BFFs Bank Holiday

There is a beautiful amount of spring bank holidays here in the UK.

As last weekend approached with yet another free Monday in sight, Mr MM and I realised that we didn't have any set plans other than general life admin and house stuff. So when two of my BFFs suggested meeting up over the weekend, my ears pricked up excitedly!

As I alluded to on Instagram, life has been a bit manic and unpredictable recently, but they're called BFFs for a reason - they offered to travel to me to save me having to make other arrangements. Aren't they awesome?!

We've been best friends for nearly 20 years, and regular meet ups are our thing - usually with cocktails and afternoon tea present. Unfortunately the fourth member of our little gang wasn't able to join us, but she was definitely there in spirit.

We kicked off Saturday night with dinner at The Botanist, with hanging kebabs all round, a pitcher of Hendricks {one of my fave gins} and cookie dough for afters. We gossiped, caught up on life updates, and reminisced about previous adventures.

Our next stop was Babel, a relatively new bar which popped up in Cheltenham at the end of last year.

The interiors are gorgeous, and we lusted after the Scandi-style lighting, soft furnishings and artwork adorning the walls. The only problem was it was completely deserted...!

Although the vibe was slightly off for this reason, it did mean we got served our delicious Brambles super quickly. And they really were delicious - maybe one of the best Brambles I've ever had...?

We ended the evening in The Cosy Club, where we had a few more rounds of cocktails before calling it a night.

After a lazy start on the Sunday morning, we were all extremely excited about our plans for the day; afternoon tea at Malmaison.

We were intrigued by the menu, which described a modern take on the traditional tea we're used to. We also spotted the option to upgrade to a champagne afternoon tea, which was met with enthusiasm by all three of us.

It wasn't long before the tier of treats arrived - mini beef burgers; wraps stuffed with coronation chicken; dark rye bread layered with cream cheese, cucumber and oak smoked salmon; freshly baked scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam; dark chocolate mousse pots topped with honeycomb; Battenburg slices and salted caramel banoffee tarts. It was a magnificent sight to behold.

A lovely extra treat were fresh strawberry shakes, delivered in mini old-fashioned milk bottles - they were great.

The lemon meringue cupcakes were also good...

Having eaten far too much, and with heavily laden takeaway boxes in hand, we headed back home, already thinking about when and where we'd meet next time.

I love these girls, and can't wait for the next 20 years of adventures - as the old saying goes, best friends are the ones who know how crazy you are, and still choose to be seen with you in public.