Bath in a Day

Bath's so lovely, I've just got to write this post to I can remind myself to go back!

Even in the winter with what little sunlight hours and waterfalls of rain the UK has, all their small towns still amaze me. Meet Bath, a world heritage site famous for its Roman Baths and historic atmosphere. Bath is just a stone throw east of Bristol, with just a 15 minutes train ride away at 4£ or less! 

Bath Abbey

Pulteney Bridge

Things to eat in Bath

Have you ever had fluffy homemade buns spread with love? Well I have! The place to go is Sally Lunn's. "The oldest house in Bath, since 1482", serving up the best bun type bread I have ever had. 

Sally Lunn's

A must try is their signature bun with milk caramel. Milk caramel is better known as Dulce de Leche from Argentina, but I've taste several and I find the ones they make here is the bomb. You can really taste the briny texture of the salt but it kicks you a step back to the beautiful caramelization of milk and sugar.  If they sold it at their shop, I would have bought 10 bottles back.

Sally Lunn's signature buns with milk caramel (dolce de leche)

You see it everywhere in England, and there are probably other places you've read about that claims that they have the best Cornish Pasty, but I've stumbled upon a shop that gives you quality pasties without queuing up in line! The shops name is Pasty Presto, and it's located just outside Bath Abbey. I'm just about sure many mass goers head there to pick up a pasty after morning service. Their traditional pasty is filled with minced beef, onions, turnips and potatoes. To me, its the best one to try if it's your first time trying one. 

Cornish Pasty @ Pasty Presto

At every town I go, I must find ice cream. Because I'm almost certain that locals everywhere will always have their go to spot for an ice cream fix. After some research and since everything is a few minutes walk away, there was The Real Italian Ice Cream Co.  They have many flavours but all are good and it's a matter of personal preference. The one I had was raspberry and it was amazing!!

Velvety smooth ice cream @ the real italian ice cream co.

Until next time fellow travel foodies!

No - Bake Fresh Berry Cheesecake

Fresh Berry Cheesecake | Copyright Karen Wan

The world needs more easy recipes, and this is one of them. I felt so bloated one day but at the same time I wanted to nibble on something sweet but light. Cheesecakes often is far from anything "light", especially those that add condense milk into the mixture. So on my experimentation, I managed to make a No-Bake Cheesecake, with NO GELATIN (because I do not like the smell), topped with strawberries and blueberries for that fresh flare. It's really simple to make and it's going to wow guests anytime.

Fresh Berry Cheesecake | Copyright Karen Wan

 No Bake : Fresh Berry Cheesecake

 by Karen Wan

Time taken: 30 mins + overnight setting

Yield : 6 to 8 servings

Level : Easy Peasy

INGREDIENTS

Base

• 150 g digestive biscuits
• 70 g unsalted butter (melted)
• pinch of salt

Filling

• 250 g cream cheese
• 200 ml heavy cream
• 80 g caster sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• Juice of half a lemon
• Dash of milk (optional)

Topping

• 100 g blueberries
• 250 g strawberries
• 2 tbsp caster sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pulse digestive biscuits in a food processor until fine. Add melted butter and salt and pulse again until they resemble a sticky bread crumb like texture.
2. Empty the base mixture into a 9 x 9 inch tin lined with grease proof paper, and press the base into the tin until compact. Refrigerate.
3. Cream the cream cheese with the caster sugar until smooth. Add in the lemon zest and lemon juice. 
4. In a separate bowl, using a clean whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream until it thickens and forms soft peaks.
5. Fold the whipping cream gently into the cream cheese mixture, trying to retain as much air as possible. 
6. For personal preference and lightness, add a dash of milk to loosen the filling slightly.
7. Pour the filling into the crumb base, cover with cling wrap and leave it to set for at least 8 hours or better yet, over night in the refrigerator.
8. An hour before serving, quarter your strawberries (I prefer to leave my blueberries whole) and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of caster sugar. Set it aside and all it's berry juices will start coming out naturally.
9. On serving, cut the cheesecake into squares and top with the fresh berries and berry juices.  

Here's a close up to make your mouth water...

Fresh Berry Cheesecake | Copyright Karen Wan

My National Express experience

Having first time landing in a foreign land on my own, the first thing I had to do was find my way from London Heathrow to Bristol. There are multiple ways to do this, the train, the bus, and on foot (yeah, no.) 

Just take the train! Well normally that would be my first option but I decided not to do that because taking a train required me to take a tube east into London Town, change onto national rail and head back west to Bristol. The time taken on the tube from Heathrow to London Central is slightly less than an hour, so I figured I wanted to go with the fastest way possible, and that was by bus.

Bristol is actually only slightly over 2 hours west of London by bus, and after hours of research there are two options : Megabus & National Express. Megabus can be a lot cheaper at times but again, its bus stop is situated in London, and I just didn't want to go back and forth. So that left me with National Express which happens to have busses leaving directly from Heathrow.

I actually bought my ticket online before hand at £19. BUT, my flight landing was delayed due to air traffic and I arrived an hour later MISSING my bus. Fortunately, National Express has an office right outside its Heathrow bus stops and I managed to amend my ticket time for an extra £10. So in total, I paid the same price as on the spot tickets. 

National Express Ticket Office

National Express interior

Not long later my bus arrived and might I say, it was a very comfortable 2 hour ride. The bus was on time, if not early, driving at a constant speed. I could tell they probably train their drivers really well. They didn't have things like Wifi and sockets on every seat but compared to what I'm used to, it is a luxury. 

I've read some mixed reviews on National Express before. But hey, I'd say give it a go because it's value for money and convenient. 

Beautiful Bristol

I am really really excited to finally write this post about Bristol. I had this sudden urge to splurge and head to the other side of the world. Why Bristol? Well it's not really the first town you think about visiting when you think about UK, but everywhere in UK is beautiful really. And, because of my friends that were there, their company makes it all worth it. 

My Morning View

I stayed 30 minutes outside of Bristol City Centre called Langhill Ave. Even in the winter, the 5 hours of sunlight you get from 8am in the morning is a treasure.

How did I get around Bristol? 

Although ranked 6th for UK's most populated city, it actually doesn't have a tube system! But getting around was still convenient. I introduce to you...

TADAA! First group busses! My friends take this to classes everyday. You can buy most types of tickets on the bus itself. They do take cash (unlike London busses). A single journey will cost you £1 to most Bristol attractions but you can find more details about the rates here. There are also some saver tickets worth getting like Bristol Day and Bristol Week tickets. If you're a student, it'll definitely help you save a pound or two. The timetables are listed on the same website, but normally the frequency is every 10 minutes.

Things to see in Bristol

Clifton Suspension Bridge

Christmas steps

The Harbour view

St Nicholas Market

If you're ever thinking about travelling during Christmas time, Bristol's German Christmas Market is truly amazing. It's not too big, something you can't get lost in. But it's flooding with German beer, Hot dogs and fluffy doughnuts. It's located in Broadmead, in the very central of Bristol. 

Bristol's German Christmas Market

I really hope you do consider going to Bristol. I actually felt a more British vibe when in Bristol rather than in London. Until next time, Cheers love!