#ILoveBumpkin

Oh, how I needed today.  After a rough week and the cancellation of our annual Christmas Market trip, Matt found the perfect way to cheer me up...  brunch and a walk on a gorgeous, crisp London day.  I'm feeling so much better.  

I realize that hashtag blessed has become a bit of a cliche, but I am feeling blessed.  I have the sweetest friends.  They've done so much to lift me up... cards, flowers, messages, skype dates, links to hot-guys-in-kilts.  I had a good consult with a doctor yesterday and feel good about our plan of action.  Jessica and my family have been solidly there for me even though they are so far away.  And I've received so much encouragement and kindness from amazing people that I've connected with through this blog and social media.  I'm a very lucky (and appreciative) girl.

London was just showing off today, all blue sky, twinkle lights and festive music.  I went a bit overboard on Instagram, but I just couldn't resist.  We started our day with brunch at Bumpkin South Kensington.  I realize I might have a biased opinion as Matt works for the company, but it was so good.  The granola with yogurt and honey was ridiculous.

Bumpkin was nice enough to let me host another Blogger's Table a few weeks ago.  Earlier this year a group of blogger's sampled the Bumpkin summer menu.  This time it was to celebrate the Bumpkin Autumn Menu.   

Currently, there are four Bumpkin locations in London...  Westfield, Notting Hill (where we had our last blogger's table), South Kensington and Chelsea.  Chelsea was the location of our second blogger's table.  Each location has it's own feel.  The Chelsea location has undergone a recent refurb which I love.  They've brightened everything up with cheery yellow floors and the garden is my favorite.  Eating in a heated English Garden in the middle of autumn, you can't beat that. 

I'm always impressed with how they take care of us bloggers with the little touches and attention to detail.  But, that's how they take care of everyone.  They have a great team.

Ignite Group which runs Bumpkin also runs the world-class Eclipse Cocktail Bars and the famous Boujis, so you know the cocktails at Bumpkin will be top notch.  Check out what Frankie from The Mayfairy had to say about the night and the drinks here.   The Plum Pudding Martini was the stand out.

Bumpkin is the best of seasonal British fare and the cold weather menu is hearty and  delicious.   Here are the starters we had to chose from.  

Soup of the Day

Crayfish Cocktail, Virgin Mary dressing

Pan Seared Scallops, cauliflower Cream

Dressed Cornish Crab, English caviar, toast

Sloe Gin Salmon, English caviar, cucumber

Truckle Cheddar Cheese Pasty, salad

Game Terrine, honey poached cranberries

BBQ Baby Pork Ribs

Roast Squash, poached quail eggs, foraged mushrooms tender stem broccoli

Being a Texas girl, of course I couldn't resist the ribs which fell right off of the bone.  Next time I want to try the cheese pasty.  Matt says it's a gooey, cheesy wonder.

Manasi from In Her 30's declared the scallops the best she's EVER had.  The secret ingredient is a hint of white chocolate.  You can read her review of our dinner here. 

Then it was time to move on to our mains.  This menu is so very British. 

Bumpkin Ale Battered Fish & Chips

Salmon Wellington

Roasted Monkfish, mussels, light curry cream sauce

Dry Aged Charolais Steak & Bumpkin Ale Pie, mashed potato

Aberdeen Angus Burger, triple cooked chips

Roast Pheasant, skirlie, Bury black pudding

Roast Chicken to Share, stuffing, chipolatas, chestnut mushrooms, hazelnuts

Highland Venison, Savoy cabbage, crispy bacon, game chips

Slow Cooked Pork Belly, poached Granny Smith

28 Dry Aged Ribeye Steak, chips

Ox Cheek Hot Pot, aged fillet, chervil roots, spinach

Pearl Barley Risotto, foraged mushrooms, roasted chervil roots

Line Caught Seabass, caper & anchovy nut butter, samphire
 

I had the Salmon Wellington and could barely finish it, but it was so good.  Amanda from Rhyme & Ribbons raved about the venison.  Be sure to check out her review and see how the private dining room was decorated for Halloween. 

We shared a few sides and I agree with Mina.  The Mac & Cheese was my favorite.

Read her take from King's Road Rocks! here.

Triple Cooked Chips

Buttered Mash

Macaroni Cheese

Seasonal Garden Salad

Buttered Black Cabbage

After all of that you would think we would be full and we were.  But, then this selection was presented to us. 

Bitter Chocolate Tart, salted peanut crumble, caramel mousse

Baked Nutmeg Vanilla Custard, marshmallow snowball

Warm Vanilla Sponge, gooseberry jam, almond ice cream

Buttermilk Rice Pudding, honeycomb crumble

Selection of Ice Cream & Sorbet

Sticky Toffee Pudding, vanilla ice cream

Selection of Cheeses, chutney, biscuits 

It was another impressive and fulfilling meal at Bumpkin.  Roger is the manager at Bumpkin Chelsea and made sure everything was perfect for us.  He was also busy with a private party that evening so Nick, the manager from Notting Hill came over to look after us.  You'll remember him from the perfect wine pairings for each and every course at our last blogger's table.  He worked his magic once again suggesting the perfect wine for each course. 

They sent us home happy and full, dreaming of sugar plums and carrying marshmallows.  Elizabeth from The Mayfair Office Girl shared hers with a special furry friend.  You can read her review here.  

Thanks so much to the team at Bumpkin and the lovely bloggers that joined me for a lovely dinner.  Follow this link to read more about Bumpkin Christmas, Sunday Brunch, and the Seasonal Menu. 

Are you hungry now?  Can I take your order?

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I was a guest of Bumpkin for the purposes of review.
All photos (except where noted), writing and opinions are my own.   
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers. 
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  
 

The Scottish Highlands

Bleh.  If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that I'm home from a short hospital stay.  I'll spare you all the details.  Let's just say I'm no longer on good terms with a particular internal organ.  Nothing that can't be fixed... or removed for that matter. 

Thanks for all of your kind words and encouragement.  A special shout out to the person who donated those two units.  I'm not gonna lie, it's kinda scary getting a blood transfusion.  I just imagined that it was a nice merlot with healing properties flowing into my veins. 

A word of advice for when you are sick, don't call your brother who happens to be an emergency room nurse.  He will immediately go into worst-case scenario mode and start asking for all your stats.  It's worse than Googling your symptoms.  (Actually, he's been wonderful and my rock.  He worries about his big sister.)

When it got to be too much I just closed my eyes and pictured all of the wonderful places we've been this year.  I wanted to be anywhere other than where I was.  

This place was high on that list and it happens to be my brother's favorite, too.  I'll never forget Philip's reaction to the Scottish highlands.  He didn't say much, but I could see it all in his eyes.  Neither of us really had the words and the photos just don't do it justice.  I can not wait to get back to the Highlands!

It was truly breathtaking.  I hope that you at least get a glimpse of that in the photographs.  

We've had to cancel our weekend in Budapest for the Christmas Markets with the Gluhwein Gang which pretty much sucks and back to the hospital tomorrow for some more torture tests.  I'm off to have a good and proper pout about it all.  (Is it ridiculous that I think it's so cool that it's the same hospital where Kate had George?)  

What place do you dream about when you want to escape?

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Jessica & John's Wedding Day

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

I can confirm that after three years it's still the hardest to get through as an expat.

And that's about all I can say about that through this turkey-sized lump in my throat.

Instead, I'm going to show you some photos from the girl-child's wedding day.

It may seem from the photos that there were only a few people there.

That's not the case, there were probably 80 people there.  It was a lovely crowd.

These are not professional or posed photographs.

These were taken by me, Matt and some by my mom.

There were professional photographers there and I can't wait to see what they came up with.

But, this is the wedding through my eyes and the last thing I was worried about

was capturing that perfect shot.

I simply wanted to experience this beautiful day.  Every sweet moment of it.

And like now, these faces were all usually seen through the blur of tears.

But, aren't they beautiful?

There are few things as precious as seeing your daughter in a wedding dress.

Jessica has only ever wanted to be a wife and mother.

For 18 years I tried to convince her of her calling...

to be a teacher, a nurse, a chef.

She will make a wonderful teacher, nurse or cook.

But, from the age of about three, no matter how much I pressed her,

she has only ever wanted to be a wife and mother.
She is now 26 and making her dreams come true.

To see this happen is an absolute joy.

I'm so proud of how she's gone about fulfilling her life's dream.

She waited until she knew she had the perfect partner for her.

We met John just days before the wedding, but we all fell in love with him immediately.

He's easy going with a huge heart and is madly in love with Jessica.

My mom has already claimed him as her grandson.

I'm also proud of the celebration that Jessica and John planned.

It was always about their future together and surrounding themselves with family and friends.

Typical Jessica, honest and straightforward.  No fuss or drama.

They weren't worried about a fancy party.  They just wanted to be married.

The ceremony and reception were at this old general store in Pleasanton, Texas.

Her bridesmaid was her cousin Rebecca, my brother's daughter.

She is as smart as she is beautiful.  You can see she gets it from my sweet sister-in-law Donna.

My momma, Linda.  I have great genes.  You should have seen her and my step-dad Bob on the dance floor.

I guess it was what you'd call a country wedding complete with boots and a branding iron.

Apparently, it's quite the thing.  Michaels and Hobby Lobby both have wedding sections

dedicated to burlap and mason jars.  It was adorable and perfect for Jessie & Johnny.

It's not a Texas wedding without some barbecue and iced tea.

Jessica did all of the flowers herself.  She would also make a fabulous florist.

She gets that skill honestly from her Grandpa Tom, her dad's dad who helped her with the flowers.

The cake was so good.  A friend of the groom's family did a wonderful job.

Jessica tragically lost her aunt Michelle just a few months ago.

Michelle was just 10 when Jess was born and they were always so close.  Unconditional love.

It was so bittersweet for her not to be there in person.  She was so excited for Jessica to get married.

Jessica found several ways to pay tribute to her aunt, including blue toenail polish.
Michelle's daughter, Carissa was at the wedding which was so special.

You'll have to excuse my puffy face, but I think I started crying on Sunday and carried through until the wedding on Wednesday.  But, they were absolutely tears of joy.

I could not have been happier for my sweet baby girl.

She deserves every happiness.

There were a few glitches.   Jessica and I were shopping (for wedding lingerie mind you)

when John texted a photo of his face with a big gash under his eye.

He'd run into some machinery at work.  Those wedding nerves.

Luckily, he was okay.  Then the day before the wedding as we were rushing around

decorating, Jessica dislocated her knee cap!

She's always had wonky joints and it had happened before about 10 years ago.

She spent most of her wedding day on crutches with an ice pack on her knee.

But, she didn't let it slow her down too much.

Her dress was so pretty, lacy and white, knee length so as to show of the boots.

Out behind the general store is this sprawling old live oak tree, which Texas is known for.

Also known as an evergreen oak it's the perfect guardian for sacred vows.

Under this live oak is where Jessica and John pledged to be Mr & Mrs Brymer.

Her dad gave her away, of course.  They've talked about this day since she was just a little thing.

That walk down the aisle was very long, but Jessica was determined not to use crutches.

Then it was all about John and Jessica.

Our family friend, Cassandra, conducted the loveliest wedding ceremony for them.

Simple, sweet and meaningful.  It was exactly what they wanted to say to each other.

As the sun set, Jessica wed John under that big oak tree.

It was one of the most beautiful and moving things I've every experienced.

Later on when we had a quiet minute together, I asked Jessica "What was your favorite moment?"

Her quick and easy answer.  "The ceremony.  Saying our vows."

I only had eyes for her.  She only had eyes for him.

Just as it should be.

You may now kiss your bride and let those dreams start coming true.

Then they danced.  And sang softly to each other.

They kissed again and again.

Family and friends celebrated all of the love.

Momma watched and cried and savored every second.

I was so very thankful to have Matthew there by my side through it all.

Jess even wore penguin socks under her boots because she knows Matt loves 'em.

This is the rest of my brother's family. My wonderful nephew Connor and cuddly niece Morgan.

My dad Gene was there which meant the world to all of us.
My dear friend Leann was there, as well as my sweet friend Paige with her mom, Karen and her boys.
I can't tell you how special it was to see Jess surrounded with such love.

John's family were terrific.  Jessica is an only child and now she's married into this great big family.  She now has three sisters & three brothers in law, six nieces and nephews (with one more on the way) not to mention John's parents and extended family and friends.

I love you, Sugar Bear.  You make the most beautiful bride.
You're going to be an incredible wife.

What's that you ask?  What was my favorite part of the day?

Seeing this look on your face. You've never looked more beautiful, Jessica.

Later in the evening, as everything was being cleared away,

my new son in law asked me to dance.

He said to me "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me."

All I could think was "me, too."

Happy Thanksgiving.  Cheers to love, light, family and friends.

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