To celebrate St. Patrick’s day I was kindly invited along to the Newcastle Races by Ladbrokes. A formal event for once on this blog- are you shocked? You should be, you’re about to see me in a dress…
OOTD
I originally was going to wear a dress from SimplyBe, a gorgeous floral skater dress but when I realised how cold I was going to be I opted for this lovely palm print dress from Tesco. I finally got a chance to get out my high wedges from New Look ( I’m almost as tall as Rob in them, that makes me happy!)
I got ready in the morning with a little help from the lovely girls at The Wax Bar, and I got my hair sorted at the Paul Bryan Salon in West Jesmond before heading off to meet Chloe and get on our way to the races.
The Venue- Newcastle Race Course
We arrived at the venue around 11:45 for a 12:00 start. Pulling up to the beautiful Brandling House, we could see the horses arriving in their travel boxes and being walked to the stables ahead of their races which was quite exciting to see. Outside there’s a beautiful statue and inside is no exception, decorated beautifully, it is a very photogenic building. (Perfect place for bloggers!)
We met with the other invited bloggers and the lovely Audrey and Beth who were hosting us and walked up to the suite where we were greeted with bright green bucks fizz!
At our table we were given cute little good luck bracelets for the races and were greeted by the greenest table I’ve ever seen! I picked my seat and realised I had a good view of the TV so I could watch the races at Cheltenham as well as in Newcastle! Perfect!
Food and Drink
We had been invited to try out the 3 course lunch offered by the racecourse and I have to admit I was quite excited for it. I am a renowned fussy eater so I was quite pleased to see that the menu options weren’t strict and it was a buffet of all the menu choices!
My starter was a leek and potato soup (I’m still trying to stick to my healthy diet even on days out!) which had a lovely firey kick to it.
For my main I chose to go for the roasted Sirloin of Beef and roast potatoes and parsnips with a whopping yorkshire pudding on the side. It was so filling and tasted amazing. Really sweet and creamy potatoes and well-cooked beef, a great lunch for me!
I chose to not take a desert just because of my diet but I have to admit I was quite lusting after everyone else’s deserts when they arrived!
Overall I was quite impressed with the food on offer but I have to admit you have to come to the races prepared to SPEND! Added extras such as drinks and extra food offerings such as cheeseboards etc will soon add up but it’s to be expected at a public event like this!
Atmosphere
In the Suite…
One thing I was most excited about was getting to experience the atmosphere of the races. I’d only ever watched it on TV and with access to all public areas of the racecourse through my ticket, I took full advantage, walking pretty much everywhere I was allowed!
Our suite was full of similar 12 seater tables of people all laughing joking and watching the races avidly as well as enjoying the lunch supplied. It was a really lovely atmosphere that immediately put me at ease and allowed me to enjoy it.
My favourite thing during our lunch was that a troupe of Irish dancers came in and performed as part of their charity fundraiser! I’ve had a lot of Irish dancing going on this week! They were so cute!
On the racecourse..
The winner’s circle |
For one of the races we braced the wind and headed right down to the course where everyone was shouting and jeering as the horses flew by! It was exciting and thrilling especially when people’s bets came in! I didn’t put a bet on myself but I did enjoy watching everyone screaming as they watched the horses coming down the homestretch.
View from the viewing balcony of the suite |
I am a real horse lover, so for me I wanted to get as close to them as I could and that’s exactly what I did. I got right down to the winner’s enclosure and watched as the panting horses drank as much as they could whilst being bathed in warm water after their races. It was amazing to see such beautiful animals up close and to hear the trainers, grooms and owners all talking about them and their performances.
Overall Opinion
Our tickets were worth £102. Given that you get a full three course meal and speedy waiter service when required, as well as access to all parts of the racecourse, to me it seemed a justified price for that added little bit of luxury to your day at the races!
I had a really lovely afternoon, especially because I got to meet some new bloggers! I spent most of the afternoon with the lovely Chloe and Abbie– go check their blogs out!
All in all, a really fun afternoon and I’m so grateful to be invited to such an event and to walk away with some new friends and cute photos for my scrapbook!
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S x
*This post is in collaboration with Ladbrokes who kindly invited me to review the day, all opinions are my own*