The Attic in Southampton - Craft Cocktails (PR Event)

 

[AD – Press Event] Did you know the really interesting stuff is up in the Attic….?

Southampton’s newest cocktail bar The Attic has recently opened above Mettricks Guildhall – already a well established gem within the city. Southampton Bloggers were invited for an evening of craft cocktails and nibbles. After heading upstairs and ringing a bell for entry you’re met with a beautiful, tiled bar, subdued cosy lighting and luxurious deep sofas. The first impression is warm, cosy and comfortable and the feeling that you’re heading into somewhere pretty special.

And that’s exactly what owner Spencer set out to achieve. Modelled on his grandmother’s room with cosy furniture, personal photographs, and family heirlooms, this is a cocktail bar with a difference. The atmosphere is relaxed and unhurried with a real sense of shutting out the outside world and just snuggling down.

Personally, I don’t drink and neither did my plus one. Which means that whenever I go to a new bar or restaurant, I’m always interested in their alcohol-free versions. The Attic didn’t disappoint. With a choice of 5 mocktails and an extensive selection of soft drinks, we were well catered for. After taking our time looking through the menu (beautifully presented in vintage books) we started the evening with a PG13 PB&J (smooth peanut butter, strawberry jam apple juice and vanilla syrup) and a Cranberry Cooler (cranberry juice, lemon and lime, topped with lemonade).

Now I love peanut butter with a passion and wow! This PB&J mocktail was very peanutty (is that even a word….?). The Cranberry Cooler was also a big hit and one to order again.

Next up, we tried a Found Sole (apple juice, fresh strawberries, balsamic vinegar and topped with strawberry tonic) and Earl Grey Faketini (apple juice, lemon juice, sugar syrup and earl grey tea). These two were very much the more visually attractive of the drinks with the Found Sole being served in a Plymouth Gin fish glass and the Earl Grey Faketini in a china teapot. 

My personal favourites of the evening? The Earl Grey Faketini – wonderfully sharp and refreshing. Closely followed by the Found Sole which gave us both another ‘wow’ moment.

If you’re looking for a little oasis of calm and peace in somewhere a bit different, then The Attic is the place to try. Eclectic and charming with a home away from home feeling – it’s a perfect way to spend an evening with a difference. The Attic is currently open Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 7pm to midnight and you can book a table here.

Thanks for reading

Cathy
x

Christmas at the Body Shop - PR Event

So....my first blogging event in 20 months! What better way to get back into the swing of things than by exploring the Christmas range of one of my absolute favourites - The Body Shop with The Southampton Bloggers

With new ranges such as Kindness & Pears, Love & Plums and Joy & Jasmine it was hard to pick a favourite... but overall, Kindness & Pears wins I think. Its a beautiful fresh scent that would work perfectly for spring as well. With the return of the fan favourite plum scent there's a scent for all tastes. There was also gifts for all pockets, ranging from stocking fillers up to the biggest advent calendar I have ever seen! Only 10 stores were selected to stock this calendar and Southampton was one. For £320 you get £495 of products.

By 2023 the entire Body Shop is aiming to make their entire range vegan. As part of the changes and responsible sourcing, the body butter range has changed consistency.  Some of the heavier oils have been removed and the butters now offer up to 96 hours of moisture. The yoghurts (my absolute favourite Body Shop product of all time) are still going strong with all three of the Christmas scents available (I may just have picked up a Kindness & Pears yoghurt...) 

We also learnt about the various recycling initiatives The Body Shop has in place. The Southampton store has been refitted with new fittings and tables which on closer inspection....were made of recycled bottles and plastic!

And I finally got hands on with the refill station.  Such a good idea to be able to buy a reusable aluminum bottle and fill it with the product of your choice. I chose Almond Milk and Honey (although soon to be just Almond Milk after the range goes vegan). I was impressed to learn that the Southampton store has sold the most refillable bottles in the UK with 1700 sold so far - go Southampton!! I even had a go at filling the bottle myself - not as easy as it looks! You need some muscle.

The Body Shop has been running the initiative Declarations of Self Love. The aim was to have 1 million declarations by the end of the year - currently there are 2.4 million. Reading some of the declarations in the Southampton store was both uplifting and sad. I would have loved to have been able to read these when I was younger.

Every year, The Body Shop supports a charity, the chosen one this year is Honeypot - which supports young carers, some as young as 5, by offering support and respite breaks. £150,000 is donated by Body Shop and the rest is from donations from customers. 

It was so lovely to have a taste of normality and to catch up with people. A big thank you to The Body Shop Southampton and Southampton Bloggers for the invite.

Thanks for reading

Cathy

xx