Autumn in Exeter

Once again, life has got in the way of my grand plans for this little blog, and I've managed to get through the whole of September without posting a thing!

It has, in all fairness, been rather a hectic month. You see, I've just begun my final year at university. In between moving into our new student house, meeting up with friends returning from their Year Abroad, and prepping for seminars (when they said there'd be mountains of reading - they really meant it!), blogging fell by the wayside.

In spite of this, though, there's no shortage of things to blog about - which perhaps makes my tardiness in posting all the more frustrating on my part - because the campus and the town are abuzz with autumn activity.

Perfect vegan chilli with nachos and dairy-free guac from the Festival Food Co.

 For one thing, the popular Farmers' Market on Streatham Campus is now running every week - fantastic if you're in search of your Friday falafel fix (even after a year of top falafel in Germany, Oasis is hard to beat). If you still haven't had your fill, the street food continues at the regular Night Markets on the Quay. The next one's being held on October 1st, promising a wealth of local produce and hearty grub, including veggie, vegan and gluten free options, and I can't wait to try out the fare in the beautiful setting of Exeter's waterside.

A Boston brunch is delicious and just so Instagram-able. That's if it lasts long enough for a picture.

Autumn is my favourite time of year, not least because I have an October birthday; I think it's the best season to get out and enjoy the city. The weather's not yet turned properly cold - in fact, I'd hazard a guess that we've had more sunshine this month than we did throughout the whole of August - so the conditions are perfect for al fresco dining. And Exeter provides a plethora of places just right for eating outside in the autumn: like my perennial favourite Tea on the Green, which needs little introduction! Suffice to say, it's ideal for quaint afternoon tea with parents, or for a girls' get-together and gossip over coffee - not forgetting the cake.

But if it's brunch that you're after, I know just the place - although to my shame, I've only just recently tried it, much to my friends' horror! It's of course the famous Boston Tea Party, located on bustling Queen Street, where we sat out and soaked up the late September sun. It's a hit among townsfolk and students alike, again catering for all dietary needs and wants, with vegan mains and dairy- or gluten-free cakes. My veggie cooked breakfast was so good, though, that it didn't last long enough to have its picture taken...

While I know that term is only going to get busier as we head through the year, with essays and exams galore for all of us finalists, it's important to enjoy the quiet moments like these. However busy you are, there's always time to step outside and enjoy good food, time with friends, and all that this transition into autumn has to offer in our beautiful city.

Postcards from St Ives

Since last weekend I ventured out on a blogging expedition and forgot to take my camera with me, I thought that for this week's post I'd go text-lite, concentrating on a few pictures I snapped on our visit to St Ives.

The town is one of my favourite places to visit at any time of the year - if you go out of season, as we did last January, you'll find that you almost have the place to yourself - but during the summer months, it really is abuzz with activity. As it's the quintessential Cornish retreat, it isn't difficult to see why it's so packed during the school holidays. The harbourside and winding streets are packed with an ever-changing array of shops, tearooms, and galleries, and of course there's always a diverse display to be seen at the Cornish branch of the Tate on Porthmeor Beach. Even if, like me, you've still not quite found your sea-legs after two decades of living on the coast, there's plenty to keep you occupied if you can stay on dry land.

We were lucky enough to catch a solitary sunny day in what's been a pretty grey week, so looking back at these photos has certainly lifted my spirits (especially those of our new aquatic friends) and helped me to forget the mid-August gloom that's currently enveloping us!

Top Five... Finds at Plymouth's Flavour Fest

Having been settled back in Blighty for a good few weeks, I decided that I ought to finally make a real start on a blog post. This weekend saw Plymouth host its twelfth Flavour Fest, an annual food festival taking over the city centre. What better opportunity, I thought, to show off my home town and some of Devon and Cornwall's incredible produce. 

And so, when I arrived at the Piazza with my granny in tow, ready to snap up some foodie bargains and - just as importantly - some pictures for my blog, I grabbed my camera from my bag and...

...promptly realised that I'd forgotten my memory card.

Still, I suppose that's what iPhones are made for.

Sometimes, though, I like to appreciate events like this with just my eyes and ears - and tastebuds. And from the vast array of pies, pasties, cakes, cheeses, fudge, sweets, ciders, and beers we sampled, I've whittled my favourites down to just five that I'd like to share with you. 

• Cherry and port jam from The Cherry Tree - from its headquarters in Dorset, The Cherry Tree produces all manner of chutneys, jams and curds, ranging from the traditional Piccalilli to a more adventurous gooseberry chutney. My choice, though, would be the cherry and port jam; it's got the familiarity of a well-loved preserve, but has a little alcoholic twist to it. And who can pass up the opportunity of an (even slightly) boozy breakfast?

• Shaldon Bakery's famous Uglibuns - I must admit that I've long been a fan of these, and didn't so much stumble upon them at Flavour Fest as actively seek them out among the stalls. Essentially, they're fruit buns roughly the size of an adult human's head, chock full of raisins,  cherries and peel. I've been lucky enough to find them on holiday in Teignmouth and at our corner shop in Exeter, so if they happen to arrive in a shop near you, you really should try one - unless I get there first.

• Ginger beer from Cornish Orchards - having already sampled several varieties of their cider at Exeter's Old Firehouse - a firm favourite among the student population - I was excited to discover that Cornish Orchards also make ginger beer. If, like me, you like to pretend on occasion that you're a character in an Enid Blyton story, this would perfectly complement a Famous Five-style picnic. 

• Grumpies' blue cheese, mushroom and walnut pie - now, I've recently committed myself to becoming a full-time herbivore, but perhaps more on that in a future post. Happily, Grumpies cater for veggies all over the county with this rather fancy-sounding pie, along with another vegetarian variety in the old favourite Homity pie, both of which you can order online. Pies in the post - what a time to be alive.

• Cornish Dream fudge liqueur from Cornish Cream - I realise that this post has taken a rather unexpectedly alcoholic turn - sorry! - but wouldn't liquid fudge have to feature in any line-up? If a bottle of Baileys and a bag of Kernow's finest confectionery were to produce offspring, it would surely be this dreamy concoction. Its lesser known sister Cornish Lust, essentially strawberries and cream in a bottle, is also worth a swig. 

Flavour Fest concludes on Sunday 16th August, but will undoubtedly return for a sequel in 2016. Likewise, I'll be back with more of the West Country's best bits in the not-too-distant future.

Hopefully with some pictures next time...

What were your favourites from this year's festival? Let me know in the comments below!

Home sweet home

I'm finally home again and ready to embark on my first proper post for this new and shiny blog.

If you follow me over on Twitter or Instagram, you might've noticed that the site has been up for a few months while I've been tentatively trying some social media, but I've refrained from posting anything here - until now.

For the last ten months, I've been studying on Le Continent and, while it's been a fantastic opportunity in many and various ways, I have to admit that I've been pining for this little island. So now that I'm back in this green and pleasant land a little more permanently, I thought that I'd like to get into blogging about the West Country, the region I know and love best.

Although I'm not a complete newcomer to blogging, it's something that - for several reasons - seemed to fall by the wayside during the past year, and I'm thinking of Partly Dream Country as a new start. I learnt a lot over the lifetime of my previous site, so it's not completely back to Square One, but I know the learning curve will continue, and I'm really looking forward to exploring some old favourites and brand new places in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.

In the meantime, though, take a look at my About Me page (where I'll explain the blog's slightly odd name!). And don't forget to check out my social media - as well as the aforementioned sites, you can find a picture blog on Tumblr.

There's a lot to be excited about in the coming months, so I hope you'll stay tuned for my take on our lovely little corner of the world.