Following on from the marvellous evening of entertainment and excitement at The Earl, the next day was going to be one filled with activities, culminating in a formal dinner and dance.
Of course, you have to start off with a good breakfast and so I headed down to the restaurant around 0900 to sample the fare, before deciding on the plan for the day.
Breakfast Time
Now, given that the knee can be unpredictable, I knew there was a fair chance that I wouldn’t be able to take part in many of the events planned, but would have to be sensible and only do what I could manage.
The breakfast was as you would expect; hearty and lots to choose from. There was the regular cereal, yoghurt, fruit and pastries as well as a full English option.
Retro Restaurant
You could also order your choice of eggs, including poached and scrambled and it was certainly not short on variety.
I decided to go with the standard English breakfast with fried egg. This consisted of sausage, bacon, egg, fried bread, mushrooms, hash brown, black pudding and baked beans.
Michaela Betty Making Me Beautiful
The waitresses came around with racks of toast and of course there was a selection of jams and marmalade.
I added a cup of Earl Grey and tucked in.
Mid Morning Magic
Once I had finished, I sat chatting with some of my vintage pals and discussed the plans for the day. There was an opportunity to get a professional photograph taken between 1000 – 1300, however I didn’t want to get togged up in my evening gown.
My daily clothes, whilst vintage and smart enough didn’t seem to warrant a professional snap.
Delight With Dawn
I returned back to the room to decide what was going to be on my agenda. There were numerous dancing classes and entertainment throughout the day, but of course there wasn’t going to be any dancing on my part.
When I got back to the room, my knee chose that point to start hurting.
Johnny Victory
Opting to relax and take my time, I decided that the bath looked more inviting than ever. It was a large egg shaped tub, with a stand alone tap system next to it.
Filling it to the top, I slowly sunk into the depths and listened to some relaxing music. I have to say it was over an hour before I dragged myself back out again.
Learning The Charleston
After my lovely bath, I pulled on some clothing and went to visit the wonderful Michaela Betty of Edelweiss Vintage Hair for a zhush of my hairstyle.
It didn’t need much, but the hot steamy water and 8 hours sleep had made it wilt somewhat. Michaela Betty primped and perfected my style and I was ready for later on.
Yvonne and Richie
Making my way down to the Ballroom, I spent a pleasant afternoon listening to Lola Lamour and Johnny Victory and watching some of the dancing classes.
All too soon it was time to start to get ready.
The Rear of my Hair
The dress for the evening event was a brand new one that I had yet to show off; a teal green Miss Candyfloss gown.
Full skirted with a fitted bodice, the dress features chiffon ‘wings’ that drape down the rear of the dress. These can either be left to float loose or be held down underneath a matching belt.
All Made Up
Stupidly I had left the belt at home, so I didn’t have a lot of choice in how to wear the wings. Thankfully I had always intended wearing them loose, so it wasn’t the end of the world.
I accessorised the dress with my original vintage clear Lucite bag, a pair of little black ballet flats and a hair flower and corsage double set that I purchased from Shazam vintage hair flowers around 18 months ago.
Miss Candyfloss Creates
The floral arrangements are also original vintage flowers which have been arranged together; delphiniums, briar roses, and more, all in dark black/purple and creamy white.
I placed the hair arrangement on the right hand side of my head and the corsage on the opposite side of my shoulder/chest. I loved how the set looked and I added the finishing touch of some sparkly earrings.
Deco Darling
Heading down to the ballroom, I could already hear music playing, again provided by the wonderful DJ Major Swing. There were a few people dancing and it was wonderful to watch them.
The evening event was a three course dinner which had to be ordered prior to the event. I had opted for the Ham hock terrine with bloomer bread and piccalilli leaves as my starter.
Terrific Teal
For the main course I had chosen breast of chicken in white wine sauce. This was served with potato puree, roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Dessert was a lime and gin cheesecake, which really ticked all my boxes.
Terrine Time
In the past I have been to many dinner/dances and balls that have to cater for a massive amount of people and be served all at the same time. Usually they are ‘acceptable’ at best. Nothing mind blowing but completely fine.
The Earl was a bit of an exception; the starter was marvellous. The leaves were very tasty and the terrine itself was chunky and full of flavour. It was a considerable portion too and I spread a thick layer on the bread, using up every single morsel.
Chicken In A White Wine Sauce
Breast of chicken can also be a bit hit and miss. It can be tricky to get it right when cooking for so many; tough, dry or flavourless. My chicken was succulent, with a lovely flavour and again a considerable amount.
The chicken was placed on a bed of potato puree and then vegetables and roast potatoes added. The white wine sauce was really good and there was quite a large amount of it which allowed for the potatoes to be dragged through and coated in it.
Lime And Gin Cheesecake
Now onto dessert. The cheesecake was something I was looking forward to the most and this was where I admit to being a ‘tiny’ bit disappointed. But only a tiny bit!
I am a cheesecake aficionado; it is my dessert of choice and I have a local café that makes epic cheesecake that I have on a regular basis. The big thing for me is a nice crunchy base layer.
Big Band Sound
Often you get one of two things though. Either a ‘wet’ base or a ‘sandy’ base. By sandy, I mean a base that when you put your fork or spoon to it, it disintegrates into a pile of crumbs.
The creamy layer of cheesecake was divine, zesty and flavourful. The base was wet though which as I mentioned, not my favourite but edible.
Vintage Beauties
I was absolutely full by the time the meal came to an end and as a whole it was exceedingly good.
The musical entertainment was provided by The Ashby Big Band alongside three wonderful female singers, The Ronnies. Music of the era got people up on their feet and I was happy watching everyone move around the ballroom.
Dancing Darlings
Foxtrots, Waltzes and even a Barn-dance features and the steps were shown to those who weren’t au fait with the movements. I thoroughly enjoyed watching and wished I could get up and join in.
DJ Major Swing provided tunes during the intervals so there was a constant stream of music for people to dance to.
Marvellous Mocktails
It was during one of those intervals that it was decided to have a bit of a photoshoot with some of the fixtures and fittings. After all, it was a perfectly decorated period hotel with wonderful design.
Oh and they also had a Steinway grand piano in the bar/restaurant.
Steinway Symphony
Well, I had the dress for a concert pianist and I *can* play, so what better than a few tinkles of the ivories AND some pictures.
The bar was empty and they were closing up for the evening, however the really lovely barman was happy to make me a mocktail as they weren’t available in the ballroom.
Time To Relax
Whilst he was doing that, I sat at the piano and had some pictures before asking if it was okay to play. The barman told me it wasn’t tuned particularly well, but that I could do what I wanted.
It wasn’t actually that badly out of tune so I played a couple of tunes that I could remember most of and entertained myself, if no-one else!
She’s A Winner
After the piano, I moved to an area that had deco furniture and posed and primped for the camera. It was all very good fun and I think there was quite a few good shots taken.
Returning to the ballroom I listened to some more music and watched the dancers before my knee became a little bit too sore and I decided to head to bed.
Pondering…..
After all, there was still the Sunday to get through yet!
Till next time,
SPSG xxx