miss b loves .... St Ermin's.... a very special London hotel

Visitors to London are often overwhelmed by the vast choice of hotels but I can certainly recommend St Ermin's which far exceeded our expectations a couple of weeks ago ..... 

St Ermin's Hotel is an elegant Grade II listed Victorian building, located in a surprisingly tranquil spot in central London. It's just a couple of minutes from St James's Park tube station and close to Buckingham Palace, The Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey.

Set back from the road, as you enter the grand tree-lined courtyard you sense that this is a hotel full of history.....and I love to stay somewhere with a story to tell! 

St Ermin's was originally a mansion block (serviced appartments) built for wealthy Londoners in 1889 on the site of a 15th century chapel(dedicated to St Ermin). Ten years later it was converted into a hotel by JP Briggs, a Victorian theatre architect and designer. 

The lobby is glamorous and theatrical with the original curved balcony and rich plasterwork from 1899.........

miss b loves.......Red Herrings and White Elephants

On Valentine's Day I prefer small, thoughtful and quirky gifts rather than grand gestures and when I opened this first little package I was instantly impressed with the cute double-sided gift wrap and the book cover!

Thoughtful and quirky.......you see, a couple of weeks ago, I had been saying that I wondered where the strange sayings we use daily actually come from. Well...they are all explained in this little book.......'raining cats and dogs'...'as sure as eggs is eggs'.....'no great shakes'......'to spill the beans'....even the origin of 'OK'....and 'to propose a toast'.....

So....an example.....to be 'given the sack' meaning to lose your job, dates back to the time when craftsmen travelled from place to place carrying their tools in a sack (long before toolboxes!) The sack was given to the employer for safe keeping and returned when their services were no longer needed. 'Fired' was when someone was caught breaking the rules or stealing and the tools were burned so that the worker would be unable to work again!!

So....if like me you are interested in the English language and all its odd idioms....then you too will enjoy it! In fact, it's really quite addictive..... and unbelievable just how many of these phrases we use without thinking about their origins.

My second little gift....cute travel-themed bookmarks......

miss b loves.........Raspberry Prosecco cocktail

My love affair with Prosecco-based cocktails continues.........and this one is just perfect for a Valentine's Day tipple.


         Raspberry Prosecco Cocktail
Serves 2


4 tsp raspberry liqueur
A handful of fresh washed raspberries
Prosecco to top up


1. Spoon 2 tsp each of raspberry liqueur into two chilled Champagne flutes then drop in a few raspberries.
2. Hold a spoon inside the glass, over the top of the liqueur, and slowly pour in the Prosecco, pulling the spoon up slowly as you go - this will create the pretty two-tone effect


I used Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Conegliano Prosecco and Taste the Difference raspberry liqueur. You could use Cava instead of the Prosecco. 

Recipe from Sainsbury's