For this date, us gals chose to play out at the Art School, on Sugnall Street, Liverpool, why shouldn’t we spoil ourselves a little?
On the way there, it was great to see an army of young people powering down Bold Street, protesting about how little is being done regarding climate change. Good on them!
We were all instantly struck by the impressive building the restaurant is in and by it’s fascinating history.
A lady called Mrs Birt, established a Sheltering home for destitute children in Liverpool in 1873 and by 1888 moved to Sugnall street. The home took children from all over the country and sent 700 children to families in Canada. The building was also used as an auxiliary hospital during WW1.
Once inside, we were warmly welcomed into the bar and then into the light filled Lantern room which sports William Morris style artwork.
We simply couldn’t fault the locally sourced food, every bite was utterly delicious and of an extremely high standard.
We were told by our friendly sommelier, Connor, that Paul, the chef and owner, had been influenced by the time he spent in Singapore as a child and by the French standards of fine dining. Connor also helped us choose a wine that suited all our tastes; all in all, we were completely pampered and spoilt.
Annes’ fish was exquisite, taking you to the delights of the sea with every mouthful; Trishs’ lamb was cooked to perfection, but unfortunately Dina’s vegan main course was very small, although delicious.
We’re happy to say that there was also an excellent range of gins to chose from!
Given we like to rate the places we visit, we gave an overall score of 9.75, based on food, drinks, service, ambiance and atmosphere. It missed out on a perfect ten due to the small vegan portions, and the fact the aforesaid vegan had to hit the chippy on the way home.
Following the meal, the dashing Felipe, the Manager, took us on a grand tour which included the Moriarty Room, often frequented by Liverpool FC and other European teams, the wine cellar, the private tasting room, and the afternoon tea room, where we enjoyed complementary coffees, a very nice touch!
Out and about, after the Art School.
Concert Square, Liverpool
As always, throughout the day, the conversation flowed covering a variety of topics. Trish had recently been to a relatives’ first communion, which unleashed a roller-coaster of emotions. Family gatherings can be like that at times!
69 Gin Bar
After admiring Anne’s current outfit, it turns out that she is becoming quite the discerning fashion expert, by shopping for vintage clothing in Claire House, her local Charity shop. Who knew such great bargains could be had, talk about a win-win situation, recycled clothing is certainly better for the planet!
Given Anne cared for her mother for many years, the importance of caring for carers was discussed and Dina chatted about how she once ran several teleconferencing groups for carers, a BBC initiative, and was amazed when a man from London sought her out 5 years later, with a bunch of flowers to thank her for the much valued support he had received. Carers are often cut off, unsupported and isolated.
St Luke’s bombed out church
There was other news, and tips; ducks turning up in pond-less gardens, how white vinegar sprayed on weeds kills them, while being pet and wildlife friendly, and how nail varnish remover unsticks super-glued fingers!
Of course Brexit came up again! Well, Theresa May had recently resigned, and we also managed to predict a Brexit Party landslide in the Euro elections. We chatted about how expensive it is for gay women to have children, how the doners are policed and the ethics and safeguarding around siblings meeting up. Obviously much, much more was discussed, especially re family, health, four-leggeds and strange, uncanny events we’ve all experienced!
And Finally…..
We took a walk around the Georgian Quarter, and admired 62 Faulkner St where David Olusoga filmed, A House in Time.
Did you know that Liverpool has more Georgian buildings than Bath?
Thanks Everyone for your comments. Trish, Anne and Dina.xxx
Sounds an excellent outing.
Many thanks for the great write-up and photographs.
All the best Jan
Sounds like a good outing and very interesting. Enjoyed the pictures
Great post and images. Glad you had a great day out. Still cold and wet down here. What a great game of cricket yesterday in the Cricket World Cup. Should provide some controversial comment for many a year.
What a fun day out! You and your friends really know how to enjoy life! Sorry to hear your vegan portion was small though.
Sounds like a good outing.
Interesting and varied activities and pictures. Xxx
Lovely to meet up with good friends… I love doing the same. For many years I taught Life Writing classes for the Carers Association..& it was the best job of my life! All the Carers were so kind and empathetic & enjoyed spending a precious hour or two writing and talking about things that were important to them. 😀
Ha! I LOVED this; felt like a fly on the wall, I did, although apparently, a time-traveling fly, as it’s the present to me and the past to you three beautiful women! I can’t believe all the topics you covered. Set the world right by meal’s end. Or sooner, since your potion was so miniscule…I wondered if they were really prepared for a vegan or just whipped a little (emphasis on little) something up? But glad the service was so very attentive and the wine so lovely!
I did NOT know there were more Georgian buildings in Liverpool than Bath; all the BBC programs seem to film that period in Bath, don’t they?!
What fun! I loved the photos and tales…I’ve shopped resale for years. Found many treasures for the home, and beautiful clothes, too…just have to know which stores to visit! One of my local ones has the most wonderful perennials every spring for a few dollars. 🙂 Treasure-hunting!
Ah, caregiving! Runs in our gender, doesn’t it? Sooner or later it seems most women I know are providing care, and I did it professionally, too. I love how a former recipient of your help thanked you!
Loved this post and love you!
And that angel in tile. So beautiful.
Well, m’dear, given that I know almost nothing about Liverpool, now I at least know about Georgian buildings! Shame that the vegan offerings were so meager when it shouldn’t be a big deal. But the ambiance — wow. Looks amazing!
Such a fun day out. Good for you.
Amalia
xo
Nice to see that you had a good day out and enjoyed yourselves. xx
What a great day out. The restaurant sounds wonderful with yummy food, knowledgeable staff and a good atmosphere, it’s just a shame that their vegan portions let them down. It’s nice to have such lovely friends whom you can count on for great company and such varied conversation.
It sounds like a wonderful day out with a wide variety of topics covered! I’d love to hear all the uncanny and strange stories. Your lunch sounds delicious, although it’s a shame that the vegan portions were so small. At least there were vegan portions, so I suppose that’s progress! The building’s history is fascinating. I’d love to know how the children fared who emigrated to Canada. Looking forward to hearing more about what the ‘Whatever the Weather Girls’ get up to. xx