A just-in-time, pre-lockdown birthday

I always get excited about birthdays (other people's too, but especially mine) and this year was no different. Halloween is always the advent of my birthday and I love to celebrate the two together. And despite 2020 being a bit of a shit show, I was determined to still have a good time because it also happened to be the year that I turned 33. An arbitrary number for some people, but Tolkien is ever present in my life and 33 is the year that hobbits become adults, and therefore an important number for me.

Which is what led to a whole week of birthday celebrations, organised by me, for me. I got extremely lucky, and managed to avoid lockdown by two days, which meant I didn't have to miss out on any of my plans. As I was also not working because I hadn't started my new job yet, I had plenty of time to treat myself. So this blog is a story telling one, giving you the lowdown on what I got up to in my birthday week.

A full week preceding the big day, I took myself out on some exploratory walks. I visited a deer park in Sevenoaks and spent a pleasant day wandering around in the cold Autumn sunshine, with a picnic and an audiobook. On another day I took myself shopping, browsed the sales and had a lovely lunch out with a glass of wine or two. And on the third day I splurged at the hairdresser, getting a full balayage and going as blonde as I've ever dared to - which I'm thoroughly enjoying by the way. Then husband and I went out for cocktails and dinner to celebrate having my hair done - it did take four hours after all so I definitely deserved a treat! 😂

Thirsty Thursday awaited

At the weekend I was able to visit friends for Halloween jollity. I was taken to the Suffolk Food Hall for lunch, where we had an incredible bottle of Bacchus from Prettyfields vineyard (nothing better than the Essex terroir), and shared some of their delicious fish taster plates. They also have a wonderful shop and butchers there, so we were able to pick up a crown of pheasant for our dinner that night, plus some other tasties. And there's nothing like espresso martinis with friends on a Friday night, with a fab home-cooked meal and a box of Crosstown donuts to share for dessert, not to mention the pink sparkling that I brought along from M&S.

I will be tracking you down again my friend!

A selection of sourdough donuts from crosstown, 
each one delicious in its own right

A convincing owl

Halloween was also a fab day. We started it off right, with a run to a local farm shop, followed by sausage sandwiches (made with locally baked bread) in the sun. A morning of walking amongst the scarecrows and playing with the kids, then we treated ourselves to a massage - the first I've had in many a year. It was thoroughly luxuriating, although I paid for it the next day! After that, we threw a little birthday party for myself and one of the kids. Since it was Halloween, we had to dress up and I went as Hedwig. Not the most inspired of choices perhaps, but all the costume wear I had to hand. And between the two of us, we had a great birthday party, with caterpillar cake, canapes and a magnum of prosecco. My friends know how to do birthdays well!

I was exhausted after all the fun on Sunday so took it easy that day, cooking up an organic roast chicken delivered by Abel & Cole the week before, making homemade yorkies and chatting to my family. My sister had been making good use of a recipe book that I sent her for her birthday a couple of weeks before - Ottolenghi's Flavour - and was showing me the mushroom lasagne she'd whipped up. It looked so unctuous - that's definitely on my list of recipes to make again!

My pre-birthday was quiet. With husband at work and after a full weekend of indulging, I wanted to take it easy. I took myself out to Greenwich, and walked the promenade between the O2, Greenwich and Blackheath, where I stopped at Zerodegrees Microbrewery for a refreshing pint and taco pizza. A relaxed day, with my murder mystery playing on audiobook and a good amount of exercise to prep me for yet more over-indulgence on the upcoming big day. Wonderful.

Irish gin

Then finally, my 33rd birthday. There's nothing like the feeling of waking up and knowing that the upcoming day is all about you and celebrating, my two favourite things. The weather was decent, and I had slept well. Husband had the day off work and we were heading into London for lunch, but weren't in a hurry. So there was time for tea in bed, then presents! I got the new little Le Creuset casserole pots that I wanted (to make souffles in), a pasta board, a lovely bottle of champagne, vouchers for gifts, the Shoryu Piri Piri tonkotsu restaurant kit and a fabby bottle of Irish Gin via the Craft Gin Club, which I'm looking forward to tasting this weekend. And later in the day I came home to the surprise of a beautiful bouquet of flowers and bottle of bubbles from Cat, which was the biggest and best surprise of the day 😍. Also, my own personal birthday present to me, a Sweaty Betty onesie, happened to arrive that day too, which was the icing on the non-existential cake!

For lunch, we had decided to try out Casa do Frango near London Bridge (currently on Deliveroo during Lockdown). It's a Portugese restaurant, with many critics comparing it to a posh Nandos. My friends, this place is anything but. We had the most incredible meal, starting with white port and tonics and starters of black pork croquetas and salt cod fritters. Then we ordered a half piri piri chicken, African rice chock full of plantain, chorizo and chicken skin, and a scrumptious maple-glazed cauliflower on a pistachio crumb yoghurt, all of which we washed down with a bottle of the Quinta de Azevedo Loureiro Albarinho green wine. An absolutely spectacular meal! Thoroughly recommend this place to all of you and yes, it was heaving, even on a Tuesday lunchtime! And I shouldn't forget the yummy chocolate salami we had for dessert, compliments of the house!

Fritter and croqueta starters

Dynamite chicken, rice and cauli

After all that eating you'd think I'd be done! But this was my birthday and I had plans yet. We toddled on down to Borough Market where husband was buying my main birthday present, a series of goodies from the various stalls. We bought chorizo, cheese, olives, scotch eggs and a beautiful salmon gravadlax, most of which were intended to feed our evening cheese board. Then we stopped for a glass of wine at Bedales, before heading home for a fun afternoon of Lord of the Rings, bubbles and one of the top cheese boards I've ever prepped. A thoroughly satisfying, if isolated birthday. Thanks to everyone who helped contribute, even if it was just a cheeky happy birthday selfie 😃

Cheese, glorious cheese!