On The Hill, Ruthin

We discovered On The Hill last year purely by chance while on a road trip through North Wales.

Ruthin is a historic market town nestled on the edge of the Vale of Clwyd. It’s often my experience that the prettier the town - Ruthin really is picture perfect - the uglier the dining scene; the usual tourist trap of poor food, poor service and eye-watering high prices.

So it was with some trepidation that I loaded the TripAdvisor app on my phone. Hungry enough that even a soggy panini would have sufficed, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the #1 rated restaurant in the local area was just a few hundred metres away. Reviews across the board were fantastic; 5 star ratings from 500+ reviewers.

Housed in a 16th century building, hidden on a side street just off the picturesque St Peter’s Square, this family-run bistro is a real find. On The Hill successfully marries friendly and efficient service with well-presented delicious food. Exposed beams, pew seating and creaky wooden floors all add to the character of the relaxed surroundings.

The menu is well varied, with a large selection of locally sourced foods available. There is a good selection of vegetarian options available too.

The meal started well with complimentary breads and olives which were delicious. So delicious that I seriously contemplated cancelling my food order to request further helpings!

My friend started with fish cakes, while I had the cream of leek, smoked cheddar & apple soup with crispy croutons.

To follow, I had the ‘Vegetarian trio’ (goats cheese, spinach, tomato & chilli filo parcel, a mozzarella, flame roasted red pepper ‘arancini’, and a ricotta cheese & asparagus ravioli with chick pea relish, artichoke puree, charred courgette, herb oil, served with a dressed salad), and my friend had ‘Welsh pork’; twice cooked crispy braised pressed belly, char-grilled tenderloin & crispy pulled shoulder, parsnip dauphinois, apple & Dijon mustard cream, buttered sweetheart cabbage, and cider gravy on the side & vegetables. Gorgeous!

View fullsize

When the bill comes we are always pleasantly surprised given the fantastic quality of the food. Our two-course meal for two cost us just under £35.  Booking ahead is essential, so too is arriving slightly early as parking can be difficult to find.

Despite being a 2 hour round-trip from home, we’ve returned to On The Hill several times. Never have we received a less-than-excellent meal. I would go so far as to say this might be the best value food in North Wales.

On The Hill Restaurant

1 Upper Clwyd St, Ruthin LL15 1HY

01824 707 736

The Club House, Liverpool One

Liverpool has been abuzz recently with the opening of The Club House, a Hamptons style “pub” on Chavasse Park.

Brought to us by the New World Trading Company, this is the 12th venue for the company who also own The Smugglers Cove in the Albert Dock as well as the Botanist and Trading House brands in Newcastle, Leeds, Birmingham…. the list goes on!

The interior decor of The Club House is inspired by a New England-style Hamptons beach house with a nautical theme, perhaps paying homage to Liverpool’s port history. White panelled walls and a grand staircase greet you as you enter. There is a stunning feature chandelier made from 64 suspended champagne flutes and wine glasses. Photographs and keepsakes are dotted around which make you feel as though you’re in someone’s home.

Upstairs there is a wrap around terrace with double doors opening into a dining room which accommodates up to 15 guests for private parties. There is an open kitchen which prepares deli style meals which are available all day every day. The food is simple but hearty. 

The owners have deliberately steered the venue away from being called a restaurant, preferring for it to be seen as a relaxed pub. There is a beer tasting room complete with self-service taps. There will also be Ale Tasting Masterclasses available here, and cocktails are served on draught. Yes really, cocktails on draught! Apparently they are made fresh on site and then poured through draught. The garnishes and juices are all added in after the draught is poured so that it's fresh. 

Outside the pavilion-style building there is an outside kitchen and BBQ for rotisserie style dishes, the wonderful smells waft out as you walk past. There is a a huge outdoor seating area that can cater for up to 400 covers. This is sure to be a hit when the sun’s out!

Once we had been shown to our table on the upstairs terrace, we ordered a glass of Prosecco each while we inspected the menu. We were introduced to our waiter, Chris, who was excellent. All of the team provided fantastic service with more than £100,000 apparently being invested solely in staff training prior to the launch last week. 

We began by ordering a baked Camembert and fruit starter to share for £6.95. The hot melted cheese drizzled with sweet honey served on soft warmed bread went down a treat.

We then both chose from the deli board menu which offers four choices for £9.95 all served with fresh warm Turkish flatbread. I opted for hummus, home-dried tomatoes, potato salad and a chunk of Lancashire blue cheese. My friend chose the same tomato and potato dishes but with poached salmon and pomegranate and minted pearl couscous. The deli boards are a great option, allowing you to choose lots of little dishes which can be shared within a group. There are also some pub food favourites on the menu with a selection of classic pies, burgers and steaks. 

Having convinced ourselves that our mains were relatively “healthy”, we allowed ourselves some dessert, all of which are priced at £4.95. Mine was a warm apple crumble with custard while my friend had a Hanging Strawberry, Marshmallow and Chocolate Kebab. This is definitely the star of the menu consisting of strawberries and marshmallows on a skewer while Sailor Jerry chocolate sauce is poured as it is served at the table, allowing the chocolate to slowly trickle down the hanging kebab. You can also opt for this dessert without the rum although I can’t imagine many people will. 

After our desserts we sat for a while enjoying the live music. The music is a mixture of new and old and played on a piano or guitar. Live music will feature every evening as well as Sunday afternoons. 

There’s definitely a bit of theatre to The Club House. I love the concept and think it’s a brilliant new addition to Liverpool. The location is perfect. You can do a little shopping in Liverpool One and then pop up to Chavasse Park for some food and drinks with beautiful views across the Liverpool docks. 

I’m looking forward to returning in the summer to sit outside in a deckchair with a cocktail in hand. The Club House is sure to be Liverpool’s al fresco dining destination this summer!

The Club House, Liverpool One

Chavasse Park, Liverpool One, L2 9SQ

0151 709 5366

Mr Paddington

There's someone I’d like you to meet. He's tall, dark, handsome & came into my life a few months ago. 

He also likes to chase after leaves, leap into the sky after seagulls and digs gargantuan holes in the garden.

It’s my pleasure to introduce to you the Cocktail Saturdays pup’, Mr Paddington (aka Paddy).

Paddy has just turned 6 months old. He's a Goldendoodle; his mum is a standard Poodle, and his dad a Golden Retriever. We've always had Golden Retrievers in our family. They’re beautiful dogs with an outgoing and athletic nature together with a calm affectionate temperament. However, the one downside to a Golden Retriever is the shedding of their coat. Hence why we decided upon a Goldendoodle. Paddy is an F1 Goldendoodle which means he only sheds lightly, if at all. They’re part of the so called “hypo allergenic” breed of dogs. 

We decided upon his name for two reasons, firstly because my young niece and nephew were watching the film Paddington when we decided to buy a new pup and secondly, he resembles a Peruvian bear!

He's currently in the teething stage, none of our furniture is safe from him leaving his mark (quite literally). An antique chest of draws, a dining table and a kitchen unit have all fallen victim to Paddy's super-sharp gnashers. 

He has a wonderfully friendly nature and I’m sure you will see him popping up in future posts...

Mason + Rye, Newcastle

Last weekend while I was in Newcastle, I followed the recommendation of Chérie City and visited Mason + Rye.

Located in the newly refurbished Food Hall at Fenwick’s, Mason + Rye is a bakery-patisserie-café which specialises in fine patisserie and artisan baking. Fenwick’s was founded in 1882 and is now one of the largest department stores in the UK, set in a beautiful building on Northumberland Street.

Designed by a firm which has previously worked with Harrods and Fortnum & Mason, this is not your usual department store cafe! White walls and glass counters give an impressive, modern feel with timber and chalkboard menus cladding the walls. The centrepiece is a “theatre bakery” for diners to watch the pastry chefs at work crafting a range of delicious foodie treats.

For tea lovers, there is a a varied selection of teas if you need some refreshment mid-shopping spree. For food, the menu includes breakfast and lunch options which you can either eat in or take away. 

Following a late Saturday night of drinking cocktails, it was the perfect place to grab Sunday brunch. There are healthy options such as grilled goats cheese tart or avocado, lemon juice and chilli on sour dough toast. The afternoon tea is also popular, served daily from 3.00pm, with visitors able to take home a box of fresh individual handmade cakes. The glass displays are a sight for sore eyes with beautiful eclairs, macaroons and delicious mini pastries. Perfect for those who have a sweet tooth.

The Food Hall itself features local produce including a number of products which are exclusive to Fenwick’s. All types of diets and tastes are catered for with specialist wines, cheeses and breads from around the world. It’s also a chocoholics dream with brownies and truffles aplenty. 

I completely fell in love with the Food Hall. If you ever visit Newcastle, make sure you pop along to see it for yourself!

Fenwick

39 Northumberland Street, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE99 1AR

Show Dry

Last weekend I travelled to Newcastle to meet up with my girlfriends from University. Since we all live so far apart we only manage to meet up occasionally which means, when we do, we tend to indulge ourselves with pampering, gossiping and cocktails!

We met in the Metro Centre where two of my friends had booked in with MAC to have their make-up done. I decided to pop over to Show Dry to have a wash and blow ready for our Saturday night out. 

Show Dry is a new chain of bars offering luxury blow dries. It’s founder, Tamara Ecclestone, was influenced to open a chain of blow dry bars following her frequent trips to America where they are common place. The idea is that you pop in for a quick 30 minute hair fix mid-shopping trip or in advance of a night out, speed is key! 

The interiors are stunning, all rose gold and black. There is a no clutter rule with some of the larger Show Dry bars having iPads for customers to browse magazines rather than having hardcopies taking up space. 

When I arrived I was greeted by head stylist Marie who, as well as being lovely, had noticeably glossy, bouncy hair. I opted for the Signature Blow Dry, which at £25 promised to be “dramatic, volumised and eternally glamorous”. It began with a shampoo and condition in a sink tucked away from the view. Marie told me that there are plans to launch a shampoo and conditioner but for now the brand’s focus is on repairing and volumising styling products.

The full range of Show Beauty products were on display and are beautifully designed, in silver, rose gold and black bottles to match the interior. They would look great on show in a bathroom. 

I then had some Thermal Protect spray and Pure Treatment Oil put on my hair in preparation for the heat before Marie began to blow dry in six sections. Usually my hair wouldn’t take to any form of oil since it’s so fine. However only a tiny amount was used on the ends which added such a shine and left it feeling like silk. So good I purchased the oil to take home with me. 

---

Source: Show Dry

---

Marie also used a volume spray before she began drying. The products all smell gorgeous, without the usual chemical smell. There is a hair fragrance included in the range which consists of rose water with hints of coconut milk, caramel, almond butter and Madagascan vanilla. Good enough to eat. It’s no surprise that the inspiration behind the scent is Crème Brulee, Tamara’s favourite dessert.

I’ve had a blow dry before which left my hair frazzled from the heat but this didn’t, I put this down to the high quality products used. They aren’t cheap but the proof is in the pudding (ahem!). I left with my hair in better condition than when I arrived. Since I was going out that night and my poker straight hair usually doesn’t hold curls very well, I asked Marie to also add in some extra curls with straighteners. I left with the bounciest hair which lasted all night. 

There are currently 12 bars nationwide but the brand is expanding rapidly, I’m hoping Show Dry opens in Liverpool soon.

Appointments can be booked via the Show Dry app or online at www.showdry.com