character, alive with locals and serves up Hendricks - what more could you ask for?! The food is pretty darn tasty too - the menu of home-cooked, comfort classics is small but perfectly formed - steaks, lamb chops and steak and kidney pie on Sundays. Each comes with a side of chunky chips, mushrooms and garden peas. Be warned, once you've experienced this calibre of pub it's pretty hard to go back to the mundane!



New Inn pub
Moreleigh, 
Totnes,
Devon.
TQ9 7JH
01548 821326

Next up a deli to die for - Avon Mill. Housed in a stunning restored stone barn boasting mouth-watering treats that will keep you browsing until Christmas... 


So what treats did we pick up? Well the bowls and bowls of lip-smackingly good olives were too hard to resist. We also snapped up some of the freshly baked glazed-pastries, salted caramel sauce for ice cream (wow) and a little Christmas pud sent from heaven! We had to stop somewhere so sadly said no to the many chutneys, honey, homemade cakes and organic juices - next time! 






The deli manager, Julie deserves a big shout out too - lovely, always smiling, knowledgeable and not in the least bit pushy (my biggest bug bear). Every village needs an Avon Mill!

Avon Mill Deli
Loddiswell, 
Kingsbridge, 
Devon. 
TQ7 4DD
01548 550338


And last but by no means least, the magnificently brilliant Simon Drew! A trip to Devon wouldn't be the same without a stop-off at his shop in Dartmouth. As a family, we've all been obsessed with Simon and his quirky and ever so witty pen and ink illustrations ever since I can remember. 


Simon has an in-store studio where you can watch him work while you shop - if you ask very nicely he'll show you what he's working on - always a treat! We did just that and chatted to him for at least half an hour and were hanging on his every word...!




Simon Drew
13 Foss St, 
Dartmouth, 
Devon. 
TQ6 9DR
01803 832832
Friday, 22 November 2013

This Week This Mice Have Mostly Been...

HK mouse is once again 5995 miles away and the two babies are left teeth chattering and all alone in London Towers - boo hoo...

We're all starting to get back to the normality of not eating out every night, working late and feeling the gym guilt but we're now not so sure that normality's for us! We much preferred eating and drinking non stop and generally being a trio of sister social butterflies!

When we haven't been weeping over being minus a Mouse, this week the Mice have mostly been...

Wishing with all our might that we were back in the country wearing gingham quilted jackets and Wellingtons once again! At the end of two manic weeks of sister fun in London, we sought a little R&R at our childhood escape in Devon - Topsham Cottage. We took Friday off work to cut the week short and drag the weekend out, jumped aboard the Devon Express (well a three hour train) and off to the countryside we chugged!


After the initial fish out of water arrival... think arriving at the local pub in leather shorts and Isabel Marant boots... we donned every warm piece of clothing we'd packed and had an amazing country Mouse adventure!

As always, our time away pretty much involved eating as much as humanly possible, drinking gallons of red wine, huddled around a roaring fire and of course we snapped all our goings on to share in a mighty blog post!
Here's what we got up to...

Morning cuppa to get the day going...

 
 
 
Our country hideaway, Topsham Cottage...
 
 
Long walks wrapped up in cosy scarfs and boots in Rabbit Wood...


 
 
And across the cow field...
 
 
And along the river...
 
 
 
Percy the peacock shaking his tail feather...
 
 
Country choo choo track...

 
A trip to beautiful Dartmouth...

 
 
Autumnal magic...

 
Topsham Cottage puss on the look out for bad mice...
 
 
Mice in Boots...

 
Mini and HK mouse cosying it up to stay warm... 


Postcard perfect views...
 

Sister love...


Naughty Ms Chicken greedily pecking up our PG Tips...


A bit of otter spotting in our PJs and Wellies from the back of a baby tractor...
 
 
Snuggling by the fire with a big glasses of Pinot Noir...
 
 
...which fuelled some high kicking and general sillyness in Great Grandpa Mouse's hats... 
 
 
We only wish we could click our heels together and be back down there all together again!
 
Whatever you're up to this weekend we hope it involves lots of food and drink and a little high kicking!
 
Lots of love,
The Mice xxx
 
 
 
Thursday, 4 April 2013

3BM in the Country...

Easter weekend is well and truly over however what an adventure us Mice have had! As already mentioned and tweeted many times, HK mouse was (and still is) relaxing on the idyllic shores of Thailand meanwhile us London Mice pulled up our thermal socks for a country weekend in Devon! I was a very good mouse and did my Instagram homework to an A+ standard, just so I could report back on our Devon weekend in pictures!  

Devon for us Mice is something very special, our cousin (Andrew Mouse) has a cottage there and so many happy years have been spent growing up there, jumping in cow pats, catching newts in ice cream boxes, sailing Andrew's boat round his 5ft pond and generally pretending to be little country bumpkins! It was Mummy Mouse's favourite place in the whole wide world so I think a love for it has subconsciously embedded itself in all three of us. It's simply a magical place - a beautiful cottage with the best retro interior, no central heating (not always fun brrrrrr), a freezing cold bathroom where you can see your breathe but with the best roaring open fire seen to man! It isn't ultimate luxury but instead a charming second home toppling on a steep hill full of excitement, adventure and heavenly bliss! Now the scene has been set, take a look at our most recent Easter escape... 

We set off on our three hour train journey from Paddington to Totnes weighed down with hot water bottles, pyjamas, chocolate eggs and magazines for a weekend of pure relaxation! Not forgetting most importantly our train snacks of asparagus, truffle and parmesan crisps (weird but strangely addictive), prawn dippers and mini bottles of Cava! It! Is safe to say we were slightly delirious about the four day weekend ahead.... 



Three hours later we were greeted by Daddy Mouse and Andrew Mouse on the train platform and swiftly driven to The New Inn for a cheeky one en route to the cottage! The publican, Jeremy had heard of our obsessive love for Hendricks and had got a bottle in ready and waiting for our arrival, much to the other farmer's dismay!  


Eventually we arrived at Topsham Cottages... 



Drove up the twisting, steep drive (believe me walking the hill to the top is a killer).... 


And we had arrived.... 





An evening of late night steak and big glasses of red in front of the fire commenced...we were two very happy little mice! 


The next few days zoomed past in a complete blur of country walks, mainly up the steepest hill to get phone signal and instagram access... 







Hearty breakfast..... 


Many cups of tea and ridonk wedges of cake... 





Chilling out in our retro surroundings...






Puppies.... 



Easter egg hunts.... 



G&T's and pub visits... 



And general countryness and exploring.... 











It was a super duper but extremely cold weekend and I really can't wait to go back! Next time I think in the Summer with HK Mouse, as we received lots of squeaking messages wishing she was there, and fingers crossed we shall swap our electric blankets for bikinis - I live in hope that the English weather will for once deliver!