A Bank Holiday weekend in Manchester

On the Bank Holiday between Christmas and New Year, something amazing happened: Ste and I both had the day to ourselves. Nowhere to go, nothing to do and no kids.  We decided to head into Manchester to look at wedding rings, have coffee and a general mooch. It's like our little tradition when we both have a day off together. We never have a purpose other than to roam the Northern Quarter (read about it here), drink coffee and have lunch in some sort of quirky, quaint teashop.

A little vintage, 1950s San Francisco engagement ring!

Today though, we had a couple of important missions.  First up: find my wedding ring. Ste has already ordered his from a place in California which specialises in durable metals rather than precious ones. Rather like my wedding dress, I found my ring within the space of half an hour. It's a simple dome ring, 3mm in white gold and is a perfect addition to wear with my engagement ring, which really is something special. Knowing that I'm obsessed with the 1950s and that San Francisco, Ste managed to track down a 1950s vintage white gold ring in San Francisco and I just adore it!  It was also in my exact size too (I take a tiny 'K' ring size, so they are hard to come by) so it almost feels as though this ring was destined for me.  I'd really love to know who owned it before I did but I'm sure whoever it was, they'll be pleased that the ring ended up with the perfect owner.


After nailing the ring, we headed off to The Northern Quarter (Manchester's hip and quirky part, packed with bars, cafes and vintage shops) to hunt for a suitcase. I've seen loads of ideas on Pinterest where you can use a vintage suitcase for your wedding cards to go in rather than the bog-standard post box.  We headed to Afflecks Palace,  a real Manchester gem where you can get lost on every floor amongst stalls selling everything from crystals to vintage clothing, soaps to henna tattoos. They even have a cereal cafe when you need a quick break between floors!  Tracking down the perfect vintage suitcase in Afflecks took about 15 minutes and then we were off again, strolling and roaming the streets with a swish little retro suitcase!

The dreamiest vintage suitcase

Roaming with my suitcase

Sugar Junction in the Northern Quarter is our usual haunt but we decided to try Propertea, a tea shop opposite the Manchester Cathedral.  The lady behind it, we later learned, is none other that Most Haunted's Yvette Fielding who opened the shop a couple of years back. Propertea is just dreamy.  Bright, with warm modern meets shabby chic décor, a yummy food menu and more choices of tea than China, it was the perfect spot to put our feet up for half an hour.  I'm a bit of a novice when it comes to tea, so opted for a good old English breakfast tea with the avocado and chicken salad.  I also discovered a new and THE MOST AMAZING SALAD DRESSING ever!  Honey and balsamic dressing (I've since made some myself- recipe is below). This really was the perfect little tea shop to relax in and watch the world go by. I'm disappointed though that I was full after lunch and didn't get to try some of the BEAUTIFUL looking cakes on sale- next time Propertea, next time!

Honey and Balsamic dressing:
I did try to make this with balsamic vinegar, but the the thick and sticky consistency, you really do need to use a balsamic glaze. Simply mix together 1 part honey with 1 part balsamic glaze (I use the ones pictured from Aldi) and put on your salad. In fact, this is the lamest recipe ever, isn't it?  Think of it more as the most delicious combinations of flavours to try on your salad instead.  Thanks for the inspiration Propertea!