Last month, we had a little family getaway to the Big Smoke to see our friends and their beautiful dog Belle who are moving back to Australia soon. We made the most of the time with walks by the river, park hangs, delicious dinners and it all felt a little more special (and bittersweet) knowing that change is coming.
So for this month’s 10 on 10, here’s a little photo diary of what we got up to…. They’re our only friends who’ve lived with us both in Sydney and back in the UK so we’ll be very sad to say goodbye, especially Teddy and Belle who are really living love’s young dream. I don’t know if they’re both up for a long distance relationship though.
At our request, we head to James Blunt’s pub, The Fox and Pheasant for Friday night dinner. It’s where we went when we first came to London to visit so it seems only fitting that it should be the venue of our (almost) last supper. The pub aptly describes itself as “a little country pub tucked away in a corner of Chelsea” – the bar gives all the cosy vibes and the downstairs dining room is light, airy and dog friendly. If you look carefully you can see Belle getting in on the action in this photo, Teddy is passed out next to her!
Call me boring but I always have the same dish here, the Chicken and Smoked Ham Hock Pie and it never disappoints. We always make sure to save some room for dessert though – especially the Say When chocolate mousse. It comes to the table in a massive bowl and the server keeps dishing it up until you say ‘when.’
Everyone in Chelsea must be on holidays because we’ve never seen the place so quiet. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the outside of the pub sans people. How pretty are the petunias though?
Our friends are renting a pad until they leave for Oz. Their rental is a stunner, situated in Fulham right on the banks of the River Thames. The views from their roof terrace are breathtaking. If it wasn’t so cloudy, sunset would have looked like this. I have to give full photo credit to Nick for this shot. What a cracker!
On Saturday, we take the dogs to the delightful Chiswick Park and Gardens. Just beyond the entrance of the park, there’s a little dog agility area all made out of wood and tree trunks, it’s looks so natural, we almost miss it!
The gardens themselves form the grounds of Chiswick House – they were first arranged by Lord Burlington in the 1720s – and you can see temples, statues and obelisks all hidden away amongst the greenery, plus there’s a beautiful lake, a Victorian Garden and avenues of magnificent trees.
Although the house is open to visitors and is a stunning example of British architecture, we can’t look around because we have the pups in tow. They are however, very welcome to enjoy the grounds which are really dog friendly. There’s also a fabulous cafe where we enjoy brunch and yes, you’ve guessed it, that’s very dog friendly too.
The dogs are also allowed to explore the walled kitchen garden (on a short lead, of course.) The 1.2 acres of gardens are like allotments on steroids and free to visit. The kitchen garden is open Thursday to Sunday and when we visit, they have produce for sale. It doesn’t get fresher than that!
We have a dinner to celebrate friendship, three out of four of our birthdays and an international move at the Michelin starred River Cafe, a short walk from our riverside digs. The food is as one would expect delicious although we all feel that the service could be more attentive. The ribeye with horseradish, braised Italian spinach and summer peas was top notch!
We keep it simple, good food, long walks, and the occasional dog bark to keep things interesting – the perfect recipe for the perfect weekend.
Are you good at goodbyes? What’s your recipe for the perfect weekend?
