The Westbury Hotel is situated directly off Grafton Street in the heart of Dublin City. A perfect location for business or pleasure. The ultimate in luxury, refinement and old school charm. The exemplary service starts before we even entered when we were greeted outside by the friendly valet who whisked our bags to the room and our car safely away.

Balfes is the on street brasserie at The Westbury. A New York influenced chic little spot that sells delectable nibbles, sumptuous lunches and the freshest cocktails. Of course it was our first stop to quench the thirst along with a sharing plate to die for 😍

Who knew that making you own butter was so easy? Really! We are getting more aware of the additives and preservatives in our everyday food. Even the simple things such as bread and butter have preservatives and other agents in it. All that you need to make your very own fresh churned butter is a simple tub of fresh whipping cream. Seriously, that’s it. 

Here are the 3 easy steps to make butter and once you try it we promise you will never buy it from the supermarket again.

1. Pour a tub of fresh whipping cream into your mixing bowl.

2. Whisk with a balloon whisk in an electric mixer on high speed or by hand with a standard whisk. If you opt for the non electric option be prepared for sore arms!

3. After around 5-10 minutes the cream should start to thicken. Do not stop there though. It will go watery at this point and shortly after that your butter will appear. Remove and drain the whey ( the liquid waste ) and rinse your beautiful fresh ball of butter in cold water for a few minutes. That’s it! Chill for a short time once you have shaped it into a small block or roll and enjoy.

The whey that is left in the bowl is ideal as an alternative to butter milk when baking. 

Try spicing things up a bit for special occasions. We made chilli and lime zest butter. Amazing! Or try our other idea which was black truffle and goats cheese. Even your own garlic butter for that juicy steak or fresh fish. Impress friends at the next dinner party. Why not try cranberry, orange and cinnamon butter for Christmas? 

We bought our butter churn online for less than twenty pounds, click here for more info.

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Watch the short video of the butter churn in action 😀

Who doesn’t love a city break? Edinburgh is steeped in history and worn flat cobbled streets. With a plethora of bars and eateries it was the perfect location for us!

 

The Scotman Hotel was the perfect host and proved to be an ideal base for a weekend’s worth of lazy exploration. The building, which originally served as the offices for the National Newspaper of the same name, now presents itself as a decedent 5 star bolthole in central Edinburgh. Be sure to try their underground spa and health club 👌🏻

Our corner suite on the top floor offered commanding views to impressive Edinburgh castle and beyond. Given the hotels central location, we were within 10 minutes walk of all the usual tourist attractions. The hotels brasserie, The North Bridge, serves delicious quality food from early morning to late evening. We of course endulged in local delicacies too such as Haggis and sampled a few glasses of small batch Edinburgh gin. 

Warm sour dough rolls with pistachio butter served just before dinner in the impressive North Bridge Brasserie.

For more information on the Scotsman Hotel click here.

Flights to Edinburgh are cheap and efficient from most U.K. Airports. Click here for flights.