The Grove hotel is a luxury hotel based on the outskirts of London, very close to where we live. We usually love staying there as a mini break because of its fantastic service, lovely grounds and yummy food options, as well as it being very convenient for us to get to.

Knowing that it was likely that it wouldn’t be open for too long as we approached the winter months and likely more lockdowns, I decided to quickly capitalise on it reopening after lockdown and book a nights stay so that we could have some relaxing time ‘away’ (even if away meant a 20 minute drive from our house )

This post is a review of our stay, including a look inside the Presidential Suite, the afternoon tea and the Grove grounds!

A quick note on COVID precautions. Upon booking, they told us that they were requiring all guests to wear masks indoors when they were walking through the hotel, but that you could remove your mask when you were seated. Additionally, the hotel was complying with the 10pm curfew rule, so from 10pm, all hotel guests had to be in their rooms. They had also reconfigured areas like the bar and restaurants to ensure that people could seated at safe distances.

The Presidential Suite

To make our stay feel extra-special, we booked the Presidential Suite, which is located inside the Grove’s 18th Century mansion house. The suite contains one bedroom, as well as a spacious lounge and gorgeous marble bathroom. It also has stunning views out across the beautifully manicured Grove grounds.

Upon arrival into the suite, we were greeted with a bottle of champagne, a beautiful fruit tray and a welcome note from the Grove staff. Little touches like that always make you feel very welcome

Here are some pictures from inside the suite:

The Bedroom

I love the colour palette in the bedroom – warm, cosy and feminine. There were also a couple of extra touches that I loved – one was that the bed has a TV that emerges from the end of it, so you can lie back and watch TV cocooned in this amazing 4 poster bed! The second touch was the amount of mirror options in the room! You can see that there is a gigantic full length mirror (perfect for selfies!), as well as mirrored cabinetry and a mirror over the dressing table. For somebody that likes to take her time getting ready, this setup was a dream!

The Lounge

I think the lounge was my favourite part of the suite. Again, cosy, warm and inviting – it wants you to spend time there and relax.

There is a very deep, comfy sofa to sit on, as well as a few other seating options including a writing desk, a small dining table and a couple of other armchairs. Other features include a working fireplace, a TV, and a little ‘library’ featuring a selection of books.

There is also (not pictured) a mini bar area including all the usual things like kettle, cups and saucers, glasses etc. Usually outside of COVID, the fully complimentary minibar would be stocked with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages as well as nibbly food options. However, a note of caution that the hotel advised us that due to COVID, they were not stocking the minibars right now. They did however, give us the option to call room service and order some nibbles and alcohol free of charge direct to the room.

The Bathroom

Now this is a bathroom!

Again, the amount of mirror options is perfect for somebody like me! An entire wall of the bathroom is covered in mirror squares!

But enough about mirrors, the real centrepiece of this bathroom is the ENORMOUS marble bathtub, with its fully transparent front! It’s definitely a novelty to have a bath in a partly transparent tub, let alone one as large as this. Despite its size, the tub takes a surprisingly short time to fill. Another small touch is the candles and ESPA bath goodies that are left by the bath for you to enjoy – which all smelled delicious and made for a very nice, foamy bath!

Afternoon Tea

Afternoon Tea at the Grove is something we had never done before, and to be completely honest with you, was not even in our plans for the stay. However, when we got there, we were so hungry that an afternoon tea had never sounded more appealing. And if you know me, you’ll know I’m a sucker for an afternoon tea, so I really couldn’t pass up the opportunity!

Before we get on to the food itself, I want to take a moment to show you the lounge where we ate. There are actually multiple rooms where you can eat your afternoon tea, all decorated differently, but I’m really glad we got this one, because its just a VIBE.

Let’s just say I’m obsessed with the wallpaper and matching curtains!

The eagle-eyed among you will also spot that the last pic is of a different room, so you can see how the interior design varies from room to room. The last room also had a real-life harpist serenading everyone as they ate, which was an excellent extra touch.

Okayyyy harpists are cool but we all want to see the food right? Here goes:

Although its an afternoon TEA, I actually didn’t take any pictures of the tea, but you’ll have to take my word for it that there was a great tea selection and I enjoyed mine very much!

For me its all about the food, so I have lots of pics of that! Above you’ll see both the savoury and sweet courses. The savoury sandwich selection was TOP TIER! Genuinely. I loved every single sandwich! On offer was:

• Salmon – Smoked salmon on brioche, mascarpone cream
• Chicken – Chicken with truffle and tarragon crème fraiche on white bread
• Ham– Ham with grain mustard butter on wholemeal bread
• Egg – Egg mayonnaise with land cress on wholemeal bread
• Cheese – Classic cucumber and cream cheese with dill on white bread

The bread was cut generously and the fillings didn’t skimp either. I had seconds of the chicken and of the egg

For the sweet course, the pastries on offer were:

• Almond and cherry tart
• Passion fruit meringue chou
• Grue de cacoa chocolate brownie
• Caramel and apple petit gateaux
• Chocolate and cherry slice
• Earl grey and lemon loaf

My two absolute favourites which I captured with their own up-close pics were the passion fruit meringue chou and the caramel and apple petit gateaux. Both were so yummy.

Finally, if you can believe I still had room for it, there were scones with a great selection of different flavoured jams and of course cream. The scones came plain or with raisins and you could of course request your preference if you wanted. I think I was basically in a food coma by this point so I didn’t take any pictures of the scones

Overall, I really really rate this afternoon tea, because literally everything was yummy as well as being beautifully presented. The service was very attentive and prompt as well.

The Grove Grounds

The Grove is set on a mammoth 300 acres and so has a lot for you to explore outside. There are a lot of woodland trails to walk on, a golf course, a formal garden area and a walled garden with a pool (best enjoyed in summer!)

Outside of these specific areas, it is just a joy to walk around the immediate grounds around the rooms and restaurants. We went for a little meander to walk off some of our afternoon tea, and walked through some beautifully looked after garden areas:

The main event, however, was to go and do an activity on the grounds – something that neither of us had ever done before: Laser Clay Pigeon Shooting! This is like clay pigeon shooting, except there are no actual rounds involved, its all done by lasers. Its actually really clever in that its able to immediately detect and tell you if you’ve hit the target with your laser.

Each 45 minute session includes:

• An intro and safety briefing
• A quick training session with a dedicated instructor, so you know how to operate the gun and how the games work. I went in feeling like I would just be the worst and not understand anything, and our instructor was very patient, clear and really helped us have fun!
• A series of fun competitive games – perfect for us as we love being in competition!

Don’t be fooled though – the gun is still fairly weighty, and after 45 minutes you will feel like you’ve done an intensive arm workout! In the third picture, you can see how scores are kept through a board that immediately updates with real time info on if you’ve hit the target, who hit it quicker, and what the overall scores are.

I really enjoyed this activity and would 100% go back and do it again. It was a lot of fun with just the two of us but you could also play with up to 4 others, so great for a group activity as well that is safe and very socially distanced!!

Other stuff

There’s a few other bits that I didn’t take pictures of but that are worth a quick mention.

Restaurants!

There are two main restaurants to recommend at the Grove. The Stables is more low-key, informal dining – perfect for a hearty brekkie, or a gastropub style evening meal. Its also great for a lunch stop-in! The Glasshouse and its accompanying bar is more formal dining. Usually it operates a delicious buffet with lots of varied stations, but due to COVID is currently on table service.

We ate in the Glasshouse this time round and even though it was slightly different to usual, enjoyed the meal (albeit not as much as usual as I do normally like going round all of the varied buffet stations!)

Spa

One better for non-COVID times, but I do want to give an honourable shout out to the spa at The Grove. I’ve visited a few times and always had a very relaxing, pampering experience. They have a range of treatments, as well as a lovely pool to enjoy.

We really enjoyed our stay at the Grove, even though it was slightly different to usual, and look forward to going back again in better times! Any questions, please comment below!

I decided to do a pink theme… pink plates, napkins and of course flowers and balloons!

The menu vibe was easy food, simply because I’m not a big chef Bagels, dip, crackers, crisps… even *I* can’t go wrong!

The piece de resistance was of course the cake, that I had asked to be topped with all of Mum’s favourite chocolate bars!

I think she enjoyed herself….

Yep, you read that right. Blind tasting is when you sit down at the restaurant without having any idea what you’re gonna be eating. There’s a sample menu you can see online if you want to get a flavour of what your culinary experience will be, but you don’t know the exact dishes you’ll be having.

This was the first time I’ve been somewhere with blind tasting, and I was a little nervous to be completely in the dark. However, the fact that Ikoyi has a Michelin star reassured me that the chefs know best, and that everything will likely be very delicious.

Okay, so lets get to the food. Don’t come here thinking you’re going to have the jollof your mum makes at home. While this restaurant is West-African inspired, the chefs Iré Hassan-Odukale and Jeremy Chan, have taken the flavours and spices of West Africa and combined them with their own perspective.

This is what I ate!

Course 1 – Fermented Plantain Waffle

I actually think this was one of my favourite courses!

Whatever was on top of that waffle tasted DELICIOUS. I also want all my waffles to be plantain waffles from now on!

Course 2 – Langoustine Moin Moin & Benne

Moin Moin is a Nigerian bean pudding, which formed the base of this dish. It was topped with some sesame slathered langoustine. A very yummy bite!

Course 3 – John Dory & Saffron Veloute

This dish was cooked to perfection!

I ate this so quick The saffron veloute was incredibly flavourful and paired perfectly with the fish.

Course 4 – Sweetbreads & Daikon Risotto

This was my least favourite course.

I’ve tried sweetbreads before and was not a fan of its texture. I tried them again here and had the same reaction. I guess they are just not for me! This was also the course I thought was the least aesthetically pleasing.

Course 5 – Wester Ross Salmon & Caviar

Fun fact, when the waiter announced this dish, I thought he said “Westeros Salmon” and we had a fun Game of Thrones geek-out moment

The salmon was very lightly smoked and was buttery soft in my mouth. Delicious.

Alcohol interlude

This was the point that the waiter told us they had some “Fuck Trump And His Stupid Fucking Wall” spirit in.

Made from a base of pearled barley, Belgian saison yeast, and koji, this liquor wasn’t necessarily my bag but I enjoyed the spirit of ordering a Fuck Trump, very much

Course 6 – January King & Groundnut

January King is a badass name for a cabbage. It was paired with a pear relish and a nutty sauce. Again, the chefs were able to infuse an insane amount of flavour into the cabbage and I enjoyed this dish immensely. The pear was a lovely sweet note that I could have had even more of!

Course 7 – Plantain, Raspberry & Smoked Cauliflower

One of the most eye-catching plates we were served, and apparently one of the standout dishes on the Ikoyi menu!

This is an intriguing mix of plantain, raspberry flavours and a ton of scotch bonnet! This was one of the hottest plates on the menu, and definitely a flavour bomb!

Course 8 – Monkfish & Red Pepper Kelp, Smoked Jollof Rice

This was the ‘main’ course, and one of my faves. I’ve never had a jollof quite like it (I didn’t get to ask exactly what was in it unfortunately!). The kelp on the top was delicious as well.

The jollof was paired with beautifully cooked monkfish and aubergine, and to be honest, this would have been fine for a main for me even without having eaten the other 7 courses!

Course 9 – Buttermilk, Black Garlic & Uda Mousse

Finally, dessert time! It was really nice to have some sweetness at the end of the meal.

This was just yummy! Light, creamy mousse with a nice bit of crunchy texture at the bottom.

Course 10 – Sorghum, Blood Orange & Rhubarb

The last course I think was meant as a little palette cleanser, and we were instructed by the waiter to eat it in one bite.

This was like a little tiny tart with rhubarb and a orangey jelly. Eating it in one bite ended the meal on a really refreshing note, and I was actually really pleased that after 10 courses, there was nothing heavy at the end.

Scores on the doors

Food: 8/10 – the combination of spices, the interesting perspective of the chefs on West African cuisine, and the presentation of the dishes contributes to a solid 8.

Service: 8/10 – the waiters were attentive, friendly and happy to oblige.

Ambience: 6/10 – The restaurant is small and cosy, and had comfy sofa-like chairs which I loved. I marked this down though because the when we visited the restaurant was mostly empty and so it was lacking a bit of buzz.

Would I recommend? Yes, DEFINITELY. 100% please visit if you’re looking for a different Michelin experience.

Whether or not Blue Monday is scientifically the most depressing day of the year, it definitely can feel like it. So, this year, I decided to lean into the festivities and organise a mini Blue Monday party at my house!

Why? Cos I can be extra as fuck!

via GIPHY

Anyway, here’s some pics from the Blue Monday fun. Yes, I love a balloon!

The evening basically involved playing games and ordering a huge takeaway. But I also sourced some of our favourite snacks (including some special blue candy), and I made ACTUALLY BLUE blueberry gin cocktails, that were delicious!

We had a lot of fun on Blue Monday. The act of making more effort on a regular Monday ended up lifting this day out of normality and made it feel really special. I think this might be a start of a new tradition

PS. Want to make your own Blue cocktail?

Blueberry Gin Recipe

• Greenall’s blueberry gin
• Fevertree refreshingly light tonic water
• Splash of Sprite
• Fresh blueberries to garnish

The bakery provides a selection of sandwiches, breads, and pastries, but what I’m really here to shout about today is one particular item on their menu.

The cinnamon bun

This cinnamon bun, is without a doubt, the best cinnamon bun I’ve ever eaten in my life. It is the perfect amount of cinnamon, a balanced blend of gooey and hard, and genuinely just delicious in every sense of the word.

Now they are jam-packed with cinnamon and other yumminess, so they really are the perfect pastry if you’re looking to indulge your sweet tooth in the morning. On the converse, if you’re trying to stay on the healthier side I would recommend avoiding this bakery at all costs!

And if for some reason, cinnamon doesn’t do it for you, they also do an equally delicious-sounding cardamom bun!

So! If you’re in the Soho area in the morning, and you’re looking for a more decadent breakfast pastry than usual, I would really recommend giving Fabrique a try!

Aaaaaand if I’m really into or hate something, this means I can add more details here!

Cats

The thing with Cats was, I had heard all the bad things, yet I was compelled to go see it for myself to answer the question: is it really as bad as they say?

And the answer is YES

Reading Cats reviews is actually now just hilarious and probably the best art to come out of the movie.

For All Mankind

For All Mankind is original content released on Apple TV, and follows an ambitious storyline which imagines that USA loses the race to launch a man to the moon to Russia. The first episode centres around NASA, both astronauts and administration, and later episodes introduce other characters and storylines.

I watched this super early on in the year (January lol), but I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended the year with this being one of the best things I watched in 2020. Yes, I thought it was that good!

*Adding TV to this thread*

Just finished For All Mankind. Its a fucking masterpiece if you love space + playing out parallel universe scenarios.

Good things: Character depth, striking space visuals, production design

Bad things : Some meandering sub-plots

9/10 pic.twitter.com/Qq9CBdU1Cy

— Yaël (@that_ysl) January 28, 2020

I’m a massive space geek so I found the detailed production design and space visuals really impressive. They didn’t skimp on the details – for example, utilising real NASA jargon – which I really enjoyed. For all the science, it was also an incredibly emotional and human-centred series. There were multiple scenes where I cried throughout and parts of the storyline have stayed with me for days after.

The only reason this series scored a 9/10 instead of full marks was a couple of subplots involving minor characters that I felt were a little unnecessary. But this is a really small nitpick.

Now I’m gonna go and rewatch it

Little Women

Ah this film was so great. I loved Little Women when I was younger, but I couldn’t quite remember the plot or characters properly. This adaptation was a great plunge back into the Little Women world.

Last night I saw #LittleWomen ! Greta Gerwig done a stellar job breathing life into it

Good things : Loved Saoirse (Jo) and Florence (Amy). Oscar noms well deserved.

Bad things : They cast Saul Goodman (Better call Saul!) as the dad! Couldn’t take him serious

8/10 pic.twitter.com/l55uX3y0Bo

— Yaël (@that_ysl) January 31, 2020

The standout performance for me was Florence Pugh, who I am so pleased has been recognised with an Oscar nom. Her version of Amy made me realise how ‘Amy’ I am (I always wanted to be Jo when I was growing up) and the interplay between her and Saoirse Ronan (who was inevitably amazing as well) was electric.

For me, the film only got an 8/10 rather than anything more because of a couple of casting choices that I wasn’t completely sure on. First was Timothee Chalamet, who to me just looked like a teenage boy throughout, and I didn’t think he and Jo worked as a pair. The second was more minor but who cast SAUL GOODMAN from Breaking Bad as the dad? No way lol.

1917

1917 has had a lot of hype leading into Awards season, and I couldn’t wait to see it – even though its a war movie, and thats not typically my thing.

The reason I was so hyped to see it was due to a video that I saw that showed the amazingness that went into shooting this movie, and I couldn’t wait to see more!

Well, I wasn’t disappointed!

I just saw 1917! It’s visceral, emotional, gripping + gets you in the guts. Take tissues.

Good things : Incredible cinematography, beautiful score, nuanced acting

Bad things : The ending could’ve been stronger but tbh the journey was worth it. More Cumberbatch needed.

8/10 pic.twitter.com/366BOKTTSB

— Yaël (@that_ysl) February 1, 2020

The film is shot as though its all one shot, and this is done exceptionally well. It makes the entire thing feel immersive, and you really go on a journey with the main characters from the get go.

The only thing that could’ve made this film better was more Benedict Cumberbatch

The Rhythm Section

This is the last time I go into a film without knowing ANYTHING about it. From the title alone, I thought this was something to do with music, and I was expecting some sort of upbeat movie, maybe about a high school band that triumphs against some low-level adversity.

Instead, the film opens in a dingy flat in Morocco, with a crazy looking Blake Lively doing something weird (tryna be vague to be as spoiler-free as possible).

I also saw The Rhythm Section , which btw, I was convinced was a music film

Good things : Um I now know what Blake Lively would look as a brunette?

Bad things : Jumbled plot, improbable to the max, predictable. Also, should win an Oscar for Worst Hairstyles

2/10 pic.twitter.com/QENkfYWPdJ

— Yaël (@that_ysl) February 1, 2020

This film was truly bad and I stand by my 2/10 score. The plot was bad, confused and completely improbable, and a genuine waste of time. The only mildly entertaining thing about this movie was the array of absolutely terrible wigs that Blake Lively was forced to wear

Birds of Prey

I had semi-high hopes for this movie, having enjoyed Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn before. Unfortunately, aside from Margot Robbie’s characterisation, the film fell flat for me:

Just seen #BirdsOfPreyMovie

Good : The soundtrack bangs, there’s some good comedic moments, Margot plays Harley well, there’s a pet HYENA

Bad : I wanted to like it but the plot was kinda boring, the other characters felt tacked on, the fights had nothing new

5/10 (HYENA!) pic.twitter.com/Xgt7HAopGD

— Yaël (@that_ysl) February 8, 2020

Parasite

A very well-deserved win at the Oscars. No matter what The Orange One might think.

I feel very lucky that I had no idea about what the plot of Parasite was before I watched it, and I feel like this is the premium way to experience it. So I won’t be sharing any details of the plot here just in case someone hasn’t seen it yet.

All I will I say is that it is incredibly gripping, funny, sad and a thought-provoking reflection on a society where different classes of people must exist in the same space and how they survive.

Special shout-outs to the acting, the music and the production design.

Wow have just come out of #Parasite and even with all the buzz, it surpassed my expectations

Good : Literally everything. I’m gassed it won an Oscar, seriously well deserved

Bad : N/A

10/10 – go and watch! And try not to read about it first. pic.twitter.com/URCI9pyREX

— Yaël (@that_ysl) February 15, 2020

The Invisible Man

I unexpectedly really enjoyed this movie – the last movie I watched before the pandemic shut down all the cinemas

Elisabeth Moss continues to impress me with her acting range – I genuinely feel like she is severely underrated as an actress – and her performance really carried this entire movie, a good thing seeing as she was onscreen about 99% of the time acting against AN INVISIBLE MAN!

The film also managed to pack a lot of suspense and shocks into it, without coming across as obvious or tacky.

Just *seen* () #TheInvisibleMan!

The good : Elisabeth Moss (Handmaids Tale) perfectly cast as a damaged woman with reservoirs of inner strength. Good amount of suspense/scares!

The bad: No pun intended, would have liked to have seen more from the Invisible Mans POV

7/10 pic.twitter.com/D8pjSbQU14

— Yaël (@that_ysl) March 1, 2020

The only reason it gets a 7/10 is because I think the film could have really benefitted from more from the Invisible Man’s perspective – I wanted to *see* him outside of other people’s gazes so we could understand more about him.

However, if I would have known this was the last time I’d be in a cinema for a while, I probably wouldn’t have been so nitpicky

See

See is a sci-fi drama on Apple TV, that hooked me in from its first 5 minutes!

Aside from its thoughtful and expansive world-building chops, it showcased some really good performances. I particularly loved Sylvia Houeks as Queen Kane

You also can’t go wrong with a bit of Jason Momoa..!

So, See on Apple TV was a great watch, set in a distant future when humans have all lost their sight.

The good: The world-building was , a lot of thought put into creating a future-world where vision has been forgotten. Also, Jason Momoa!

The bad: When it ended

10/10 pic.twitter.com/J2uA8Q0IL9

— Yaël (@that_ysl) April 29, 2020