It's tea o'clock...

... in lovely Lacock!

A few weeks ago, we decided to go for afternoon tea in Harry Potter territory again. Well, perhaps not exactly at Hogwarts (even if this is indeed Lacock village where Lacock Abbey was the setting for many Hogwarts scenes), but in a village so full of character, history and beauty that it is easy to believe that someone has put a prettifying spell on it...

An abundance of stunning old stone cottages line the streets of this gorgeous village, some with the classic Elizabethan wooden fronts (below), and all with several centuries' worth of stories to tell about the adventures and fates of their tenants...

The main part of King John's Hunting Lodge (below) dates back to the 13th century, and today hosts lovely tearooms with a roaring fire inside, adding both warmth and atmosphere during the colder months, and a cottage garden that in the summer is a dream of floral fabulousness...

With a selection of irresistible cakes, displayed temptingly 

on a classic old dresser, one is not likely to leave hungry....

A feast for the eyes and for the palate, it is perhaps no surprise that this is one of our favourite "hangouts", and only seven minutes by car from home, it is likely I will be back soon again!

If you have just found your way here through the feature in Country Homes & Interiors, welcome to my Swenglish corner of the blog universe. To all of you, old readers and new, thank you for stopping by and for leaving such lovely comments!

Next time, I will show you what the blue and white china in the tearooms inspired me to do at home...

All the best,

Helena

Ps. Nothing in this post was sponsored. I just happen to be very fond of Lacock village and these tearooms.

Vintage Walnut Rolling Pin and Shop Update

Howdy friends!  I love when it when I come across a great bargain, especially when it's on Etsy and involves something I adore collecting.  Now, let me back up a bit.......the good thing about being sick in bed.....online shopping.  The bad thing about being sick in bed.....online shopping.  And I did a good bit of it while I was laid up with the flu a couple of weeks ago, but shhhhh, that's a secret.  Every now and then a girl just needs to shop to feel better.  In my defense, it doesn't even count if each thing you buy is under 10 bucks, right?!  :-D

One of my favorite places to shop is Etsy and during my little shopping spree, I came across this absolutely wonderful solid walnut rolling pin for only 6 bucks!  

 I could NOT pass that up because if you read our blog or visit my Etsy shop, you know how much I adore walnut and also how I adore rolling pins and collecting them.

What a treasure this thing is.....can you imagine all the wonderful stories behind it in the kitchen, families making pie crust or bread dough?  I'm sure there is a lot of love behind it, too.

And it will definitely make rolling out dough for a pizza a lot more special and fun because of those things.  I just love that.

 The almost black aged color of the walnut is gorgeous.  And I love how it is all one solid piece, instead of rolling handles.

Any of you collect rolling pins? 

Shop Update:

We haven't gotten much work done in our shop because of, well, life getting in the way, but our goal is to open up at the end of April.  We're gettin' busy and hoping to share some photos soon.  We'll post the address as soon as we're ready to open, for all those that have emailed asking.  We appreciate your support in this huge adventure we are taking on more than anything and it never would have been possible, or something we would even consider, without YOU!  So, thank you!