I was actually quite nervous about the weekend if I am honest. Although I had met most of the ladies that were attending , I always feel awful leaving the children , even though this is my job - it really doesn’t get any easier doing it, but I was also really looking forward to catching up with the girls .
In all the years I have lived in Stoke on Trent , I haven’t actually been to any of the places that were on our list to visit. So I packed an over night bag and headed to meet the rest of the bloggers for our first stop which was the Gladstone Pottery Museum .
In the museum we got to have a good old explore round , including watching someone make a piece of pottery first hand . It actually looks really difficult to make but the gentleman that was doing it had obviously been doing it for a while and was an expert:)
We also got to see a lady that had worked at Gladstone since she was 15, 40 years she has been working there and still absolutely loves it . She makes the most gorgeous bone china flowers and it was incredible watching her use some really amazing techniques for the detail on them.
We then got to have a go at decorating some of the pieces already made in the craft room. With it being Christmas, I obviously chose a Christmas tree :) .For £2 I thought the pricing was really affordable and definitely worth popping in for if You are local like me.
Up next was lunch - by this point I was really looking forward to some food. We went to a lovely cafe called The Glost House , which did the most incredible oatcakes!. Staffordshire is known for their savoury oatcakes filled with bacon , cheese , tomato- which ever you prefer.
A few of the girls tried these out and loved them , they are so tasty and definitely one of the best I’ve tasted . Then dessert was the biggest slab of homemade Victorian sponge you have ever seen in your life . If you were wondering , yes I did eat every last piece !.
The Portmeirion Factory Shop was just around the way from the cafe so we headed in for some bargains as they had a sale on . I picked up the cutest little Christmas cup for Nila and some candles for Christmas presents .
Next was the moment I was so excited for . I love Emma bridge water and have always said I wanted to go and create something there with the girls but it is a little way away from my house and I don’t drive so we have never been .
The decorating studio did live up to my expectations. The decor inside was so pretty and cosy. We had a table and got told a little bit about how to paint and if we did a mistake how to rub it off . We chose what we wanted to decorate , which there is quite a variety of stuff to choose from - cups to even dog bowls.
We even got to order drinks whilst we painted which was a lovely touch . Hot chocolate for me with extra marshmallows as it was so cold outside - it even snowed! .
I managed to find the cup I had been searching for in their factory shop too : happy!!
I will definitely be coming back here with the children for a Mother’s Day treat . You can Book A Session At Emma Bridge Water Decorating Studio Online which starts from as little as £2.95, bargain.
We got back to the hotel and freshened up had a Gin , of course Gin would be involved if you know me well, then we booked dinner for later and headed to the pantomime. I haven’t been to a Christmas pantomime since I was a teenager and was really looking forward to it .
We got to the Regent Theatre to watch Sleeping Beauty and oh my, it was absolutely hilarious. I don’t think I stopped laughing the whole way through. I think we all did in all honesty.
We headed back for some dinner and a good old chat . I love when bloggers get together and just chat . I think we talked about everything and anything , but that’s what’s so great about it . Even through you go so long without seeing each other or talking, it’s just like old friends catching up .
Sunday started off with a breakfast buffet which was so good!, and a walk over to Trentham Estate to explore the gardens . It was such a lovely crisp morning which I love for taking a walk in .
The grounds are so pretty and we discovered some beautiful fairy statues which were stunning. We did try and take photos of all of them but failed the last one !.
The barefoot walk looked really interesting- where you walk barefoot on different types of texture . It wasn’t open due to the weather but I think I’d like to take the children back here in the summer and try that out .
We found some baubles dressed up as different characters including rudolf which was so cute - yes lots of photos were taken for this too :)
We left Trentham with a little look around the shops and I found some really great stuff for Christmas present ideas .
Next we headed to Middleport Pottery and took a tour around the grounds . It was lovely and lit up with lights .
We stopped for lunch here before we ended the weekend and I opted for the lobby which was AMAzing! Served with crusty bread and cake for afters: a definitely good way to end a lovely time .
SEE WHAT THE OTHER BLOGGERS THOUGHT ABOUT THE TRIP...
Me him the dog and the baby - discovering stoke on trent at christmastime
Boo roo and tigger too- visit stoke exploring the stoke potteries
Kirsty Leanne- 6 reasons to visit stoke on-trent at Christmas
- Press Trip
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