Meow! I've Got Cattitude! | Kitty Café Leeds

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I went to Kitty Cafe Leeds a while ago, and I thought that today, I would tell you if the experience was purr-fect or not. (That was a bad pun, I know. Ah well.)

'Following on from the success of our original Nottingham Café, we’re delighted to come to Leeds to share the Kitty love! We’ve converted a beautiful old building in town into a paradise of comfy chairs, fabulous food and of course, dozens of beautiful cats.' - Kitty Cafe Leeds' Website.

Myself and my friend Alex, decided to check out Kitty Cafe Leeds, as they had an offer where you could book two hours, for one. I love a deal so it made sense to check out the wonderful Cafe then.

Before entering the cat cafe itself, we were asked to read a set of rules and sign in. The rules consisted of things including, not picking up the cars and not disturbing them if they were sleeping, which is more than understandable. The sign up was to mainly check how many people were in the cafe, I believe? We signed in and was escorted to a little table with two comfy chairs, surrounded by a water feature, scratching posts and ledges for the cats to rest on.

We sat down and perused the menu for a couple of minutes. After not being able to decide for a couple of minutes, I decided to go for a Coke and a slice of Black Forest Gateaux. (Side note: I love Black Forest anything, especially the Black Forest Hot Chocolate that is normally on Costa's Festive Menu.) Alex decided to get a pot of Lychee Jasmine Tea and a Banoffee Cheesecake. I loved the Black Forest Cake. Quite chocolatey, with a hint of Cherry. I love a tiny bit more Cherry in my Black Forest but I loved it as it meant that the fruit enhanced the sweetness of the Chocolate. I enjoyed a bit of the Banoffee Cheesecake too. I love anything Banoffee. I know Banana is a love or hate thing, in both texture and taste, but I like it. I love Cheesecake! Honestly, give me Cheesecake any day of the week! My only critique with it, is that I wish it had more Banana in it, but that's just a personal thing.

We played with a fair few Kitties. There was a bright white Persian Cat (I think it was a Persian Cat) that was and is an eternal mood. Not just from their facial expressions, but from the fact that all they wanted to do was to be lazy in bed. Don't we all just want to do that with our lives for, well, eternity? When they did escape the bed/cushion, it was for a quick wander before getting back to where they were before.

Another cat that kept coming back for strokes and attention, was, a sort of white with orange and brown patches cat. They would come straight over and then go back to hiding which was adorable.

The final kitty. that may have stolen my heart just a little bit was Pud. Pud is my spirit kitty through and through. Everyone needs a Pud in their life, or at least to go to Kitty Cafe Leeds to meet Pud. Pud was the majestic beast that had their own bridge. By this I mean that they were sprawled against the bridge and wouldn't move from it, but if your dream is to be the most majestic being in the world, then isn't Pud showing you that it's possible? I could spend all year with Pud.

I spent some more time with the kitties, chatted with Alex about a plethora of things, got some pictures of the cats and myself playing with the cats and then decided that it was time to go. Well by decided, I mean the cafe was closing so we had to go before I was dragged out for wanting to spend more time with the kitties...

Check out Kitty Café Leeds.

Have you checked out Kitty Cafe Leeds, or any of the Kitty Cafes? Let me know down below!

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

It's Getting Stormy Up In Here | VOLATILITY Storm Chasing

Hey everyone!

How's everything going? Let me know down below! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I thought that I would talk to you all about VOLATILITY Storm Chasing. What is VOLATILITY Storm Chasing? Carry on reading to find out!



Storm chasing, is well, chasing storms that can consist of any weather condition, from hail to extreme tornadoes, and, everything in between. Many storm chasers tend to create montages and compilations of videos to show off their love of storm chasing. This is mainly due to storm chasing being a dangerous hobby to enjoy and participate within. VOLATILITY Storm Chasing are here to completely shake storm chasing and the viewing of this sport up. They are here to change it for the better, via, a beautifully filmed and edited series of fun, adventures, and challenges on all terrain trip. There will be, thunderstorms, an abundance of hail, and much more. Will they get to capture the all mighty storm that they are chasing? You'll have to watch the series to find out.

In an interview with Ben Pickering (one of the amazing people that participated in creating VOLATILITY Storm Chasing) he estimates that he has spent an average of 20 hours, at least, each week editing since late August 2018, working out at a frankly unbelievable 560 hours on just the first episode! An incredible achievement considering he has to juggle with his day-job of studying for a PhD, editing whenever he can in the evenings and weekends.

We ran two Garmin Virb 360˚ cameras during the chases, which are renowned for their quality in the early 360˚ market. They also record a host of metadata such as barometric pressure, compass, gyroscope, heart rate, GPS and more which have enabled some of the unique shots and graphics seen in the series. Additional footage comes from DSLR time lapses and post-chasing interviews. Studio recording started last summer (and is still ongoing for the later episodes), and is captured using a Panasonic GH4 in a DIY studio location. Perhaps the best feature of shooting in 360˚ is the ability to edit the angle later (particularly for in-car conversations) with an infinite number of possibilities. Ben states that “this is one of the features which gives VOLATILITY Storm Chasing such a unique and engaging style”.

Even if you have never viewed Storm Chasing footage before, but love adventure based videos, even if its just stuff like vlogs/seeing what people get up to, then I'd suggest watching VOLATILITY. You can catch it on YouTube. If you want a little preview of the series, then, watch the trailer at the top of this post.

I hope that you've enjoyed this blog post. Come back soon for a in-depth review of their first episode!

Thanks for reading!

Jamie x

This is not a sponsored post. I am just promoting a YouTube series for a friend. All views and opinions at all time are my own. Please do check out the series. 

My Day Out WIth Michelle | As It Is, Shopping & Food

Hey! 

How are you?

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I went to Leeds last week with Michelle, and well, I thought that I would tell you all about it. I will also be tagging Michelle throughout this post, so, if you want to check her out then do so!

The day started off by me being up at 7am, getting ready and grabbing everything and running for the bus... Well by running, I mean fast walk. (I do not run unless very necessary, for example, after ice cream vans.) I headed to Bradford Interchange, walked past the photo of myself advertising the MCard (if you havent heard of the MCard then check it out,) I scanned my MCard and went to Leeds supping an energy drink. Yes, i know that they're not healthy but, a scolding hot cup of coffee on a moving bus, no thank you.

I arrived at Leeds City Centre and walked towards the Core Shopping Centre, where Michelle was waiting outside for me, waving with one hand and holding a cup of Coffee with the other hand. We sat down on a slightly cold bench and chatted about a lot of things, things that I can't probably ever go into without causing some form of trouble. We walked towards the HMV which is situated within The Core and purchased As It Is' new album 'The Great Depression'. We have both loved As It Is and their music for a long while. The fun thing about purchasing the album on the day that we were in, was that we were also able to go to a little gig of theirs in HMV later on in the day, and, get our albums signed by As It Is themselves. (If you have been reading Jamie Sowden for a while, then you will know that one of my first posts were about an As It Is gig.)

We made our way towards Lush. Honestly, when myself and Michelle first met, it was a mixture of As It Is, Lush and Disney that helped us to bond on a lovely but intense level. We entered the quiet but whimsical store. I showed Michelle the new Bath Art products, which she loved due to their being a Snow Fairy based product. She is the queen of Snow Fairy. We made our way around and found the new Magic Crystals Scrub and tried it out. (You can also read my post about that.) We chatted to the lovely staff members and then made our way onto Harvey Nichols. Yes, you heard me right.

Harvey Nichols is the epitome of high class shopping, and, Michelle felt unworthy so, I told her to act like Jeffree Star and to not be afraid of swatching products. We went to Fenty Beauty, and, I showed her some of the new products (if you want to find out what I thought about their new stuff then read the post here.) She loved some of the products and then we made our way to Victoria Quarter, and, checked out the Charlotte Tilbury stand. We chatted to the staff members and tried out the Lip Lustre in a lovely Nude colour. I was also told to try the Magic Cream, which I haven't yet. If there is anything from Charlotte Tilbury that I should try, comment below!

Next on our journey was Victoria Gate to check out T2, as Michelle loves her tea. We tried a wonderful Peach Iced Tea. After this, we wandered around John Lewis and checked out Bobbi Brown  and smelt a few fragrances including Viktor and Rolf's Spicebomb Intense and a fragrance from Jimmy Choo. Both were to die for!

Whilst making our way back from Victoria Leeds, I was stopped by the ITV to talk about air pollution within Leeds and how it affects the public. It was random but fun. I did it mainly because, Michelle didn't want to and, I felt like it was my duty as a Media student to participate.

Carrying on with our adventure, we made our way to Wetherspoons. Me, Michelle and Wetherspoons is never a non-entertaining or a quick thing. One of Michelle's most memorable moments is shouting about wine whilst being drunk. That was a fun night. We sat down, ordered our food and drink and chatted about well, everything. I decided to throw caution to the wind, and ordered a Whiskey which is rare. The only problem doing that was that the bartender brought too much over in one go, and well, spilt it all over me. I didn't mind smelling of Whiskey with notes of Coconut and Vanilla. We ate, chatted some more. ordered more drinks, chatted more and then made our way back to HMV.

We queued up. got into the store and made our way to the staging area to watch the intimate set. It was amazing, well, except for the two guys at the side of me and Michelle expressing their views that screamed toxic masculinity and didn't shut up about women throughout the set. We sang along, filmed and cheered the band on whilst they performed. After the set, we made our way to queue up to get our albums signed. We were thankful that we were away from the annoying guys. We got our albums signed, chatted to the guys, smiled.

After the gig, we made our way to Costa, I got a Lacto-free Coconut Mocha. They are to die for. Michelle got a pot of Earl Grey Tea. We chatted, sipped our drinks and decided that we would pop into Primark. Our wander into Primark consisted of looking at all of the new Friends clothing (I was tempted to get the We were on a break vest), and Disney clothing including Disney Pyjamas. We had a look at socks and I ended up getting some cute Mario socks, and a cute Japanese inspired Sonic The Hedgehog top.

Finally, we made our way to take a few photos at Freedom Quarter, which will be featured in my next post which is a OOTD post. We grabbed McDonalds and made our way to our trains.

I hope that you have enjoyed reading this lifestyle post. I hope that you come back next time for another post.

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

Flashing For The World To See | Jessops Leeds

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! Today, I'm talking to you all about an event that I was invited to a while ago. I've been busy for a plethora of reasons, but, still I thought that I'd tell you all about it.

Like every other post, if this post isn't what you're interested in, then please don't read it. There is nearly over 400 posts on Jamie Sowden, therefore, there is probably something that you will enjoy reading, even if you don't enjoy reading this post.

Jessops are a photography brand that specify in all things cameras and technology. They also have courses to help with things such as photography and technology.

I made my way down to the store (which is located on the Headrow which also contains stores like TK Maxx, Homesense, and, Argos), I instantly was shown around the amazing new store which mixed cool metals with bright colours. Everything was in sections which made it easy to locate what you needed. Lenses? Over there! Cameras? Over there! Drones? Over there!

When you walk in to the Leeds branch, you're met with screens which mean that you can sort out the photos that you want to print off. The amazing store staff even showed how simple it was to upload and print off photos. All you had to realy do was put in either an SD card or connect the bluettooth from your phone to the screen, select your photos, choose what sizze and in moments they would be able to be printed for you to keep forever.

I then got to have a go with an Instax Mini, which I had never tried before. I love the concept of a sort of smaller, on the go, Polaroid, that means that you can take pictures of memories that you will want to cherish forever and have physical copies to put into scrapbooks or whatnot, right there and then. I honestly thought that I would get an awful shot, as, I'm more used to a viewfinder on the back of my bulky Canon DSLR, or, the screen of my iPhone, but, I got quite an alright shot.

After this, I got to experiment with Jessops' new digital masterpiece, the Shuffle Print, you connect your phone to the printer via bluetooth, or, enter your SD card, select 13 photos and the machine puts them into a random order and then you can adjust them however you want. As it was my first time using it, I might have made a picture of myself from a photoshoot, have no head... Oops.. You also get to choose what colour frame it goes with to suit the room that you will be putting it in's, aesthetics.

Following on from this, I had one more good look at the store, printed off some photos, and, said my goodbyes.

Check out Jessops here.

Thanks for reading this post. I hope that you come back next time to read another post.

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

Creating Memories Before Your Eyes | Trinity Leeds 5th Birthday

Hey everyone!

Welcome to a brand new blog post! Trinity Leeds invited me a while ago, to celebrate their 5th Birthday and I thought that I would talk to you all about it. I thought that, in today's post, I would take a different spin on it and, talk about the memories that I have of Trinity Leeds.

Trinity Leeds invited me to see the release of the massive cake that would be honouring the birthday, a day before the general public coukd. The Cake was literally bigger, and, more beautiful than I could ever be. Pink in colour and decorated with things that scream Leeds such as Northern Ballet and much more,. The Cake itself was a Red Velvet, which I love but I rarely have due to it being lactose on lactose with an amazing colour. It was an amazing cake and I loved talking to everyone including some amazing Leeds bloggers such as Lizi, Lucy and Lucinda,. Don't forget to check them out!

I remember when Trinity Leeds first opened, everyone knew that Trintiy Leeds was here and that it was going to impact the shopping experience of West Yorkshire, by a long shot. I remember how most of my friends were interested in the dynamic One Direction merchandise based store that was a part of the centre at the time. I remember the buzz of the first week, with oohs and ahh's from members of public, when they looked up at the grand roof of this magnificent shopping centre.

One of the other times that stand out to me, is, when I went to my first Student Lock In. I dragged a group of friends and we ended up exploring the crevices of the shops that lie within the centre. The glorious thing about Student Lock In, is that there are discounts and goodies every corner that you turn. I think a few of the main reasons that this resonates as an amazing memory for me is, that, I got to see a student community awaiting to have a good time within somewhere that isn't completely alcohol fuelled, which is rare, and, because this was the night that myself and Michelle became lifelong friends, Myself and my friends have all matured in different ways but I will always hold this memory and the group of friends close to my heart.

I've also met well known bands including, Neck Deep, due to the amazing store that used to be in Trinity Leeds, which is known as Pulp. Pulp was and stil is, the epitome of what I like my aesthetic when it comes to fashion to be like sometimes. I remember meeting my friends, making my way towards the store and queuing in line to talk to the guys that made up the band. I had to rush afterwards as I was meeting Michelle, and, a few other friends for a night at Wetherspoons which I remember quite well.

I have other memories of Trinity Leeds including the amazing food that I have tried at the shopping centre, and, the fashion finds that are still within my wardrobe, and, I hope to enjoy more food, find more amazing clothes and have more great memories in Trinity Leeds very soon.

Have you had any good memories at Trinity Leeds? Let me know down below and if you've had any good cake then let me know!

I hope that you've enjoyed this slightly food based blog post and I hope that you come back soon to read the next post!

Thanks for reading!
Jamie x

Surfing It Up In Wet Leeds | Limeyard White Rose Event

Hey everyone! 

Welcome to a brand new blog post! I was invited to try out some of the amazing food and drinks at Limeyard at White Rose Shopping Centre last week, and I thought that today, I would talk to you all about it! 

Limeyard, All Day California Kitchen, brings you delicious West Coast-inspired treats for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Serving up their signature delicious dishes including, Coca Cola Glazed Ribs and a Yards of Tacos, just to name a few.! From early morning breakfast to late evening dinners and drinks, you will always find something to cool and breezy at Limeyard.

Sadly, Luke couldn't come along, so instead, I brought along a friend who I shall remain anonymous or the purposes of anonymity throughout this blog post. We made our way throughout the glass doors of White Rose After making our way through the ultra modern food court, we found Limeyard and made our way into the relazing looking building. 

We sat down in a comfy booth in the corner of the restaurant, and chatted for a few moments. We were then allowed to choose two things from a list of the new menu and whatever drink we wanted. As there were four different cocktails, I made it my mission to try all four, because well, I love a good cocktail! The first cocktail of the night was a Koko Mojo. I love saying and typing it for a start... This drink contains Coconut Rum, Lime, Mint, Passion Fruit and Soda. I love anything that starts off with Rum. I loved this slightly more tropical version of a Mojito as the Passion Fruit and Coconut offset the tartness of the Lime. The Passion Fruit just muted the Coconut a bit which is good as sometimes Coconut can make drinks a little bit sickly I could drink these over and over again whilst chatting with friends after some shopping, but also, I could see myself drinking these on a beach! 

The first dish that we tried was, Mississippi Street Wings. This dish contains House Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dip, Coriander and Lime. I rarely eat Wings. I'm not really sure why, but I think its just one of those things that you have to be with good company for, you know? These Wings were delicious. They were succulent on the inside and crisp on the outside. The House Rub that was on the Wings were delicious, but they did come with a kick once you had eaten the wing. I didn't mind this due to the refreshing Koko Mojo. The Lime added a bit of zing against the sweetness of the Chicken and the Coriander added a touch of freshness. 

The second drink that I enjoyed was, Frosé. Frosé is well, Frozen Rosé. This drink contains Rosé Wine, vodka, Watermelon, Strawberry and Simple Syrup. I wasn't sure if Wine and Watermelon would work but it kind of did. It gave the drink a refreshing kick! The Strawberry and Simple Syrup took the bitterness away from both the Wine and Vodka, as Vodka is known as that Spirit that no one drinks due to the burning afterwards. I think that this would best during alfresco dining in the middle of a Summers afternoon. 

Next on the food truck was, Popcorn Chicken. This dish came with a Chipotle Mayo Dip. The Popcorn Chicken were super crisp and warming on the outside and succulent in the inside. I loved the size of them as you could just pick them up, dip them in the dip, and pop them into your mouth. The Chipotle Mayo Dip was sweet but refreshing,. The coolness against the warm chicken was gorgeous, but the addition of Chipotle was amazing, as I'm not the biggest fan of straight up Mayo. The only problem that I had was that I wanted more! 

Carrying on with the dishes, the next plate was the delicious 1/2 Yard Of Tacos. These are described as soft Corn Tortillas with a choice of delicious fillings, all served with house Guacamole and Sour Cream. We chose to go for BBQ Pulled Pork, but there is other choices such as, Steak, Spicy Chicken, Crispy Cod and Spiced Black Turtle Beans. The Taco's were delicious. The sweetness of the Corn Tortillas against the smokiness of the BBQ Pulled Pork was gorgeous. The Pork was melt in your mouth which I love and the Guacamole added a splash of coolness and freshness against the deep and warming flavours of the BBQ Pulled Pork These and a Cocktail are good on their own, but they become addictive especially as they just about fit in the mouth all at once. Trust me, I know as I tried it... 

Sadly, the third and final drink was Mango Spritz. This contains Sauvignon Blanc Wine, Vodka, Mango, Pink Grapefruit, House Triple Sec, Simple Syrup and Peach Bitters. The other drink that was on offer during the night was Bay Breeze (this contains Vodka, Coconut Rum, Pineapple and Cranberry), but I didn't finish my Mango Spritz until I finished my food, and it looked a bit weird asking for another drink without any food at the end of the night. I'll have to come back for that last drink! I liked the fruitiness of this as the Mango complimented the Peach Bitters which also cut some of the bitterness out of the Vodka. I'm not massive on Pink Grapefruit but I liked it as it added a bit of zing to the drink. 

Now to the last dish, which was, Coca Cola Glazed Ribs. First of all, I love Ribs so I instantly knew that I had to try them. I also had to try these due to the fact that they were glazed in Coca Cola, and I wanted to know what that tasted like. These ribs are slow cooked for 8 hours which means that the meat is easy to remove from the bone, for those who hate bones. The meat was succulent and the glaze was sweet but spicy at the same time which I adored. Spice as in that sort of Cinnamon and Clove way, not the Chilli sort of spice. I could eat these for days! 

Have you ever tried out Limeyard before? Let me know down below! 

Check out Limeyard and White Rose for more amazing food including desserts and for a great shopping experience within Leeds! 

Thanks to the PR for invting me to this Blue Monday event, and thanks to the staff on the night for taking care of all of us bloggers that attended. 

I hope that you've enjoyed this blog post, and that you come back next time for another blog post! 

Thanks for reading! 

Jamie x

This blog post was in return of goods and or services. All views, opinions and ramblings are my own! 

What I'd Have In My Perfect Man Cave

Hey!

Welcome to another blog post! I thought that today I would talk to about my ultimate man cave. I know that this sounds like a weird thing to talk about but do you ever wish for a little place that you can escape from the hectic world that we live in for five minutes just so you can relax and actually breathe for a second?

Photo is via pexels.com 

Drinks

Is a man cave really a man cave if it doesn't include some sort of drink whether this is a soft drink or an alcoholic drink like Badger Ale. Drinks always add a refreshing twist to your night within the man cave and gives the gang a talking point and helps them create fond memories especially if they're drunk. If you want your drinks to be more refreshing which I might do then I would also add a mini fridge to the cave.

Technology:

Technology is a massive part of my ultimate man cave. From speakers to ensure that the highest quality sound surrounds the room to the amazing games consoles that will ensure hours of entertainment that can be enjoyed with a vast amount of friends. It also includes a large charger section for portable electronic devices such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and so on. I'd also ensure that the games consoles or the TV has Netflix integrated onto it so I can watch what I want whenever I want.

Furniture 

I know that furniture is a must in any room but as the man cave is all about relaxation I think that the furniture has to be excellent when it comes to this particular room. I think that the ultimate furniture would be either chairs that are padded with a back massaging cushion, recliner chairs or massive sofas. I would love to have one of the chairs that Joey gets gifted within Friends that have speakers built into them but sadly I don't think that will be a thing within society for a while...

Candles 

Candles would have to be a must have no matter what within my ultimate relaxation room. I love how a scent can engulf the entire room and make it remind you of a certain memory within your life. I also candles such as Woodwick that have a wick that crackles which makes you feel like youre at the side of a luxurious crackling fire. Any candle has the power to enhance a man cave.

Snacks 

I love a good snack whether thaword t is a healthy or a fattening snack. It just helps relaxing and it normally keeps your hands busy. I love a good tortilla chip with some guacamole or some chocolate. It also means that you don;t have to run back and forth to get plates and cutlery and just keeps entertaining yourself and others. I just love a good snack especially whilst watching Netflix.

What would you have in your ultimate man cave? Let me know down below! 

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post and that you come back next time for another post.

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x 

This post is in collaboration with Badger Ale. All opinions, views and ramblings are my own.

Don't Stop Moving To The Funky Funky Beat | Popworld Leeds

Hey,

Welcome to another post! The wonderful guys over at Popworld invited me to the press event of their new bar within Leeds City Centre so I thought that today I would talk to you guys about it.

Popworld is a franchise of bars that are dotted around the UK which provide good drinks and good nostalgia pop music from the nineties such as pop artists such as Backstreet Boys, S Club 7, All Saints, Gabrielle and many many more. Popworld is all about having a fun time and reminsicing about the good times with good drinks. Popworld is located directly next to O2 Academy on Cookridge Street therefore its easy to get to no matter what and is only a few minutes away from the universities within Leeds therefore it's a great bar for students. They also do specific nights such as Student Night to help that money go a little bit further. 

Myself and Luke got into Leeds and decided to head to Costa due to the shade that is within the store thats located within Trinity Leeds due to the weather being absolutely scorching. After a while, we met Michelle and her partner Dan at the pretzel store that is directly underneath Costa We met up and made our way over to Popworld.

Once we arrived at Popworld, we grabbed a glass of Prosecco and looked around. Popworld has a very modern design to it via things such as a cool slick silver bar with elements of cheesiness such as bright lights dotted around the establishment and on the side of the bar which screamed 90's Pop Disco to me.

We all sat down in a booth which had leather seating and a small table to place drinks on. The table was accessorised via visors and leis which gave a very 90's club with a tropical twist feel to the booth. I love a good booth! We sat down and decided on trying one of the Absolut Flaskas that Popworld serve. We all decided to try a Cherry and Raspberry one which contained Absolut Cherry, Jagermeister, Blackcurrant Jam and Apple Juice. I loved this but I couldn't really taste the Jagermeister. The Cherry and Blackcurrant comp;imented each other quite. The Cherry aspect made me a bit concerned because I'm a bit iffy with Cherry flavoured things but I loved this.

After this drink, we were asked over to create our own cocktail. I've never done this before so I was excited but a bit anxious. I was told that I was making a Godfather cocktail which sounded great to me whilst Luke was told that he would be making a Woo Woo. A Godfather contains Jack Daniels (which I absolutely love), Disaronno and Coca Cola but as this was so simple there was nowhere to hide if I screwed it up. I measured and poured both spirits into the glass but because I love Jack Daniels I added a bit more to mine. I stuck a mixer on top of the glass and shook for my life. I then grabbed a cute mason jar because everything looks better in one then I added a handful of ice, poured the mixture into the jar and grabbed the drinks gun which I loved and topped the rest off with Coca Cola. I absolutely loved it and I'm grateful to Popworld for helping me make an amazing Godfather which I'll be recreating soon.

We went back to our booth and just chatted and enjoyed the awesome nostalgic music, a bartender then brought us over an amazing Woo Woo Pitcher which are also known as Pop Partinis, A Woo Woo contains Smirnoff Red, Archers Peach Schnapps, Cranberry Juice and Lime Juice. I loved this. It was sweet from the Peach but had a hit of sharpness from the Cranberry Juice and the fact that it was served in a massive Martini glass just added extra cuteness.

We then decided to try a Game Pop. These cocktails are influenced by 90's popular gaming. You also get a glowstick with each cocktail which you could have a mini sword fight with and see who wins or something like that. We all decided to try a Bulbasaur because well Pokemon is well the best! Bulbasaur contained Absolut Raspberri, Midori and Red Bull. I wasn't sure what I was going to think about Midori but I quite liked it. There is other cocktails within this range such as Gintendo 64, Donkey Kong and Super Sonic

We then had another sing song and enjoyed different cocktails each. I had a Bubblegum Martini. Sweet but still classy. This contains Smirnoff Red, Bubblegum Syrup, Blue Curacao and Apple Juice. This is also served with a lolly. I loved it as it was sweet from the syrup but it also had a fresh note from the Apple Juice which made it that little bit more refreshing.

We also had canapes throughout the night but we grabbed quite a few after this drink to fully enjoy them. There was a Goats Cheese and Red Onion canape, a Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese one and a Pulled Chicken one. I loved the Chicken one as it was so tender and just great to enjoy with friends. I associate a Smoked Salmon canape for more Prosecco and such but I do love a good bit of Smoked Salmon and I have to be in a weird mood to enjoy Goats Cheese but I loved the Red Onion Marmalade that was on it.

We all then thought that we would try a different Pop Martini so we decided to choose a Cheeky V which is just two things. WKD Blue and Port which mimics the taste of Vimto. I loved it as it was fruity but not too fruity to the point where it was sour. It was refreshing but sweet. Again, I absolutely love the fact that this comes in a massive Martini glass.

We then capped the night off with trying a Skittlebomb which is just Cointreau and Red Bull. I thought that it was fruity and sweet and embodies everything that a skittle is. It was also a great drink to end the night with. Taste the rainbow!

Have you been to Popworld before? Let me know down below.

Thanks to the staff and PR at Popworld for inviting me to the launch of Popworld Leeds. If you live near/visit Leeds then please do visit Popworld. I'd also like to thank the above for putting on an amazing event.

I hope that you have enjoyed this post and I hope that you come back next time for another post.

Thanks for reading! '
Jamie x 

Checking Time Ten Times | Travelling With Anxiety

Hey!

Welcome to another blog post! I thought that today I would talk to you guys about travelling whilst having anxiety. If you've read my blog for a good amount of time then you will know that I think that it's necessary to talk about mental health. My mental health hasn't been that great recently which is one of the reasons why I'm writing this post.

Anxiety can make the easiest things become difficult and complex. It can make going out of the house a struggle. It can make day to day activities difficult but most of all it can make meeting friends or going to different places very challenging.

A stock image of a rectangular long white train with a black rimmed window on black train tracks with grey gravel. All within a train station with a dome of glass with black beams going across it on a bright background.  

Making Plans: 

Before you even try to travel can be an absolute nightmare. Making plans can be troublesome and frankly very anxious. You have to ensure that it's somewhere you've been before so that you know where it is otherwise there's a good chance you might have an attack if you're like me who gets anxious if they don't know exactly where they are. There's also the fact that the meet up place might be packed which might trigger your sensory overload. Once you've sorted a place out then there is the whole thing of timing. You end up agreeing with whoever you're meeting which then you question if you're still meeting at that time ten times after confirming. If you're going to somewhere with a fixed time then you end up setting several alarms beforehand to ensure that you're up and ready way before that time.. The same normally goes for meeting someone.

Transport: 

I end up setting off an hour beforehand getting transport to travel because a billion things go through my mind like what if the bus is late? What if the train comes in early? What if there's really bad traffic? If I'm getting a train I double check that I'm on the right train and stop everything that I'm doing until the man has spoken via the tannoy to ensure that I know that I'm on the right train. I also sometimes count how many stops and when I'm meant to get in for. If I'm meeting someone at the station then I have an app on my phone to ensure that I know what train they're getting and when it's meant to come in so I know I don't have too long to awkwardly wait where we said that we would meet.

I know that all of this sounds stupid but it's just second knowledge for me to do this otherwise I know that at some point I'd probably have an attack and I'd feel embarrassed. I've had anxiety attacks in train stations before and it feels disastrous when train staff members have to try and calm me down.

I hope that this little rambly post has given you some insight on what goes down when I travel to places for things such as blogging events and meeting friends.

I hope that you have learnt something and hopefully enjoyed this blog post. I hope that you come back next time for another post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x

Ox Club Leeds Brunch & 200 Degrees Leeds Coffee Review

Hey!

Welcome to another blog post! The lovely guys at Ox Club and the PR team behind them invited me to come and try out some of their amazing dishes from their Brunch Club menu with a few other bloggers and I thought I would tell you guys about it all!

We started the day off by walking quite quickly to the train station due to the train strikes that were happening on the day, Once we arrived in the heart of Leeds, we made our way up to Headrow House which is about a 5 minute walk from the infamous Trinity Leeds shopping centre.

Ox Club is the restaurant that is situated within the wonderful Headrow House which is situated on the Headrow. Ox Club serve brunch on weekends but they also serve their wonderful food within the evenings via their Evening Menu. Ox Club also participate in themed nights where they serve a particular menu which isn't normally available to the public such as an all veggie night. The restaurant use seasonal produce and their menu's changes on a daily basis subject to availability of ingredients

First on the menu was Korean Fried Chicken. This came with Rice, Pickled Cucumber, Kimchi and a Crispy Egg.

I loved the crispy Chicken against the freshness of the Kimchi. I think that the addition of the crispy egg was a fabulous choice. I loved the Spiciness of the Chicken as it wasn't too powerful but it left a warm sensation at the back of yout throat. The spiciness was well balanced via the cooling Cucumber and the Kimchi. I think that this is something different to have for Breakfast/Brunch but if it's slightly cold outside or if you're curing a hangover then it's absolutely perfect!

Then we tried Flat Iron Steak and Cheddar Eggs. This was accompanied by Home Fries and a delicious Chipotle Tomato Jam.

Steak and eggs is a breakfast dish that is most commonly eaten by people who are training for events such as triathlons and such. As I have never trained for anything yet, I've never had Steak and Eggs. I loved the Steak even though I know that Steak can be a very personal thing! I wasn't sure what to think of the Cheddar Eggs at first but after the second taste I knew that I absolutely loved them. The jam was lovely against the creamy eggs.

Next stop on the food train was Cauliflower Shawarma. The items that were paired with this included Grilled Flatbread, Buttered Ras Al Hanout Eggs, Pomegranates, Pine Nuts and Yoghurt.

Cauliflower is normally shoved under Cauliflower Cheese where its normally overcooked then covered in a very Cheesy sauce so I was already interested in this very fresh dish. This Cauliflower Shawarma showed me that Cauliflower can be lively! The crispy flatbread and crunchy Cauliflower against the soft eggs was an interesting texture combination. I absolutely loved it though. I'm not used to a crispy Flatbread so I would have personally preferred it to be slightly more soft but that's a personal thing. I loved the addition of Pomegranate as it just made the whole dish that little bit more fabulous!

The staff then brought out the beautiful Bubble & Squeak. This delicious dish came with Smoked Sausage, Cabbage, Fried Duck Egg and Chicken Gravy.

I always thought that Bubble & Squeak was one of those things that was a back up dancer due to it being traditionally made from leftovers but this dish was sensational. The cabbage and potato against the smoky sausage worked really well. Smokiness and freshness just contrasted against each other very well. I loved the gravy against the potato as it just made the dish feel very comforting. I think that this on a cold winters morning would be great!

We then tried the Coconut French Toast with Sriracha Maple Butter and Bacon.

I love Coconut and French Toast so I already had high expectations for this dish. I think that the Sriracha Maple Butter added a slight kick in the back of your mouth without being overwhelming and well Bacon added a contrast between the sweetness in the Maple Butter. I just loved this dish and I think that this would be great with a large coffee. I'm still a bit unsure on whether the Sriracha was necessary but on the whole this was a great dish.

Finally, we enjoyed Ricotta Pancakes, Honeycomb, Blueberries, Honey and Creme Fraiche.

I have never had Ricotta Pancakes before but they were thick and fluffy and something that is definitely needed for a weekend. A stack of these on their own are heavenly so when you add Honey and Blueberries to them it just makes them extra special! The Blueberries add a fresh note against the eggyness of the Pancakes and the sweetness of the Honey. I'm not the greatest fan of Creme Fraiche I'm not going to lie but I think it helps cut through the honey within this dish. I think these with a few Bloody Mary's is always an amazing start to a weekend and I would honestly eat these every weekend but maybe without the Creme Fraiche, Honey and Blueberries I would make a hot Blueberry sauce for the colder weekends.

Once we had finished off trying the menu at Ox Club we were told that we could go down to 20n 0 Degrees which is opposite the Boots store which is located within Trinity Leeds. We were meant to be participating in creating some amazing Latte art but due to it being a wonderful yet busy Saturday afternoon we decided that we would try some stuff from 200 Degrees. I decided to order a Mocha for both myself and Luke. I then asked the barista to recommend us a couple of sweet treats as I wasn't really feeling a sandwich after sampling the dishes at Ox Club.

He suggested a wonderful looking Brownie and a sweet treat that changes every Saturday. This dish is dubbed Saturday Special. This sweet treat was a Chocolate and Raspberry Tart. The brownie was divine but honestly any brownie is divine in my eyes. This one has a sort of gooey but nubbly centre which I think was via Chocolate Chips but I could be completely wrong. Dark and decadent made this Brownie amazing against the bittersweet (Coffee always has a bitter edge in my opinion) Mocha. The tart had a filling of Raspberry sort of compote I think layered with a Chocolate Ganache. The pastry was crumbly and perfect against the smoothness of the ganache. The raspberry was a amazing. Some would say that it was a surprise but as this tart is garnished with Raspberries then it should be well known. The sharp fruitiness of the Raspberry against the ganache was really nice. A perfect tart to have whilst having a chit chat and I'm thankful for this recommendation as I will remember them both quite well.

I will definitely have to go back to try their sandwiches!

What's your go to dish when it comes to brunch? What's your favourite hot drink to order at a coffee shop? Have you been to either Ox Club or 200 Degrees? Let me know down below!

Thanks to I Like Press for inviting myself and Luke to both events. Thank you to the guys at Ox Club/Headrow House for serving us fabulous food and for being amazing to us bloggers. Thank you to the guys at 200 Degrees for being amazing, creating amazing drinks and food and for recommending me those amazing sweet treats!

I hope that you have enjoyed this blog post. I hope that you like the photos that I have taken within this post and I hope to see you next time for another post!

Thanks for reading! 
Jamie x