APERETIF @ LA VARENNE

Happy hours in Doha just got very, very tasty...

At the beginning of last week, an email landed in my inbox from the lovely Frances at La Varenne, very kindly inviting me to come and sample their brand new happy hour, 'Aperetif'.

Between 5pm and 7pm, Sunday to Thursday, you can head to La Varenne for a selection of signature hors d'oeuvres and sweet treats from the dessert trolley, along with a selected beverage, for 40QR. For someone like me, who enjoys her food far more than her alcohol, this happy hour concept really appeals to me (and my stomach!). The fact that I pass La Varenne - situated in the Tornado Tower, City Centre - on my way home from work is particularly convenient, although potentially dangerous for my waistline...

Accompanied by Jemma, we popped in for the final hour of the Aperetif sitting after work on Wednesday, where Rosalyn and hubby to be Rich had saved us space at their table.

Having arrived at the start of the sitting, they had already tucked in to their selection, so when the trolley arrived it signalled the turn of Jemma and I to pick our nibbles, and our beverages.

The drinks selection is surprisingly vast, with four cocktails, four mocktails, wine, cider, beer and spirits to choose from.

Once you've picked your poison (Jemma and I both opted for the Berry Express mocktails, which were delicious and beautifully presented), it's on to the main event - the hors d'oeuvres!

Being that my main loves in life (family, friends and boyfriend aside!) are cheese and chocolate, I thought it only fair to opt for two cheese savoury options, and two naughty chocolate numbers from the dessert trolley.

They were all lovely, but the highlights for me were the roquefort with caramelised onion pastry puff (technical term...!) and the milk chocolate fudge.

As you can see, the hors d'oeuvres are only bitesize (or they were for me, I devoured them so quickly!), so this would make an ideal spot to meet friends after work for a quiet drink and something to tide you over until you arrive home to make dinner. Alternatively, you could always stay on to dine at La Varenne!

I really like this sophisticated twist on the standard happy hours available elsewhere in Doha, particularly as the selection of hors d'oeuvres changes daily, so you are in for a new surprise each time you visit.

Priced at only 40QR, I know that this is a place I will aim to frequent a lot more after work going forward!

I will leave you with a photo of the Valentines cow currently taking pride of place between La Varenne and the Anvil Rooms!

For reservations, email: reservations@lavarenne.qa or call +974 4499 0680

BloggingME: Bloggers Workshop at the Four Seasons Doha

Saturday 31st January marked a day that I was particularly excited about.

A few weeks before, Harriet had suggested that we attend the BloggingME workshop, a workshop for new and existing bloggers to learn tips and tricks about blogging whilst mingling with other Doha based bloggers. We immediately booked our places!

Held at the gorgeous Four Seasons hotel, and hosted by the fabulous Kirsty Rice and Sarah Derrig, it transpired to be a brilliant day, filled with laughter, good food, lovely company and David Beckham's bed, all whilst being entirely educational.

When we arrived, it was clear to see that our hostesses, in collaboration with the fabulous PR manager from the Four Seasons, Mia, had gone all out for the workshop.

Each place was set with FS headed note paper and a pen, with a beautiful complimentary FS Moleskine notebook for each attendee. We were each handed a beautiful fruit concoction, which we sipped whilst mingling with our fellow bloggers either side of us.

Then began the presentation!

Whilst I wouldn't consider myself a newbie to blogging, 2015 is my year for self-improvement and I fully welcomed all of the advice given by experienced bloggers Kirsty and Sarah, to help to improve my little space on the Internet and make it the very best it can be.

The course was extremely thorough, discussing the different types of platforms available to new bloggers, tips to create graphics, tips for designing your blog (if anybody is interested, I worked with the very lovely Felicity on my blog design), post construction, timing of publishing, how to increase traffic to your blog by utilising social media, and much, much more - it is safe to say I walked away with an abundance of newfound knowledge.

We took a short break for lunch, where we made a beeline for the sweets!

Having sampled the amazing 'chocolate cellar' at the Four Season's Friday brunch before, I knew that we would be in for a treat with this little lot, and we certainly weren't disappointed! Chocolate orange macarons, need I say more?

Back in the workshop, we continued with the remainder of the presentation, but not before we had a chance to be a little bit silly with the props.

Who doesn't love a good prop!?

At the end of the presentation, we were taken on a very special tour of one of the Four Seasons luxurious suites. To our absolute delight, we were told that David Beckham had stayed in the very suite we were viewing just weeks before when he came to Doha for the mens tennis. Cue some very excited ladies!

It would be wrong to not embrace the chance to (almost) hop in to bed with Beckham!

FYI this wasn't my outfit for the whole of the workshop - we were so very kindly each gifted one of these luxurious Four Seasons dressing gowns, embroidered with our initials, by the lovely Mia.

As if we hadn't already been spoilt enough, our final treat of the day was to enjoy a social gathering on the Il Teatro terrace, where Chef Marco Arlotti cooked up a storm whilst we chatted, sipped bubbles, and snapped photos.

Harriet, as per usual, looked stunning!

An absolutely fabulous day from start to finish! I feel like I walked away with a mind full of new ideas, as well as having met some really great people, with some brilliant new blogs to read! There was a wonderful sense of community, which is probably quite rare to find as in most countries the blogging community is already so vast that it would be impossible to gather everybody together in a collective. In Doha, the blogging community is still relatively new (but most certainly growing!) so it was a great chance to mingle with like-minded people, and to feel part of something so exciting.

To crown everything off, today the winner was announced for the competition to win a one night stay in David Beckhams bed the incredible Four Seasons suite that we viewed...and somehow I managed to win it! I am absolutely over the moon. Not only do I never, ever win anything, but after a year and a half of booking my sporting analysts in to the Four Seasons and hearing their tales of how amazing it is, I can finally experience it for myself! So excited!

A very special thanks to Kirsty, Sarah, Mia, and the Four Seasons staff for such a brilliant day.

Image courtesy of the Four Seasons, shot by the talented Joe Agdeppa