There’s a reason things have been a little quiet around here of late. Though I’m sure many of you already know from an array of ecstatic tweets and instagrams, at the start of May I was whisked away to Edinburgh for my 25th birthday and while I was there, well, I got engaged!

This is, obviously, really happy news and of course I said yes! It was truly the best proposal I could’ve hoped for, in a beautiful setting where we stayed in absolute luxury and at the end of a day full of incredible experiences. We’d been planning a trip to the scottish capital for a while ever since the arrival of the giant pandas. I’m absolutely panda crazy!

We took the train up on a Monday morning and I had no one idea about the plans once we got there. It was around about Newcastle when Matt handed me a copy of the Michelin Guide with 2 (TWO!!) post-its sticking out. One was labeled simply “Lunch” while another was labeled “Dinner & Hotel”. This was exciting on 2 levels. One: I was going to eat what is deemed to be some of the best food in the world, and twice in one day at that. Two: “& Hotel” meant we were staying above a top class restaurant so it was bound to be a pretty classy affair. The place in question was 1 Michelin Star restaurant 21212. We were lucky enough to stay in one of only four luxury rooms on the floors above the working restaurant and OMG was it nice.

Day One was spent enjoying the pleasures of the hotel which included gorgeous trays of tea, coffee and scottish shortbread, an absolutely monumental bath tub and gorgeous views all around. We went for a walk to get ourselves acquainted with Edinburgh and took in the Royal Mile and the Castle, finishing with a delicious meal at central bistro The Dogs. Matt and I nommed down on hefty portions of goats cheese, lamb, steak and red wine before heading back to the hotel. It was a really lovely restaurant with great, affordable food and a really calm, relaxed atmosphere – I really recommend it if you’re ever visiting!

Day Two was my birthday and it started early with presents in bed (a polaroid camera from Matt, a Tatty Devine necklace from friends and lots of lovely cards) followed by breakfast in a private dining pod. I can honestly say that dippy eggs have never tasted so good. After that we were off to the zoo. I love a zoo. Edinburgh Zoo had a really wide and interesting selection of animals and in a lovely hillside setting too. The enclosures were big and the weather was beautiful and we made our way around and then to our appointment with the pandas. You have to book ahead to see the pandas (it doesn’t cost any extra though and you get a 20 minute slot so it’s guaranteed not to be too crowded). Luckily for us, both pandas were up and about and I had a childlike, euphoric 20 minutes rushing around snapping pics and being giddy with delight. They really are that cute.

After the pandas we headed to our next stop, The Kitchin down on the dock. If you watch some cookery shows on telly the likelihood is that you’ll know head chef Tom Kitchin by sight. We had a set lunch menu and the matching wine flight which for me included lambs tongue, hake and an abundance of cheese. This restaurant also has one Michelin star and the experience (set courses, extras like petit fours & apetisers, service etc) were all top class. It really wasn’t as intimidating and posh as I was expecting and the staff made us feel really comfortable too. Plus I finally got to try an Alex James cheese! Blue Monday, and it was yum.

Bellies full and grinning from ear to ear we headed back to the hotel for a little relax. By this time it was around 4pm and I was ready for a nap before I tackled my next big meal. That’s when it happened. There I was, sitting wrapped up in my fluffy hotel provided dressing gown, all ready for a bath and Matt asked “Do you want to see the test shots I took with your new polaroid?” He handed them to me, I started leafing through. “Ooh, our flat, ah, my favourite cuddly toy, oh a… WHAT???!” There they were, 2 polaroids. In one, Matt holding up a sign saying “Will you…” and the next another sign saying “Marry Me?”

…

Ringing in my ears. Tingling in my toes. Blood rushing to my face. “ARE YOU JOKING?! ARE YOU JOKING?! ARE YOU JOKING?!”

Turns out he wasn’t joking.

That night after calling our parents and friends and guzzling some top dollar champagne, we headed downstairs for our second Michelin starred meal of the day. 21212 takes an approach that’s very different to The Kitchin. While our lunch stop focuses on classic cooking with the best local, seasonal, organic produce, 21212 is experimental. I have never eaten anything like it. Each dish was made up of so many different tastes and textures all coming together to create a massive explosion in your mouth. The “21212″ concept is that for the first course you have 2 choices to choose from, then 1 choice for the next, then 2 again for your main, then 1 choice for the penultimate course and then a choice of 2 puddings to finish. It was mind-blowing. Words can’t do it justice, so I won’t try.

The rest of the trip is a blur. We spent the rest of that night dizzy with excitement all kind of numb and warm. The train home the next day brought us home for mid-afternoon and then it was back down to reality. But with a ring on my finger. And oh, what a ring.

1920s vintage with 3 diamonds, I absolutely adore it. And it fits!

So yeah,to conclude, Edinburgh is a great place to visit and you can expect some wedding planning posts from me coming up :) What a lovely trip I had.