The Bold Hotel – Lord Street – Southport

I was staying at The Bold Hotel in Southport, which is a Grade II listed hotel, originally built in 1832. It now offers accommodation and dining in elegant & stylish surroundings. The exterior of the Hotel in a late Georgian style looks very inviting. The red wooden sculpture above the main entrance of local steeplechaser Red Rum was very impressive. The Bold also has a large popular outside seating area too.

Situated on Lord Street, Southport’s Parisienne Boulevard this distinctive four-star hotel has twenty – three individually styled bedrooms. All rooms across the hotel are non-smoking and room service is available twenty-four hours a day. I was very pleased to discover that the hotel itself is situated right in the centre of Southport, close to restaurants, the beach and pier. Parking was limited to seven spaces at the rear of the Hotel but there is plenty of paid street parking out the front.

Situated on the first and second floors of this fully refurbished hotel, each of the hotel’s 23 beautifully styled and luxuriously appointed, en-suite bedrooms are well-equipped with all modern facilities.

The Bold Hotel does not have a lift and access to reception and the first & second floors is by a series of stairs, but staff were on hand to help us with our luggage. The staff at the Bold were excellent, always finding the time to talk with us about our visit and answer any questions we had about their Hotel and town.

My room had a beautiful Victorian bay window with views overlooking the hustle & bustle of Lord Street. I was pleased to note that the tea and coffee making facilities came with plenty of English Breakfast tea and small milk pots, an essential ingredient for any stay. The free WiFi service was also excellent and much appreciated in these modern times.

The huge flat screen television was situated on the opposite wall to the enormous king – size bed which had some beautiful Egyptian cotton bed linen and plenty of fluffy pillows lying against a large grey decorative headboard.

Three armchairs and a small table next to the large Bay window provided plenty of light for reading or just to watch the people go by! There was also a large dressing table and plenty of hanging space for our luggage. There was also a very quiet fan & a Dyson Air diffuser!

I was told that The Bold had recently undergone an initial £2 million refurbishment five years ago with a further £300,000 spent on further renovations this year and it showed! Our room was top quality!

All guests can also take advantage of the facilities at the nearby Victoria Leisure Centre if they wish. Just a five minute walk from the hotel, Victoria Leisure boasts 5000 square metres of equipment space split between a Main, Ladies only and dedicated Family gym, 3 Swimming Pools as well as Sauna, Steam and Hydrotherapy rooms and a range of popular instructor led classes. Guests should ask at reception at check in, for their leisure pass and any other information. Unfortunately, I did not have the time to visit on this occasion.

Downstairs I could not miss the beautiful function room at the back of the hotel, complete with a fabulous bespoke chandelier. I was told that the room is always available to hire for private parties and functions. The Restaurant and bar area is at the heart of the hotel. It is a tastefully decorated and furnished area in which we sat and enjoyed breakfast and coffee.

As I walked back to the hotel after eating at the Bistro Pierre restaurant one evening, I was able to take in the beauty of Lord Street under lights. The town is as beautiful at night as it is in the daytime. The steeplechase theme continues in this area with a very interesting pair of scales which had once been used for weighing the jockeys at meetings. There were also a number of photographs on the walls showing the Bold throughout the years which I found fascinating.

Overall, my visit to the Bold Hotel was comfortable, relaxing, and enjoyable. The staff, whether at reception, serving at our breakfast table presented a smart, professional, and efficient service. We both enjoyed an excellent weekend in relaxed surroundings. Our room had buckets of character and was warm, clean, and restful. The Bold Hotel comes highly recommended from me.

LORDS CAFÉ BAR – Lord Street – Southport

I stopped and had lunch at the Lords Café Bar, a unique continental style café bar on the North end of Lord Street. It was an ideal spot in which to sit and relax, enjoy a full-English breakfast or a light lunch with a glass of wine or simply pass the time away watching the world pass by over a hot pot of tea, steaming coffee and cakes! A comprehensive food & drinks menu to suit all tastes whether for breakfast, lunch or afternoon tea is also available! Live music and entertainment are normally offered in the evenings supported by an extensive range of continental beers, wines and spirits but due to the present restrictions is not at the moment. Lords is also available for private hire.

My wife and I opted for a light lunch so chose a wrap from the daily lunch menu.

Chicken Caesar Wrap: Grilled chicken, bacon, lettuce, Caesar dressing & Parmesan.

Tuna Melt Baguette: Tuna, red onion and a blend of mozzarella & cheddar cheese.

We also shared a small pot of thick cut chips

Mocha: A cappuccino layered with chocolate

Cappuccino: An espresso topped with a rich creamy foam of steamed milk and dusted with cocoa powder

The food was excellent, presentation was perfect, and the service is what you would expect from a well – run, professionally trained staff, friendly & efficient. The Café interior was comfortable, bright and agreeable with lots of outside pavement tables & chairs too. The Lords Cafe Bar comes Highly Recommended by this visitor.

Everything Stops for Tea at The Nostalgia Tearooms

Is there anything more quintessential of English customs than the classic afternoon or high tea? What better way to spend a couple of hours in the day than to sit down and enjoy an assortment of well prepared, tasty finger sandwiches followed by warm homemade fruit scones covered with thick Clotted Cream and Strawberry or Raspberry Jam? Perhaps add several dainty, delicate homemade cakes, washing it all down with lashings of warm tea and suddenly all is at peace in the world!

Anna Maria, the Seventh Duchess of Bedford, is credited with the invention of afternoon tea in 1840. She is said to have experienced what she called a ‘sinking feeling’ in the middle of the afternoon due to the long gap between a light lunch and her evening meal which during the early nineteenth century was served at around eight o clock. To relieve her hunger pangs, she asked her footman to bring her a pot of tea, bread, butter and cake in the late afternoon for a little light refreshment.

She began to enjoy this ritual so much she began to invite her friends over for tea and gossip about the latest scandal and the afternoon tea was born! The ritual caught on and afternoon tea became all the rage among the upper crust. The Earl of Sandwich had earlier had the idea of putting a filling between two slices of bread, hence the sandwich!

“There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea.”

Henry James

Afternoon tea continued to become a fashionable social event in which upper-class society women would change into long gowns, gloves and hats for their afternoon tea which was usually served in the drawing room between four and five o’clock.

Whilst in Southport my wife and I enjoyed a delicious Afternoon Tea at the Nostalgia Tearoom on Lord Street. The tearoom was to be found on the first floor up a flight of stairs in a beautiful building. All Covid- protocols were in place and the arrangements for our visit were explained to us as soon as we arrived. There was a one – way system around the tables and if we needed the washroom or toilets we were told where to stand and wait to be told when they were free and open. We felt very safe and comfortable with the arrangements.

We were sat in a corner seat overlooking Lord Street, a great spot from which to do a little people watching.

The tea was delivered in a very bright and cheerful authentic setting by friendly and welcoming serving staff. Our tall elegant cake stand contained a selection of luxury finger sandwiches. We had been asked to select four from a choice of nine sandwich fillings. We chose the Home Baked Ham & Red Cheddar Cheese, Prawns in a Marie Rose Sauce, Tuna Mayonnaise and Egg Mayonnaise. The sandwiches came with a small pot of salad and salad cream or mayonnaise.

We then went on to the Homemade scones with a large helping of thick clotted cream & the finest sweet strawberry jam. Arguments continue to rage over the order in which the cream and Jam should be placed on the sliced scone. In a Devon Cream Tea, it is cream on the scone then the Jam; in Cornwall, the Jam is spread first followed by the cream! It is just a matter of preference – for me it is the Cornish method, cream on top of Jam. Superb!

My home-made Fruit scone came with fresh butter, Strawberry jam and Clotted cream. There were four slices of sponge cake and a wonderful glass of an Eton Mess dessert topped with even more cream and a strawberry! There was also a thin slice of perfectly cooked and tasty home-made quiche. I did not need to eat again for the rest of the day.

The `Lane Farm` Staffordshire fine china tea set was just splendid! White china decorated with images of ` afternoon tea`, cakes, cherries, strawberries & even more cakes. We decided to opt for tea, but you could choose to include Prosecco for that special treat, if you wanted to.

All the sandwiches were full and tasty and very well presented. Small glass pots spread around the base were filled with the finest jam and clotted cream.

I am an afternoon tea type of girl. I come from a Russian background where we love our teas. So, between lunch and dinner after training I come home and I love a nice cup of tea with jam in it, as we drink it there. Black English Breakfast with raspberry jam is my favourite.

Maria Sharapova

Our afternoon tea at the Nostalgia Tearooms was simply delightful. This is how tea should always be served! There was no need for us to eat again for the rest of the day! If you are looking to enjoy an afternoon tea in the Southport area, why not call in to the Nostalgia Tearooms on Lord Street. You will not be disappointed.

Bistrot Pierre – Southport

The Bistrot Pierre restaurant was a short five-minute walk along Lord Street from our Hotel, The Bold. The restaurant is much more than a place to visit for some food and drink! Whilst I was dining, I noticed several groups of people celebrating birthdays and other personal group parties. It made for a wonderful atmosphere in the restaurant.

Our waitress, Angela, was very friendly and knowledgeable. She was very enthusiastic and quite clearly happy in her job. All of the staff were very friendly, knowledgeable and efficient.

For drinks I opted for a brew from the Camden Town Brewery after being given a couple of samples to taste. My wife chose a Raspberry & Rose Soda, Fever – Tree Tonic. We also chose a bottle of Argentinian Malbec, Don David El Esteco to compliment our meal.

For a starter we went for three small plates of Mini Chorizos with Honey, Grilled Spiced Chicken Skewers marinated in a spicy tomato & chilli sauce and Peperonata Arancini with Tomato, Mozzarella & Mixed Pepper with Pesto mayonnaise. We loved the small plates, we thought this was a much better option rather than choosing two starters and we were proven to be correct. The small slice of lemon squeezed over the chicken was a essential touch too as the chicken was exactly as it said in the description! Spicy & Hot!

My wife chose their signature dish of twenty-five years, the Beef Bourguignon. Inspired by the classic French recipe the marinated diced beef is slowly braised in red wine, shallots, mushrooms, and bacon then served with pomme puree and honey roasted carrots. My wife asked if she could swap the puree for Dauphinoise potatoes and it was no problem at all much to her delight. I chose the Honey Glazed pork medallions with morteau sausage, caramelised apples, Dijon beurre blanc, French beans & of course dauphinoise potatoes, our favourite. Both dishes were fantastic, all the chefs should be complimented on their skills in cooking and presenting such wonderful dishes.

Desserts were once again the perfect way to end the meal. My wife opted for the Eton Mess, strawberry and vanilla ice cream with a mixed berry compote, crushed meringue, pistachios, and crème Chantilly. I went for the Chocolate Brownie, warm chocolate sauce and salted caramel ice cream. Simply delicious. To finish with I enjoyed an Irish Whiskey and my wife a Cappuccino. What a wonderful way to spend an evening.

I felt very comfortable in the restaurant and was very pleased with the high level of table service we had received. All Covid – 19 protocols appeared to be in place. Dining tables spaced apart and staff wearing face coverings or shields. The quality of the food and wine we enjoyed was top drawer! If you are looking for a first-class restaurant during your stay in Southport, for a small private dining experience or are looking for something a little livelier The Bistrot Pierre is sure to offer it. Check out the website to see what events and food specials are on today! I loved it.

Disclosure: My visit to The Bold Hotel, Bistrot Pierre 1994, Nostalgia Tearooms, Lords Café Bar and the town of Southport was courtesy of Visit Southport & FIDO PR Consultancy. The views and comments expressed are, as usual my own.