How to build a Jaguar without really trying

If there's one thing you should know about me (besides the fact that I never say no to champagne) it's that I love giving gifts. Not just any gifts. The kind of gift that shows how well I know that person but is also something they'd never buy for themselves. Enter, the birthday present I gave to my dad in January: a tour around the Jaguar Manufacturing Centre in Castle Bromwich.

In case it wasn't already obvious, my dad loves Jaguar cars. And since I'm not quite in the financial position to buy him one, I figured that seeing how they're made may suffice for the time being. It's all totally legit, we didn't break in during the night to take a look around, Jaguar have simply cottoned on to a monumental money-making scheme. It's genius really, and to be totally honest, worth every single penny.

The factory itself was once homed to one of the largest producers of wartime aeroplanes during the second World War (much of the country's Spitfires were built in the buildings that are still in use on the site), today though, it is the main assembly plant for Jaguar Land Rover, and produces the XF, XJ, XK and F-Type Jaguar ranges.

Wearing a high-vis jacket with 'VIP' written on the back and a headset that makes you look like the world's lamest tourist, you, a group of about nine others, and a dedicated tour guide get to spend three full-on hours following the production line of the F-Type sports car.

Right from the beginning at the Press Shop, where lightweight sheets of aluminium are pressed by ginormous machines and robots into the pieces and panels of Jaguar cars (it's really super loud so disposable earplugs are supplied); To the main production house, or 'Body Shop', where those aluminium panels are expertly crafted, shaped and 'riveted' by both man and (scarily majestic) machine until an actual motor vehicle rolls out the other side. Then it's into intense testing (think monsoon weather, high powered heat, an inspection of every inch of body work, and trying out all the electrics) after which the car roars into life and is parked up outside, ready to be shipped to its owner.

Each Jaguar is completely bespoke, and honestly, no two we saw looked the same. The vast majority of cars built at the factory are exported around the world, with people waiting six or so months to receive their utterly individual sports car.

Sadly you're not allowed to take any pictures inside the actual warehouses, but the day was so interesting and intense that I almost didn't have time to miss it. The tour guides really do know their stuff inside and out; every possible detail you could wish to know about a Jaguar car will be bestowed upon you during those few short hours (including that they take small samples of the paint they cover their cars in out to the dessert and leave it there for two years, to ensure it doesn't fade or lose any of its Jaguary pizzazz. Pretty cool, right?).

If you're ever in need of a gift for a male in your life, or you simply want to try out something different, I cannot recommend this tour enough. It was so much fun and absolutely worth the two-hundred mile round trip. If only I'd been able to drive away in that beautiful XJ I tried out. Seriously, you could live in that thing *sigh*.
~ Eleanor xo

The Jaguar Visitor Centre, Castle Bromwich, Chester Road, Castle Vale, Birmingham, B35 7RA

Rain, Planes and Buckets of Champagne

Enjoying day 3 of the Farnborough Air Show at The Aviator Hotel, Farnborough

I think we can all largely agree that Britain + Summer = rain showers. [Ed's note: This logic made sense when I wrote it, which was before these last few swelteringly sunny days occurred. Clearly they're a sign of the apocalypse or possible incoming locusts storms, a la, The Bible. But who can be sure.]

Anyway, last Wednesday, my parents and I bundled into our car and hotfooted it down the motorway to Farnborough where we spent the day eating, drinking, plane spotting, glaring menacingly at dark clouds and generally having a great time at a hotel where the toilets are labelled 'washrooms' and bottles of Ren soap and moisturiser sit beside the sinks. As do beautifully flowering white orchids. That's code for: an establishment that's really rather fancy.

Clearly a hotel with a fairly robust marketing strategy, The Aviator (the hotel where I celebrated my twenty-first birthday, and very almost put my back out after devouring one too many scones) sent us an email back in May about a hospitality package they were running at the hotel during the week of the Farnborough Air Show.

For a mere £85 per person, you could arrive at the hotel (with guaranteed complimentary parking, always a plus), enjoy Champagne (of the very fanciest variety, much to my delight), endless glasses of wine (much to my father's delight), a three-course-meal (one of those ones where it basically looks like Pablo Picasso has cooked and presented it) and then mosey on outside to sit on their terrace and watch the air displays take place across the road at the airfield (or in our case, huddle by the nearest window and squint really hard through the rain droplets).

One of the first things you should know about me is that I will never say no to champagne. Categorically never. This also works for prosecco because who really has champagne lying around to day drink when things get rough? So I felt right at home when I was offered perfectly chilled Verve Cliquot as soon as we sat down at our table and therefore everything that happened afterwards is a bit of a blur. I jest. I got through at least half of my second glass of wine before things started to get a bit sway-y. (In my defence, I haven't consumed alcohol for quite a while (holla at me injury), and this was the good stuff). No, what I mean is: good champagne = good times to come.

And I was right. The food, to put it simply, was really really blooming tasty. A basket of freshly baked, still warm bread rolls with cubes of butter arrived at our table as we each poured over the menu. Although all three courses were included, I've never been a huge fan of starters so I jumped straight into my main course (I opted for the duck breast with smoked beetroot, pickled cherries and Jersey Royal potatoes), which was, as you can imagine, presented like a work of art and was so so tasty I almost can't describe it.

This was followed by a 'St Clements parfait, lime meringue, blood orange gel and clotted cream & lavender ice cream'. I tend to opt for the 'lightest' dessert option on the menu so this was basically perfect. Not to mention that it was the host of a party in my mouth that everyone was invited to. And it was so intricately presented that I wasn't really sure where to start. In the end I just sort of stuck my spoon in and hoped for the best.

The air displays began just as we were finishing up our meal, and incidentally, as the rain clouds began to roll in. We managed about fifteen minutes of viewing outside on the terrace before the heavens opened and we all dashed inside (with hotel branded umbrellas close to hand). But as we each found a window to press our noses up against, the display ceased until the weather got itself slightly more under control, so there was little else to do but sit around, wait, and, you know, drink.

But as Kelly Clarkson once sang: "When you've lost your lights / The sun will rise / It'll be alright". And lo-and-behold she was right. Eventually the clouds dispersed and a beautiful blue sky shone through; the ear-splitting roaring sound of the planes taking off just metres in front of us started up again and we all flooded back outside to "ooooh" and "ahhhhh" at the planes soaring, twisting and turning above our heads. Not that I know all that much about planes, but witnessing an Airbus A380 soaring through the air like a majestic bird and manoeuvring itself so delicately, arguably in such a way that surely no jumbo jet should be able to achieve, was really something special.

The whole day was an absolute blast; the staff at the hotel are so genuinely kind and helpful that you almost feel like they'd have moved the grey clouds if you'd asked them too; the food was off the scale and those pilots have got some seriously strong stomachs. I would definitely recommend doing something like this when the airshow returns in 2018.

Until then, here's the livestream of the display I saw.
~ Eleanor xo

The Aviator, 55 Farnborough Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 6EL

Exploring Borough Market

Borough Market, 8 Southwark Street, London, SE1 1TL

Over the years, I've visited London more times than I can count, yet never ventured to the south bank where Borough Market resides. And perhaps a bustling Saturday morning in April wasn't the best time to change that.

When you turn the corner towards where the main market is hosted, you will 100% make the face Harry Potter made when he first saw Diagon Alley (you know the one) because it is overwhelmingly mesmerizing (even though there aren't any magical artifacts to be found...that I know of). The place is so full of life that you can almost taste the buzz in the atmosphere. Not to mention the fact that you're immediately surrounded by people from all walks of life, from busy no-nonsense Londoners out on their morning grocery run to tourists from all over the world sampling the culinary and cultural delights on offer.

There's so much going on that you almost don't know where to look as you're swept along with the sea of people past pungent cheese stands, organic fruit and veg grocers, cured meat of every variety, exotic fish caught fresh that day, artisan bread and pastries that look too good to eat, every kind of beverage (alcohol and otherwise), and so much more.

It's the kind of place where you're never sure what you might find, and that's part of its charm. I'll definitely be going back soon, if only to try out another fresh acai juice.

~ Eleanor xo

The London Coffee Festival 2016

Or as I decided to call it, "The Glastonbury of coffee". Seriously, who knew so many people digged coffee enough to visit a festival dedicated to it? Not me, that's for sure. We actually had to queue around the block before we were allowed inside and it became evident pretty quickly that we'd need to have our elbows at the ready.

The festival itself was held inside The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane (which explains why we were surrounded by so many obnoxious hipsters the whole time). 

The choice of venue was great; I really liked that the organisers had clearly thought about the kind of vibe they wanted, using both floors, splitting the stands into themed sections, letting live music play out and really using the space and style the rooms offered. 

The one downside was that the place was absolutely heaving and with limited space, it was difficult at times to actually a) move anywhere and b) get close enough to a stand to try out products or chat with the event staff.

There was a whole variety of stands to be seen; coffee from various parts of the globe (some of it doing good for humanity at the same time), monstrous coffee machines at eye-watering prices, dairy substitutes, coffee syrups, espresso martinis, hot chocolate (Hotel Chocolat officially owns my heart), old school roasteries, frozen yogurt, flavoured waters, baked goods (just look at those cakes!), juices, even a section for tea! As well as a whole load more *phew*.

Although I had a great time at the Monin counter, having a lengthy chat with the guys at the stand about my love of syrups and getting recommendations on which to try out next (and where to get the one-litre bottles at a discount), it was actually the vast array of dairy substitutes on offer that really took my interest. 

I really enjoyed trying out different types of almond milk (the one I tried from The Pressery has to be my favourite), coconut milk (the latte from the Alpro counter was all kinds of amazing) and a bunch of others that I wouldn't have even considered ordinarily. 

At the risk of sounding like a pompous a-hole, using 'milk' from nuts really does add something extra to your coffee. Especially when it's a creamy coconut flavour.

Although the tickets give you a four hour slot, it took about an hour or so for us to see what we wanted and to take it all in. The festival itself was a fun experience, and something a little different, though I now have a humongously burnt tongue from sampling all the steaming hot coffee. Booo.
~ Eleanor xo

The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL