As I promised here is the hen do post finally! I've spent at least an hour this evening just trying to sort out my phone so my icloud starts working. I had SO many photos (mainly blurry or from whatsapp) that they had stopped loading when I selected them and it became impossible to get them from my phone into my laptop. Honestly it's been tough deleting them - I had at least 20 videos of the Vengaboys to sort through and it's been a real challenge deciding which to keep.
So after that insight into my life onto the hen do...My best friend, Jen, got married to her lobster, Dan, last weekend at a beautiful venue in the New Forest. Before every good wedding comes the hen though and as it was in Manchester I was drafted in to help the bridesmaids plan it.
Jen and I have been friends for about 8 years now - I met her through my old housemate and good friend, Lauren, and to begin with I thought she didn't like me. That's just Jen though; she's Scottish and honest which can be intrepreted the wrong way. Now I know her she's one of my favourite people. She's thoughtful, kind, hilarious and great fun. When I split up with my boyfriend just before my birthday she bought me flowers just because. She cut and coloured my hair for basically nothing for years when I lived round the corner despite me being a fussy difficult customer. She has come up with hilarious nicknames for people we don't like and regularly used to drink and dance with me til the sun came up. I miss her something chronic now I'm up north (and my hair looks worse for it too!).
When I was asked to help I was honoured I got to repay all those years of great friendship by planning her hen do with Lauren and Gemma. We built the obligatory group chat and spent ages throwing back and forth ideas about the different things we could get up. The final itinerary was built around good food and good booze with some dancing and activities thrown in for good measure. With everything booked and the big shop ordered we were soon ready to go!
We started with lunch at Mackie Mayors in NQ/Ancoats. This place is pricey but amazing and does my go to treat lunch: an espresso martini and a steak sandwich. The building is a beautiful old Grade II listed warehouse that used to be part of the Smithfield Markets. There's no photos because I was still digitally detoxing *polishes halo* and enjoying the moment. Also I was too excited to see everybody for the first time in ages and didn't care about sharing that moment with anyone else!
After we were fed and watered and everyone was ready we had a few drinks to prepare for the night ahead. Lauren had ordered some super cute decorations so we fooled around with the photo booth props and toasted Jen's last nights of 'freedom' with prosecco. Jen also curled my hair for the 50s theme reminding me exactly what I lost when I moved to the north - I don't think it's ever looked that good in the past 18 months I've been in Manchester.
The next day we dragged our sore heads over to the Great Northern Warehouse for brunch at Home Sweet Home. Hidden behind the fridge door on the first floor is a private dining room where we all ate some much needed food and warmed up with a cocktail or two. I love Home Sweet Home but my one gripe is they don't do chicken and waffles on the brunch menu. It's my favourite dish there and they do ordinary waffles but they won't let you order them with chicken before 12. Their espresso martini makes up for that though!
It seemed only right that we did at least one proper activity on the hen do so we headed to Junkyard Golf to play on the Pablo course. Pablo is themed around a polluted paradise with holes that are jungle themed and fun features such as a pirate speedboat and a gold glittery temple. Unfortunately Emily won which was unbearable for everyone else because she's smug as fuck when she wins anything (despite claiming she isn't competitive). It was fun though pootling around trying to hit the luminous golf balls and they do some crazy cocktails to keep you hydrated as you go round the course.
For dinner I'd booked Teppanyaki Sapporo on the recommendation of a friend. We had an absolute nightmare booking dinner for the Saturday night - the first restaurant cancelled our booking as they were having a refurb and the second one caught fire!! Jen loves Japanese food and the website made Sapporo sound like a classy but entertaining choice.
Maybe not...The 'theatre' of the meal was probably the highlight with our chef setting fire to oil, tossing food around and preparing dishes right in front of us on the grill. Unfortunately that's probably the only highlight for me - the service was not great and they forgot to actually save a table for the hen party despite us paying a deposit ages before and me emailing them on the Thursday to confirm our preorder and booking! They then showed us to a table that wasn't big enough for the group and were pretty arsey when I pointed out we preordered and still had no food nearly 45 minutes after we turned up (when they told me we HAD to arrive on time as they'd be serving our starters on the dot and they'd go cold). The actual waiting staff and chefs were great making a real effort to have fun with us (see the pork willy above) and made a fuss of Jen playing their celebration song and serving her a slice of cake. It's just a shame the manager of the restaurant and his team on reception weren't as enthusiastic about good customer service!
Slightly later than expected we moved on to Dirty Martinis for more drinks and dancing. We had a lovely booth there and table service til midnight which was great when we all just wanted to sit down for a little while! They also made Jen's favourite cocktail and served it on arrival despite it not being on the menu which was really sweet of them.
When I first got there they had an awesome saxophonist playing along to dance music which added a touch of class to the bar. The music was generally that kind of dancey top 40 stuff you hear on the radio mixed with lots of classics from about 10 years ago - perfect for a hen do. We danced until the lights came on at 3am and then decamped to the Manchester classic; MOJOs. It's gross, people puke on the floor and the music is the same every week but it's good craic and you can dance on their benches until 5am so it's not to be sniffed at.
On the Sunday we went to Trof for a roast before everyone set off on their journeys home. I've eaten a lot of roast dinners and I think Trof is my favourite in Manchester. Their yorkies, roast potatoes and gravy are all amazing and the portions are really generous. Top tip: if you ask for an extra jug of gravy on the side they give you one free of charge - always ask for extra gravy. I went for the beef because I'm useless at cooking it so never have it at home. It arrived medium rare and was exactly what I needed for my savage hangover. They also offer a vegan and veggie roast which is good as three of the girls are meat free! The peanut butter and brownie milkshake was also very good at soothing my headache and they even added a shot in it for me to aid my recovery.
When I waved everyone off I felt pretty sad, Jen's hen was an amazing weekend filled with booze and laughter. I love it up here but I really do miss the girls I've been friends with for many years. Everyone's growing up now and getting married/having babies/travelling the world/building careers so it was wonderful to get back together for one crazy weekend free from responsibility. I think Jen liked it and I hope we all continue to get shit faced and dance like loons in the future even though we're basically proper adults now!
Bonus photo: Jen and Dan's first dance on their wedding day. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry a few times on their special day!!
So after that insight into my life onto the hen do...My best friend, Jen, got married to her lobster, Dan, last weekend at a beautiful venue in the New Forest. Before every good wedding comes the hen though and as it was in Manchester I was drafted in to help the bridesmaids plan it.
When I was asked to help I was honoured I got to repay all those years of great friendship by planning her hen do with Lauren and Gemma. We built the obligatory group chat and spent ages throwing back and forth ideas about the different things we could get up. The final itinerary was built around good food and good booze with some dancing and activities thrown in for good measure. With everything booked and the big shop ordered we were soon ready to go!
We started with lunch at Mackie Mayors in NQ/Ancoats. This place is pricey but amazing and does my go to treat lunch: an espresso martini and a steak sandwich. The building is a beautiful old Grade II listed warehouse that used to be part of the Smithfield Markets. There's no photos because I was still digitally detoxing *polishes halo* and enjoying the moment. Also I was too excited to see everybody for the first time in ages and didn't care about sharing that moment with anyone else!
After we were fed and watered and everyone was ready we had a few drinks to prepare for the night ahead. Lauren had ordered some super cute decorations so we fooled around with the photo booth props and toasted Jen's last nights of 'freedom' with prosecco. Jen also curled my hair for the 50s theme reminding me exactly what I lost when I moved to the north - I don't think it's ever looked that good in the past 18 months I've been in Manchester.
Suitably watered we set off to Bundobust for dinner. Based by Piccadilly Gardens Bundobust provides small plates of Indian street food with an entirely veggie menu. Whenever I'm sick I dream of their bundo chaat (they're on Deliveroo so it's ok I can get it delivered) - it's an amazing mix of crispy samosa pastry, tamarind chutney, chickpeas, yoghurt and crispy rice noodles. They're also currently serving a collaboration cider that they dreamt up with Hogans; chai cider. It tastes a lot like mulled cider but slightly more refreshing.
After dinner we had a table booked in the tiki bar on the top floor of Cane & Grain; Liars Lounge. They were lovely when we booked and we arrived to find we had a big booth with plenty of space for us all. The music was great and soon the bar was rammed with people dancing to rnb and hip hop. We made friends with a few guys on a work night out and dance offs followed. This place is famed for their Zombies and they didn't disappoint setting fire to the fire powder?! and serving up drinks that get you totally shitfaced.
At about midnight we headed over to Noho in Stevenson Square for some cheesy classics. It's not a hen do if you haven't screamed along to TLC - No Scrubs; am I right or am I right? I won't lie to you I can't really remember a lot of Noho but that, plus my black feet in the morning, tells me it was definitely a good night.
The next day we dragged our sore heads over to the Great Northern Warehouse for brunch at Home Sweet Home. Hidden behind the fridge door on the first floor is a private dining room where we all ate some much needed food and warmed up with a cocktail or two. I love Home Sweet Home but my one gripe is they don't do chicken and waffles on the brunch menu. It's my favourite dish there and they do ordinary waffles but they won't let you order them with chicken before 12. Their espresso martini makes up for that though! 
It seemed only right that we did at least one proper activity on the hen do so we headed to Junkyard Golf to play on the Pablo course. Pablo is themed around a polluted paradise with holes that are jungle themed and fun features such as a pirate speedboat and a gold glittery temple. Unfortunately Emily won which was unbearable for everyone else because she's smug as fuck when she wins anything (despite claiming she isn't competitive). It was fun though pootling around trying to hit the luminous golf balls and they do some crazy cocktails to keep you hydrated as you go round the course.
By the end everyone was very ready for a nap and so after the obligatory squad photo (see below) we headed home for a rest. I felt faint (dodgy blood pressure, boozing and a hot golf course aren't the best combination) so I was glad of the chance to lie down for an hour or so.
We'd themed the second night glitter and glam so everybody got dressed up in sequins and sparkles. Our first stop for the evening was Cloud 23 in the Hilton. This luxurious cocktail bar serves some seriously swanky cocktails with a killer view. Until recently it was the tallest building in the city centre and you can tell when you look out of the windows. We arrived just before the sun set in the hope of seeing a beautiful skyline but unfortunately the Manchester weather had other ideas and it was just grey. Luckily when it got dark the lights of Manchester more than made up for the miserable sky earlier. I went for an ice cream themed cocktail with sprinkles on top because I was still feeling a bit delicate!
For dinner I'd booked Teppanyaki Sapporo on the recommendation of a friend. We had an absolute nightmare booking dinner for the Saturday night - the first restaurant cancelled our booking as they were having a refurb and the second one caught fire!! Jen loves Japanese food and the website made Sapporo sound like a classy but entertaining choice.
Slightly later than expected we moved on to Dirty Martinis for more drinks and dancing. We had a lovely booth there and table service til midnight which was great when we all just wanted to sit down for a little while! They also made Jen's favourite cocktail and served it on arrival despite it not being on the menu which was really sweet of them.When I first got there they had an awesome saxophonist playing along to dance music which added a touch of class to the bar. The music was generally that kind of dancey top 40 stuff you hear on the radio mixed with lots of classics from about 10 years ago - perfect for a hen do. We danced until the lights came on at 3am and then decamped to the Manchester classic; MOJOs. It's gross, people puke on the floor and the music is the same every week but it's good craic and you can dance on their benches until 5am so it's not to be sniffed at.
On the Sunday we went to Trof for a roast before everyone set off on their journeys home. I've eaten a lot of roast dinners and I think Trof is my favourite in Manchester. Their yorkies, roast potatoes and gravy are all amazing and the portions are really generous. Top tip: if you ask for an extra jug of gravy on the side they give you one free of charge - always ask for extra gravy. I went for the beef because I'm useless at cooking it so never have it at home. It arrived medium rare and was exactly what I needed for my savage hangover. They also offer a vegan and veggie roast which is good as three of the girls are meat free! The peanut butter and brownie milkshake was also very good at soothing my headache and they even added a shot in it for me to aid my recovery.When I waved everyone off I felt pretty sad, Jen's hen was an amazing weekend filled with booze and laughter. I love it up here but I really do miss the girls I've been friends with for many years. Everyone's growing up now and getting married/having babies/travelling the world/building careers so it was wonderful to get back together for one crazy weekend free from responsibility. I think Jen liked it and I hope we all continue to get shit faced and dance like loons in the future even though we're basically proper adults now!
Bonus photo: Jen and Dan's first dance on their wedding day. I'd be lying if I said I didn't cry a few times on their special day!!
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