Follow my Leed(s)

Ha ha I know, what a terrible pun.  Sorry :)

So I'm back from my night away with friends and had a fantastic time.  I had planned to take lots of interesting picture and do a really detailed blog post, but my camera died and left me with my Blackberry which I have to say, has a pretty rubbish camera so apologies in advance.

We booked about 6 weeks ago and got an excellent deal at Jury's Inn, Leeds via Late Rooms.  We paid £50 for a triple room, so £17 each - bargainous!  The rooms were nothing special but they were clean and modern and more than acceptable for what we paid.

We ate at Jamie's Italian.  YOU HAVE TO GO HERE IF YOU GET THE OPPORTUNITY!  Wow!  It is situated in a beautiful old building with huge ceilings and an expanse of windows.  We sat upstairs, perfectly placed to see the chefs at work.  Huge hocks of ham hung down and the chefs selected their vegetables from market stall type baskets.  The restaurant has a cool, laid back feel; you can't book for Jamie's which I think adds to the accessibility and overall feel of the brand.  We arrived at 6.30pm and were seated immediately.  The napkins are fashioned to look like old tea towels, similar to the ones Jamie chucks over his shoulder in his shows.  Mid-tempo music played quietly in the background all evening.

The service was perfect.  Our waitress was very attentive and chatty, without imposing.  She was knowledgeable about the menu and helped me choose a cocktail (I went for a good old Cosmopolitan in the end, couldn't bring myself to try the chilli infused special offering!)

So here's what I ate:

• World's Best Olives on Ice - the biggest olives I've ever seen in my life!  Like mini plums!
• Selection of Italian Breads
• Smoky Mozarella Arancini - Crispy rice balls stuffed with smoked buffalo mozzarella and porcini mushrooms, served with a spicy arrabiata dressing
• Buffalo Ricotta Ravioli - Creamed ricotta with lemon, mint and Parmesan
• Polenta Chips
• Crunchy Salad - Shaved root veg with chilli, lemon and mint

I just opted for the small sized pasta dish as my meal was already quite carb heavy and I couldn't finish everything.  I only had one Cosmpolitan and then went on to Gin & Slims which I drank for the rest of the night.

Ok, so here's what nail polish I wore:

OPI - Mad as a Hatter.  After saying the other day that I hadn't worn it much, I decided to dig it out and I love it as much as ever!  So pretty and sparkly.  I'm trying not to think about removing it yet...

Here's me:

Wearing my favourite lip combo - MAC lipliner in Magenta and MAC lipstick in Up the Amp

The cream lace dress is the Next one I bought a few weeks ago.  The tights are Cette's Moscow120D which are the only ones I wear now, very black, black!  The shoes which you can't see well are my Next black suede tassle platform peep toe boots.

I couldn't tell you the names of the bars we went to.  I think I had 9 G&Ts after the cocktail so the latter part of the evening descends into a bit of a blur :)

The next day we went shopping!  Here's what I wore:

I know, I know... awful pic!  Jeans are skinnies from Gap, butterfly top from Next and Love Label clog boots which are very comfy and did me well for a days shopping.

I'd love to post a huge haul of exciting new purchases but as is always the case when you have money to spend, I couldn't find a thing I wanted :(  We did the usual high street shops, spent an hour in Harvey Nics and wandered around the beautiful Corn Exchange. 

I managed to spend a grand total of £8.40 in the Debenhams sale.  It was £8.40 spent very well though - look at these beauties!



So after coffee and cake in Starbucks, we headed back home.  I'm not as young as I used to be and I have to admit to being pretty shattered last night.  X Factor with the duvet was all I was fit for!

Hope you've all had good weekends... venturing out now to a kids party at the local soft play centre.  Wish me luck!