As the New Year approaches I have been contemplative on what, for the rest of the world, seemed to be a right shite annus horrobilus. Twenty sixteen for me, however, has been a really good year which marks the start of a new blog, a new dog and a new life in Scotland.

Now that I have finished writing up my Brighton posts, the blog will move to Scotland in the New Year with – hopefully! – lots of new content. I’ve also got myself a shiny new job so that helps with the funding of my eating habits 😂

So for my year in review I wanted to recap on some of my most memorable meals…

In February we headed to Reykjavik for my boyfriend’s birthday and we had one of the most amazing meals at Forréttabarinn – langoustine soup followed by horse (😱) you can see my full review here. We also got our wee dog Stanley when we got back which is literally one of the best things I’ve ever done.

In March, after only a few short months of the existence of ‘the wee food blogger’ I was invited to try Market Restaurant in Hove. That was rather exciting and I took along Lady K to sample their wares with me, you can read what we thought here.

In April my Auntie and Uncle came to visit and we ate A LOT that weekend. The highlight, however, was The Dorset where I had real homemade scampi. Total game changer. Head over here to read more about our visit.

In May we headed to Greece, well Archipelagos, for a date night but we would well have been in Greece! – I think I raved about this one so much that nearly everyone I knew ended up going here too. Job complete. Here is the full review. Still dreaming about those sausages.

One of my Best Roast of the Year Awards goes to… The Foragers 👏🏼 This cracking roast was near perfect and I’ve not quite found anyone else that was up to the same standard this year. Here is the full write up.

Next up was one of my favourite finds of 2016: Tropical Sushi. I met the lovely team at the Food Festival and so was delighted to find out that they were ‘popping up’ in Oseta Cafe in town. It’s next level – find out more here. It was also one of my most popular posts of the year.

The Brighton and Hove Food Hero Award went to Polygon Pop Up this year for bringing us loads of affordable foodie goodies to the Ribot terrace. My highlight was 64 degrees and you can read the review here (along with some others over on the blog).

In January my favourite breakfast spot, Vanilla Pod (RIP) closed down so 2016 was a year of best breakfast hunting. My full round up ended up on Brighton Girl website and Joe’s, igigi and Billie’s were all strong contenders but the ultimate Best Full English Award goes to V&H Cafe. Read all about it here.

In August, I fully made the most of the bosses paying for dinner with a mammoth feast from GB1 at The Grand.  The main course is one of those dishes that will stay with me forever. Find out what I all managed to eat here.

September was a good month. I was first invited to dine at Isaac At when they re-opened their restaurant, which for a fledging blogger like myself was kinda a big deal. Read all about our 9 courses night here.

For my birthday, mid September, we headed all the way to New York City which was absolutely AMAZING. There are lots of posts over on the blog but the highlight for me was doing a DIY Sex and the City tour followed by an amazing dinner at Cull & Pistol in Chelsea Market. Not sure how next year’s birthday is going to top that?! Here is my NYC Food Journal which features Cull & Pistol.

Back in Brighton and my birthday dinner out with Lady K was to The Set which I had been dying to visit for ages. It didn’t disappoint. They even gave me a wee cake for my birthday. Find out all about it here.

After one particularly heavy evening, I was dying and dying for a roast but the thought of leaving the house brought my out in hives. So I did the unthinkable and ordered a roast to be delivered to my house. What arrived was actually awarded my Second Best Roast of the Year Award. It was from Breeze Brasserie and was literally the best thing ever for the convenience of not having to go out. Read more here.

A special mention also needs to go to Troll Burger for this beast which was eaten underneath Brighton Station. I didn’t review it but I can report that it was SHAMAZING.

In October, I was contacted by a company called La Belle Assiette who invited me to invite guests to my home for a three course dinner cooked for us by a private chef. As I have just moved back in with Granny May we decided Sarah of Brass Buttons and Confidence would host at her house for the four of us. The whole experience was amazing from start to finish and you can read the full review here. Definitely a great idea for those something special nights at home.

One of my final suppers in Brighton was at my favourite Thai restaurant which is a bit of a hidden gem in town called Tookta’s Cafe. The tempura prawns are literally one of the best things in the worllllld. Head over to the review now to find out more.

So, all in all, 2016 has been amazing year for me and my belly!  I’m looking forward to exploring more of Scotland and the food scene in Edinburgh and will be coming back in the New Year with lots more Scottish recommendations and reviews.

To those who have stuck with me from Brighton and from the beginning thank you and to those of you now just joining me from Scotland, hello!

2016, it’s been emotional.

the wee food blogger 💛