It’s not often I write on Manchester as I usually go home, but with my parents away on holiday and my sister at uni, I had decided to stay in Manchester. It also coincided with my friends birthday perfectly and she had taken the day off work, so we decided to go for afternoon tea to celebrate. I also couldn’t remember the last time I was properly in Manchester, I usually just land and leave straight away! What was also nice, was that I was flying with my best friend and flat mate Chantelle, which always makes a Manchester even more nicer than it already is.

Departing Dubai at 07:15am, it was seven hours and fifty minutes over to Manchester International Airport. Landing just before lunch time, I got changed and me and Chantelle made our way into the city centre.

Me and Chantelle parted ways and I went to meet the birthday girl, Ellie. We were having afternoon tea with prosecco at The Princess Street hotel in the centre of town and we sat down and chose our first warm beverages of the day. For me, it was a pot of english breakfast tea (has to be done when having afternoon tea) and Ellie opted for a hot chocolate.

It wasn’t long before our stand of afternoon tea was brought out, we opted for the vegetarian one (with Ellie being a vegetarian) and everything looked incredibly delicious, followed with a crisp and refreshing glass of prosecco.

We started with the sandwiches of which there was grilled cheese and chutney, egg mayonaise, roasted chickpea and pesto, roasted red pepper with cheese and a classic cream cheese and cucumber. They were all to die for, and I could have just continued on eating sandwiches like this all day long.

We then moved on to the warm fruit scones with clotted cream and jam. Absolutely heavenly and not at all crumbly, the perfect thing to be washed down with a cup of tea.

Finally, we were onto the sweet treats, which I struggled to finish off. I could eat the savoury items all day long, but the sweet ones are the ones I always struggle with the most!

They all tasted incredible however, and I loved the way they were served on wooden tree slabs. Was the perfect choice for our winter warmer afternoon tea.

From here we walked across to The Alchemist for one of their show stopping cocktails before moving onto the Christmas Market. I can’t quite believe it, but on the 12th of November the Christmas Market was open. I wasn’t complaining in the slightest, but it’s definitely getting earlier and earlier every year.

The temperature had dropped and we wanted to warm up, so we stopped in one of the wooden huts for a steaming mug of glüwein in the chilly winter air. We found the perfect spot looking right over the market, and we stood chatting away whilst we kept warm.

It wasn’t long until we were starting feel a little peckish again, and with an abundance of food stalls we were absolutely spoiled for choice with what to have. Ellie grabbed a grilled cheese sandwich and I opted for a traditional german bratwurst with onions. Just what I needed to fill that little spot!

With Ellie having work the next morning, we said our goodbyes, knowing it wouldn’t be til my birthday when we next saw each other. But thanks for spending your birthday with me Ellie, can’t wait to see you soon!!

I then met back up with Chantelle and we called at a bar called Twenty Stories for a night cap before we made the journey back to the hotel for a nice long sleep before the flight back to Dubai.

It’s a great city is Manchester, I’d forgotten how much I loved it. I definitely need to spend some more of my layovers here exploring the bars and restaurants, as there’s so many I’d still love to visit. This was also the first time me and Chantelle had been in the UK together despite knowing each other over three years now, how crazy?!

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