*AD - Gifted Meal

 Last week I was invited back down to The Milton Arms in Elsecar, Barnsley but this time instead of doing the Cocktail Masterclass I tried out their new Winter food menu. I originally invited my mum along but once the rest of my closest family got a whiff of it they all lovingly invited themselves along. So 6 of us headed down there to see what was what.



The first thing we noticed when we arrived was the lovely lit-up Christmas tree outside and how warm and inviting it all looked, far from the cold and wintery night outside. We headed inside, ordered a round of drinks and got to our table. Inside the decor was also all Christmassy and a real fire was glowing away in the fireplace so we all felt very cosy. Next up was to order the food;


Now I will admit I had a quick look at the menu on their website earlier in the day to see what to expect. While the selection was smaller than most pub-type eateries, the food is all homemade which is something I definitely prefer as it just feels more personal. There was still a nice variety of meals to pick from too.

What We Ordered

I was torn between having the True North Ale Battered Fish & Chips or the Pan-Fried Salmon but in end picked the fish & chips and they did not disappoint! There was the option to have them with skinny fries, which I chose as I always prefer fries over chunky chips and most places don't have that option. I also picked mushy peas over garden peas which is another of my classic choices. I really really enjoyed my meal, the fish was a very good portion size (I ate more than I normally do) and it also came with a pot of tartar sauce and a lemon slice too which is always appreciated when I have fish & chips. It tasted lovely and the fries were a perfect bonus.

My brother (Sam) also had the fish & chips but he opted for the chunky fries and also with mushy peas.

My dad went for the Pan-Fried Lambs Liver which came with caramelised shallot gravy, crispy streaky bacon, wilted greens and creamed mashed potato.

My mum and my brother's partner (Lee) went for the Slow Braised Shin Of Beef Bourguignon which was in a rich red wine sauce, baby onions, bacon lardons, pomme puree and glazed carrots.

My boyfriend (Alex) went for the 21 Day Aged Beef Burger which is served in a brioche bun with baby gem lettuce, beef tomato, burger relish, red slaw and skinny fries.

 In terms of drinks that we had, I went with the classic pint of Pepsi as did Sam. Alex went for Soya Latte (They have a variety of dairy-free milk which is always a bonus). My mum had her classic of a medium Pinot Grigio. My dad and Lee both went for a pint of Erdinger beer which for my dad was followed by the non-alcoholic bottled version as he was the designated driver. Lee said that it is his favourite beer and he doesn't come across it very often in pubs, so the fact that they have both the alcoholic and the non-alcoholic version can only be a great thing.

You can find their menu here.

The Desserts

Now me and my brother both have a sweet tooth so we couldn't leave the night without having had a dessert each. We both went for the sticky toffee pudding which was served with butterscotch sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. For me personally, it is the best sticky toffee pudding I've ever had and the butterscotch sauce really added that extra yummy flavour. Sam also said it was one of the best he has ever had too. Lee had a dessert too but he went with the Double Chocolate Brownie & Honeycomb Ice Cream with pouring cream. He said that he enjoyed it as well.


Overall, we thought the presentation of the meals and the desserts was lovely and everyone really enjoyed their food. The staff were friendly and very attentive, asking us if we needed anything else and checking that everything was okay with our food. We will all definitely be back in the future!


     So, have you ever been to The Milton Arms? and if so, what did you think and if not which meal would you pick from what we had? Let me know in the comments below and while you are here why not check out more food & drink related posts?  

*AD - Gifted Items: Items marked with a star were gifted for the purpose of this post. All opinions are my own.

It's just over a week until Christmas and if you are like me you are still shopping for Christmas Gifts for your friends and family. If you need some help with what to buy then look no further than my last-minute Christmas Gift Guide and hopefully I can inspire you. For more ideas please see last years Christmas Gift Guide too.

*1 Tree Cards

First up the cards! These ones from 1 Tree Cards are so pretty and unique. For every card you purchase from them they plant 1 tree in an area of mass deforestation and also a seed token to grow flowers for bees. Their cards and envelopes are 100% recycled and printed with vegan vegetable-based inks. What's not to love? Gorgeous designs and helping the environment. Perfect!

*Disney Princess Face Mask

*Hello Kitty Bath Fizzers

How cute are these items from Mad Beauty? If you have a character lover in your life then Mad Beauty is the perfect place to get their beauty items from. They have several character items available from bath fizzers, face masks to makeup, nail essentials and more with characters including Disney, Barbie, Hello Kitty and more! 

*Votes For Women Wash Bag

Radical Tea Towel has the most stand-out unique gifts. It's all about being super radical, as this wash bag shows. This is the votes for women wash bag which actually couldn't come at a more perfect time for me, what with last weeks UK General Election I used my right to vote for the future of this country. They also, of course, do tea towels as their name suggests and all are themes of movements from yesteryear. 

*VASO Mixed Glass Straws

Billions of plastic straws are wasted each year globally, so what better way to help combat this than to start using reusable straws. These glass ones from VASO are a great place to look. They are reusable, sustainable and recyclable and they are free from plastics, toxins, mineral oils and BPA so offer a 100% pure taste. They are easy to clean and are even dishwasher friendly. You can also buy a bamboo protection case from VASO so you can carry them around safely.

 *I Want To Escape Aromatherapy

 Stop. Inhale. Reset. is Scentered's tagline. With a range of wellbeing products including candles, balms and more all made from essential oils they are the perfect gifts for anyone looking for a bit of me-time. I know I love to relax so this I Want To Escape Gift Set is perfect for me to Stop. Inhale. Reset.

 *Black PU Lace Up Boots

Cucu Fashion does some of the best women's ankle boots. They have an excellent range and there is always something I want. These Black PU Lace Up Boots are going to be perfect for me to wear this winter. They are the type of boots that will go with just about anything and because of the chunky heel, they are super easy to walk in and very comfortable too. For 10% off please use code 'SUNSET10'. 

*This is a contributed post. All opinions are the writers own.

Image - CC0 Licence

You might feel that, as soon as you receive that diploma, you are chomping at the bit and ready to go! But building up a career isn't something that you need to do by the age of 25. In fact, it's not something you necessarily need to do by the time you're 40! Your ideal career, and by proxy, your ideal life, will slot into place just as soon as you start to figure out what makes you happy. It is a major cliche, but if you find something that you love doing, then you won't ever feel like you're going to work. But also, when you are on the lookout for an ideal career, you may believe that you have got to achieve it sooner rather than later. It's far better for you too to make yourself happier before doing anything else. So many people have learnt the lessons from taking a gap year so, when they finally start work, they've already done a lot of learning. On Seeing The World Whilst You're Young: A Guide there are some useful hints. It's important to see the world when you are younger, not just because you don't have as much responsibility, but you have more energy, and you should learn these lessons sooner rather than later. Your career can wait! Make sure you get happy first.

Whether you are ready to jump into your career because you've got the perfect job lined up with ideal progression, or you're more than happy to wait, now is the opportunity to form habits for a healthy and happy life. As you have been through university, you already know just how little routine you had. Now, if you start to work, you fall into a routine almost naturally. You will start to realise what you need to keep yourself energised, such as the adequate amount of sleep, but also, the other aspects of your life need addressing. Certain habits like keeping your home tidy, learning new skills, and planning are all components that you can learn right now. A lot of being thrown into adulthood after graduating can mean that you almost don't want to bid goodbye to your old life. And naturally, you can feel like you are out of your depth. But this opportunity that presents itself is crucial so you can start to choose how to live your life.

It's at this point in your life where you can set goals. In fact, now, this is the ideal opportunity because you are ready to go and chomping at the bit! But because we are stuck between our old university habits, and struggling to slot into our new workaday week, we can find ourselves feeling like that our new life is incredibly difficult. But you have to remember that if you've got specific goals, especially when you set them in university, you will need to work for them. Some people feel that as soon as they graduate, they will fall into their ideal career. But this is when the shock of life truly hits us. Especially now, we look at how much debt we are saddled with after leaving university, and the difficulties we endured to keep ourselves afloat to get that diploma, we might feel that we are due a break. If anything, the intensity may very well ramp up! It's worth preparing yourself, during this year after leaving, to put those habits in place that encourage you to work towards your goals. Nothing ever comes for free. 

 Photo from Pexels

And if you want to set up a life for yourself, you will have to understand the value of hard work but also realise where you fall down. It's so easy for people to start claiming benefits but doing this is an incredibly depressing cycle to stay in. It's much better for you to have control over your life by working a job that pays, even if it's not what you want to do right now. Have yourself a progression track in mind, think about what you need to do to get there, and as well as this, think about starting up a side hustle. So many people are now taking the opportunity to start their own businesses. And when people are so disappointed that they can't get their ideal job, this is when they have to realise that if they want a job that isn't out there, they have to make it themselves.

 Photo from Pexels

There are so many different shocks to the system after you leave university. While a lot of people now realise that nothing comes for free if you are excited about what the future holds, and you have a specific goal in mind, you must remember that to achieve your ambitions, you've got to knuckle down. It could be exhausting going through university, but when we get out the other side, and there are friends of yours that have seemingly have found their ideal job already, it is so easy for us to be jealous of them. The biggest lesson we can all learn after we leave university is that we shouldn't compare ourselves to other people who have supposedly landed on their feet. But you may not know the whole story, and when we start to make comparisons between us and them, it's far better for us to focus on our own goals and our happiness. You have got that diploma, now show the world what you're made of! 

So what did you do the first year after leaving university/college? Let me know in the comments below and while you are here why not check out some of my other lifestyle-related posts?