Golden Birthdays and British Food

Last week I was able to experience something I had been waiting for my entire life. Which is a whole 23 years. Because last week on the 23rd, I turned 23. My Golden Birthday! For some reason as a kid I was convinced that something magical was bound to happen when turning the age of the date your birthday falls on. Like you'd win the lottery. Or you actually got the pony you asked for. Except it was a unicorn. Or your dream job would fall into your lap. Well, I don't have any unicorns to vouch for my Golden Birthday Theory. And I'll surely still be working to earn my money. But I'll be doing it while cooking in a fabulously beautiful, creative and award-winning restaurant. The restaurant where I took cooking classes a few months ago offered me a job! Oh, how life is funny sometimes. I'm sad to leave my last job. I've made so many great friends there and have learned so much, but this is an opportunity that cannot be passed up! So, as I'm adjusting (yet again. I feel in a perpetual state of adjustment) and settling into a new routine, I'm grateful for every second I'm standing in that kitchen. I'm beyond blessed to be where I am. God is good!

This new job doesn't change where I'm headed in a few months, though! So my birthday lunch with my family was celebrated at a British restaurant, The British Chip Shop. I wanted to enjoy some true English food before being surrounded by it all the time having no idea what it is. After this meal, however, I've only gotten more excited for what's to come.

Here's what we devoured:

Welsh rarebit. Or what I like to call beer battered French toast covered in cheese. These Brits are onto something.

A sandwich with chicken, Swiss cheese, wholegrain mustard and sliced apple.

My Ploughman's lunch. If this is how meals are over there, I'm set! A little bit of everything.

Chicken and mushroom pie. 

Fish and chips! And they make an excellent version.

Fish and chips in sandwich form. Can't go wrong with that!

I walked over to look at this pastry display at least seven times. I am in heavennnnn.

I ordered an Eccles cake, cherry shortbread, vanilla bean shortbread, and a "spot of tea!" Eccles is the town I'll be living in, and this pastry is their claim to fame. It's surprisingly similar to the Currant Cakes I posted a few weeks ago. They had so many shortbread flavors to choose from, though these two were amazing. And I now refuse to pour tea of anything other than tea pots this adorable. 

Mom Mum got lavender and ginger shortbread, which were also excellent. 

Needless to say, I left the restaurant pretty stuffed excited for what's to come. All this talk about how undesirable the food is over there is just plain riffraff. I'm not sure how anyone can say beer-infused cheesy French toast is undesirable. And then I started P90X the following day. It seemed fitting.

Happy June, everyone! Hope you've been able to get the grill going and spend some quality time outdoors. Thanks for stopping by!