#DerbyBloggersBrunch at Olivers

Derby is one of the places I like to spend the day at when I can; And I was so thrilled to be invited along to a Bloggers Brunch, hosted by Monet, at Olivers on Friar Gate.
We arranged to all meet at 11.30am, and this was perfect due to travelling and the mixed weather conditions!


Oliver's is a quaint little place along Friar Gate, with one side for take-aways and then another room where you can sit and indulge, taking up the scenery and homemade scents that bring you back to pleasant food memories.
Walking through the quirky phone booth printed door, Myself and Sarah took some shots of the stylish venue, whilst talking to the enthusiastic staff about the day ahead. One by one, the ladies who attended the brunch arrived and we looked over the scrumptious home-baked cakes and decor; I was already falling in love with the place.


We had a long table set up in the middle of the room; With comfortable seating and copper salt and pepper pots with cute menus between them, I was in awe.
The menu had been specially created for the brunch, and I truly felt like a VIP. I love organisation and the menu details packed a lot of excitement, from beginning to end we were catered for completely.


For the first part of the brunch, we were introduced to The Rested Cocktail Company. They produce handcrafted bottles of cocktails, that literally can be just poured over ice; When the cocktails have been created, they let them rest in steel barrels for over 30 days, this gives them a smoother and richer taste. We were shown the current collection which contains a dry martini, The Harvard and The Old Fashioned.


I opted for the old fashioned, which was mixed with soda water. My taste buds had a rush of rum and spice, I'm not much of a drinker so small sips did the trick! We had a wonderful talk, as we found out the story of how two friends made such a practical idea work and win awards for their creations.


The next part of the brunch was the food bit! We were chosen to taste dishes that could become part of Olivers new menu; Starting off, The Peanut butter and Jelly shake!


Now if you follow me on Instagram, you probably came across this picture recently! They were presented in petite glasses on this delightful serving tray. I had to have a waft of the scent, I could smell the rich peanut butter and began to indulge. The only point I'd have to make was that as they used Banana for thickness, it did mask the other flavours out. This was a shame really and may put me off in ordering a full size, but I'm glad that I was able to step out of my comfort zone and just give it a try! I do like the fact that they have put this type of flavour into consideration though as it's a brilliant American classic.


Next we had the smoked salmon with horseradish, soured cream and chives. For a savory dish, this had to be one of my favourites. Everything just worked so beautifully together, cooked to perfection; I would have to order this if they were to place it onto their menu! The egg was cooked just right so that the yolk would work with the fresh salmon, and crispy potatoes; The lightness of the sour cream made it overall refreshing and subtle to taste.


Moving onto the next dish, we had a soft fluffy coconut pancake with roasted rum pineapple and a scoop of vanilla icecream. Absolutely mouthwatering.. I have never tasted anything so sweet and sharp. This was my second favorite of the whole menu, I could eat this daily if I could!

We then had a short interlude where we could let our tummies rest a little for the next dishes; it was very pleasant to talk and sip our cocktails and reflect on the food that we just had.

Credit to Sarah for the picture of the next course

This was a dish I was a little bit nervous for! I've never had black pudding before, so I thought i'd take the plunge and try it. This also came with roast potatoes and applesauce, and I was actually surprised at the taste. The black pudding wasn't as bad as I thought, it tasted quite herby a little like stuffing, and the applesauce complimented it well. I was proud of myself to be a bit more adventurous with food!


Last but not least, we were presented with brioche french toast, with maple roasted apples, and mascarpone. French toast was another thing that I had on my 'to try' list! I absolutely loved it, the brioche bread was sweet to the taste, and the mascarpone was lightly gooey which together melted in the mouth. I couldn't believe how full I was after the brunch, but it was worth it!


Towards the end of the experience, we were given a sheet each to fill out about our thoughts on each dish, to give it a rating and to then add what we would like to see on their new menu. As you could probably gather, to limit it down to one selection was tricky. I'm looking forward to finding out which dish that they add, when I return.
We were given sliders of mini treats, which unfortunately I couldn't eat that much more, but had to get a shot for you all. And beautifully finished off with a coffee; The day was an enjoyable one and intimate, with the amount of bloggers there and the venue's size.



A big thank you to Monet for organizing it and Olivers for the fantastic brunch!
It's a place I'd definitely recommend to all, do feel free to have a browse at their website and maybe pop in if you're ever around Derby!

Love Ellie xo