My 21st Birthday

It seems like only yesterday I was a fresh-faced seventeen year old anxiously awaiting my eighteenth birthday. Fast forward a few years (very quickly, I might add) and I've just turned twenty one. Oh my gosh, you guys do not even know how fast the time has gone, it is actually truly frightening. In recent years, I haven't really enjoyed my birthdays much, Don't get me wrong, I've loved spending time with my friends and family and I've been incredibly grateful for my gifts and money, it's just the thought of growing up was a pretty scary concept to come to grips with. Now I'm graduating from university, the reality that I'm no longer a girl but a woman is dawning on me. But this time, I felt positive from the start of the day until the end and can say without a doubt, my 21st was one of the best birthdays I've had. It may not be the typical wild night you'd expect from a twenty one year old, but it was perfect for me. Lets jump in!

Derren Brown

For the first part of my birthday treat, I went to see Derren Brown's latest show, Infamous. You guys know I'm the biggest fangirl of this guy you'll ever meet, and just like Svengali, the show did not disappoint. We're sworn to secrecy so as not to spoil the show, but I will say both Jack and his friend participated in some way - and it was truly the most bizarre thing I'd ever seen in my life, and made the night even better! You need to see this show, as always, this man continues to blow my mind with his brilliant brain. A serious hero of mine, I'm giving good old Derren a huge thumbs up!

The Big Day
On the 9th May (the big day itself), I had a lovely relaxing day which consisted of playing with my puppy and cats, visiting my Grandma and enjoying the company of family members who came to wish me a happy birthday. Later, we ate dinner at one of my favourite restaurants, The Spode Cottage. I ordered a Vegas Spicy Bean burger (which is topped with cheese, pineapple and sweet chilli sauce), my favourite!

Spicy bean burger topped with cheese, sweet chilli sauce & pineapple with salad, coleslaw & chips - delicious!

My 'blowing out candles' face 

Jack & I 

My brothers & sister; William, Edward, Rosie and I

I've received so many lovely things, including a beautiful gold bangle from my parents, Pandora charms, an Instax Polaroid camera, a Pandora ring and a golden chain belonging to my Grandma. Here's some pictures of a few of my presents.

Today, I finished university. I handed in my last assignment at nine o'clock, grabbed a bus home, took a shower and fell straight to sleep. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster, but surprisingly, the third year has been the calmest for me. Was it a good experience? Hmm, it was mixed. I've met some wonderful people and worked pretty hard but of course, the end of my studies have left me questioning my future. Next week I have work experience at a prestigious paper and I'm hoping it will help put all the little thoughts whizzing round my head into some order.

Here's to the next step.

♣

The Spode Cottage

credit: thespode.co.uk

After uni on Tuesday I was craving a burger, and remembered my Mom had told us about a pub, The Spode Cottage, a Western themed pub. The decor screams cowboy and it has a warm and welcoming feel to it and the staff are really friendly. The pub is pretty big and has alcove style rooms which really adds to the charm. It also has a library area by the bar where you can chill out and read. 

Being veggies, we often find we're limited to a few choices when we go for lunch, but what was so great about the burger menu is that you got a choice of burger; vegetable, spicy bean or chicken - and then choose out of a huge selection of topping combinations, which you could mix and match to your taste. Check out the extensive menu choices here I chose the Vegas topping - pineapple, cheese and chilli sauce but opted to swap the sauce to BBQ. Jack went for a classic fried onion, cheese and BBQ named Memphis but there was a host of other options such as blue cheese, fried egg and bacon.

The salad was fresh and crispy and the coleslaw was lovely. If I had to suggest one improvement, I'd say rustic chips perhaps would have been a bit more interesting with this meal, but to be honest I can't complain because the whole plateful was delicious! My burger was amazing - they weren't at all skimpy on the cheese and it was such good quality; I could tell that a lot of effort goes into the burger preparation.

For a pub, it's quite pricey, but I definitely think it's worth the money, my plate was totally loaded with food. Every day there is a different deal and as it was Tuesday we each had a free dessert with our food, but sadly we were too stuffed to take advantage! Rest assured, next time we'll come with completely empty bellies as I'm desperate to try a pudding. To my surprise, The Spode Cottage isn't a chain pub, it's independently run. I personally think that's partly the reason the standards are so high - chain restaurants and pubs tend to be very samey and use ingredients that maybe aren't so fresh. If you are in the Rugeley area, check this cute little place out, I don't think you'll regret it.

Check out their website here

The Spode Cottage
Rugeley Road, Rugeley WS15 4AT

♣