On Saturday my mum and I decided to make a day of it and visit the city of Bath, South West England. As it's relatively close to where I live, I've been a couple of times before, although I'd forgotten just how nice a city it really is!
Home to quaint Georgian buildings and a lovely selection of my favourite high street shops, such as Urban Outfitters, Newlook and Topshop as well as smaller Boutiques, Restaurants, Caffe's and specialist independent and designer shops such as Cath Kidston, Rossiters and Jo Malone. Bath really does have something for everyone and as the city centre itself is fairly small, all the shops are close by and easily walkable, meaning you have extra time to shop!
We could have chosen a nicer day to go, what with the horrendous weather we have recently been experiencing in England. Especially in Somerset, where weeks of wind and rain, have resulted in a multitude of problems, including severe flooding! Luckily for us, although a little dismal, the weather did seem to hold off, for the majority of the day, with only a few showers here and there.
When ever I visit a different city, I always like to try and find somewhere new to eat, that I don't have the luxury of having in my own town. On this occasion, my mum and I decided to try Carluccios, a lovely modern restaurant, serving authentic Italian food, which changes depending on the season!
The restaurant was lovely and bright, and was nicely decorated with a real Italian vibe. The true sign of a good restaurant is one that is busy and this one certainly was, so I'd recommend booking a table in advance if you were to visit. Just by chance as we arrived, a cosy little table tucked away in the corner had just become free, so we were fortunate enough not to have to wait.
There was a nice selection of different dishes on the menu, but unlike most Italian's, Pizza was not one of them! My mum and I both opted for the seasonal special risotto. Mum chose the seafood one, while I went for the chicken and spinach, I've got to say although they don't look like the most appetising dish they tasted delicious.
Within the restaurant was also a Deli and Food shop selling a variety of products sourced from specialist producers all over Italy, allowing you to take a little bit of Italy home with you.
I thought the meringues looked amazing!
After lunch we popped in to Cath Kidston which was just around the corner and it had to be one of the nicest Cath Kidston stores I've been in!
The upstairs was a beautiful shabby chic room, with white painted wooden floors and exposed brick walls, stocking everything from bedding, pyjamas, & makeup bags through to bathroom accessories and cosmetics all laid out perfectly. Downstairs displayed handbags, purses, crockery, cutlery and a kids section.
I really had to restrain myself from buying the whole shop...but left feeling quite content with a beautiful wash bag and keyring, carefully wrapped in tissue paper and topped off with a signature bow!
As we strolled back down the street, we clocked eyes on the notorious Jo Malone shop and just couldn't pass up on the opportunity to pop in and sample some of their luxurious perfumes. I'd never actually been in a Jo Malone shop before, but had heard so many good things about it. The fragrances are quite unusual and definitely an acquired taste, but I really did enjoy having a browse. I'd definitely recommend popping in if you ever have the chance, however I don't think I could quite bring myself to splash out that much money, unless it was for a very special occasion.
Eventually we decided we should start to make our way back home, but had just enough time to pop into Waitrose and pick up a freshly baked Pecan Danish Swirl from their in store Patisserie.
I had such a good day, the nicest I've had in a long time and although I didn't have time to look in all of the shops, it just goes to show that you don't have to spend masses of money to have a great time!
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