Smoke Stop - An American style smokehouse in Shropshire

So last week my mum decided to book us all a table at Shropshire's newest (and first I believe?) smokehouse Smoke Stop, as we hadn't gone out for some food together as a family for a while and with us all being fans of a good smokehouse, we thought we'd give it a try.

Newly opened this month, Smoke Stop appears to be Shropshire's way of getting its BBQ ribs and pulled pork fix.

Smoke Stop - formerly English country pub Ye Olde Cross Gates Inn, is in Ford, a village just outside of Shrewsbury.

Prior to our meal last Thursday evening, we'd heard lots of social media chatter about this long-awaited smokehouse and we were all excited to see whether Smoke Stop's excellent sounding menu could materialise into mouth-watering Man v. Food style epic goodness.

From burgers and brisket to ribs and root beer, this place has a menu you can't help but read in Adam Richman from Man v. Food's voice because everything sounds larger than life and calorific, which is what you expect from a smokehouse.

To kick off proceedings, like any good American style smokehouse we were served a small helping of popcorn to see us through to our mains.

Popcorn.

I ordered the Notorious P.I.G (great name) - a quarter pounder beef burger, topped with their smoked BBQ pulled pork, streaky smoked bacon and Monterey jack cheese. All of their beef burgers are served with lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles, in a brioche bun, with skin-on fries and their deep south 'slaw. Now I'm not gonna hold back here... this was the best burger I've ever ordered at a restaurant. It was incredible, the smoked BBQ pulled pork and streaky bacon was a mouth-watering delight, oozing with smoky flavour. Now as incredible as the burger was, the real part of any smokehouse meal that matters to me is the 'slaw. I expect nothing less than a creamy, tasty 'slaw and did I get that at Smoke Stop? OH YES. It was superb. The fries were also tasty. All in all, this was the mightiest meal I've had in some time, so mighty I couldn't finish it all but trust me, me being unable to finish the meal was no reflection on it whatsoever.

The Notorious P.I.G.

My brother also ordered the same as me, except he opted for sweet potato fries, which were really delicious.

My mum went for the Snoop Doggy Dog (definite rap theme going on here) - a hotdog consisting of their home smoked pork sausages, topped with beef chilli, melted cheese, crunched up nachos, jalapeños and sour cream. The hotdog was also served with skin-on fries and 'slaw. Mum really enjoyed her meal but was slightly disappointed as the hotdog was missing the chilli and cheese, which was the main reason she chose the meal.

The Snoop Doggy Dog.

Finally, dad went for the Smokin' Joe King's Special - which comprised two beef patties, American cheese, smoked bacon, jalapeños, pickles and topped with beer battered onion rings, also served with the skin-on fries and 'slaw. Now I thought my meal was mighty, this was something else, this was the Godzilla of burgers! Dad really enjoyed his meal, and I've got to say the onion rings were excellent!

The Smokin' Joe King's Special.

Overall the verdict is a good one, I would recommend Smoke Stop to anyone. From families to couples, to groups of friends. This place has a fun yet relaxed atmosphere, with a friendly, accommodating group of staff. The portion sizes are also very good for a decent price.

A word of caution however for the couples out there - if you're at the early stage of your relationship I'd suggest giving your order some consideration - this is messy business! Although, it could prove an ice-breaker so maybe risk it if you're feeling brave!

Another plus I must mention - I was unfortunately the designated driver for the evening but mum ordered a fabulous looking and tasting mojito!

One fine looking mojito!

My only gripes were the lack of chilli and cheese with mum's meal and as we went to order desserts, we were told the kitchen was all out. Now the dessert menu looks utterly excellent, so of course we were disappointed but the staff apologised profusely and in fairness, we were ordering after 9pm, so that's our fault for being latecomers!

All in all, based on our experience last week, Shropshire's newest smokehouse deserves all the buzz it's getting, I suggest you book you, your friends, your family, and anyone you love for that matter a table here! I will certainly be making a return!

To check out the website and their menu, click here.

Follow me on Bloglovin':

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11870233/?claim=7hx5e9ntq8w">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

June favourites

No introduction required surely? You know the drill. New month = last month's most reached for and loved products, here goes:

Dior Forever Flawless Perfection Fusion Wear Foundation - £32

This is a gorgeous product and my most reached for base throughout June, an odd choice really. Why you ask? Well it's a full coverage foundation for a start, and personally I prefer a light to medium coverage. Also, a full coverage foundation during the summer months, Naomi what are you playing at? But despite it being full coverage, this does not wear heavy on the skin at all. No cakeyness, just a natural looking, velvety finish. Also a perfect colour match for me, I use the shade 011, which I think is the lightest or next shade up. A lovely product and the kind of quality you would expect from Dior!

Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in Bikini-tini - £15.50

Yes, I know this appeared in my May favourites post but this continued to serve me well throughout June. It adds that bit of something to every look and the reason it's made another favourites post is because I discovered another use of this already perfect product... Its champagney, gold colour means it can be used as a highlighter at the top of your cheekbones! Try it, you'll thank me later!

Origins Make a Difference Plus+ Rejuvinating Moisturiser - £34.50

This stuff has solved a lot of my skincare woes. I don't want to speak too soon but this could well be a lifetime favourite, not just a monthly favourite. At the start of June my skin was suffering, not only from a minor breakout but it was also pretty dehydrated. However between this and Origins' Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask (I will get to this next) - they've been a total godsend for me. This divine smelling moisturiser, featuring Nature's Rose of Jericho, plus a Lychee and Watermelon hydra-sustain complex claims to quench deep to help add moisture to dry, dehydrated skin. That it does and despite its lovely scent, it does not irritate my skin in the slightest. At the start of the month my skin was looking lacklustre to say the least, however using this product daily has ensured my skin is looking and feeling hydrated throughout the day. Thumbs up for this!

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask - £23

Another June skincare saviour, as mentioned above. This is my first dabble with an overnight mask and my word, I will never look back. I used this once a week during June and each time I woke up with my skin appearing healthier and plump, and just looking better overall. I apply this fairly thickly after my Avene Soothing Hydrating Serum, and use this in place of my moisturiser. Overnight my skin "drinks it up" - as the name suggests. At first this is fairly sticky but don't be put off, it sinks in easily after a few minutes. Another bonus is its delightful, fruity smell - which is obviously down to it containing avocado oil, mango butter and apricot kernel oil. These ingredients also help to deeply hydrate the skin. I will review this product by itself in the near future, as it has worked wonders on my skin.

Batiste Dry Shampoo Dark & Deep Brown - £3.99

If you would've told me a few months back that a dry shampoo would make one of my favourites posts I would have probably laughed in your face. It's taken me a long time to feel comfortable with the idea of dry shampoo and June was the month when I actually became okay with it, well in fact more than okay. During June, I used this on a number of occasions as a hair texturiser more than anything. It added a bit of body to my hair, when it started to look a little lacklustre (new favourite word, can't you tell?) and it made all the difference, and added that necessary bit of 'oomph' to my locks.

Follow me on Bloglovin':

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11870233/?claim=7hx5e9ntq8w">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

The one where we went chocolate making.

My name's Naomi and I'm a chocoholic.

Anyone that knows me, knows that I'm a total fiend for chocolate. Be it dark, milk, white, mint, orange, accompanied with peanut butter, you name it, I adore it, and despite thinking I was the ultimate chocoholic, I think I've been pipped to the post with that title...

I think my boyfriend actually loves chocolate more than I do... If that's even possible? Despite the idea of someone loving chocolate more than I do seeming a crazy notion, it's great because it meant I didn't have to wrack my brains too much when deciding what to get him for his birthday this year...  I decided to book for us in to take part in a chocolate making workshop as part of his birthday present.

So the weekend before last we spent the afternoon chocolate making in Manchester. The chocolate making workshop we went to was run by a company called My Chocolate. 

Having a whale of a time being a chocolatier for the afternoon!

My Chocolate host events for entertainment, team building, hen parties and birthdays and gift experiences, in London, Manchester and Brighton. The company uses only organic chocolate in their workshops. All ingredients are provided as part of the workshop, including all samples to try, as well as added extras to add your own personal touch to the chocolate you make, such as coconut and white chocolate flakes, and strawberry curls.

Our workshop was called The Original Chocolate Making Workshop, where we were given a basic introduction into chocolate making by a chocolatier, dscovering the process from bean to bar. Great... but really you want to get to the actual fun stuff don't you, you want to know what goodies we got to make and devour right?

We made a personalised giant chocolate button each. Then after a demonstration from the chocolatier, it was once again our turn to get stuck in. We made our own handmade dark chocolate ganache truffles, dusted in cocoa powder. SO messy but SO fun!

Some of our handmade truffles.

At the start of the workshop I think the aim was for us to make around 15 to 20 truffles, however that didn't really work out for us... We made 6 in total. A pitiful effort from us but it was an entertaining one and amused everyone else at the workshop. Once finished we packaged our chocolates in ribbon tied boxes to take home with us.

(Haha) Looking proud as punch with the finished product all boxed up.

Throughout the duration of the workshop we got to try all manner of chocolate samples, including raw cocoa nibs (bitter!), dark, milk, and a number of excellent concoctions such as creamy milk chocolate orange and popping candy, as well as cherry chocolate, fudge, etc.

The real sampling delight for me though was a truly superb slab of chocolate called Gianduja. Gianduja is a chocolate spread containing hazelnut paste. It was invented in Turin, Italy, during Napolean's reign, when the Mediterranean was under a blockade by the British. At that time, a chocolatier called Michele Prochet increased the little amount of chocolate he had, by mixing it with hazelnuts. I found this story utterly fascinating because it's hard to believe something so delicious was created out of those kind of circumstances!

All in all, we had a brilliant time and I thoroughly recommend this as a gift idea for the chocolate lover in your life. It's something a little different and memorable. Visit My Chocolate to find out more about their experience workshops and events.

Have you ever gifted someone a gift experience as a birthday/Christmas present or have you even taken part in one? Did you enjoy it?

Follow me on Bloglovin':

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11870233/?claim=7hx5e9ntq8w">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>