GET YOUR DAY STARTED WITH ENGLISH BREAKFAST
Step 1: Open your eyes first thing in the morning to the sound of rain pattering against the large single-pane windows in the room you’re staying in. You and your closest friends are renting an old estate house in Scotland, the month is October and the crisp weather has arrived in the countryside. Glance around the room and notice things you hadn’t seen the night before: a figurine of an Irish Setter, the toile curtains, and red and blue Persian rug. It’s giving ‘The Holiday’ vibes up in here.
Step 2: Throw on a flannel robe and head down a creaky staircase to the big, white-washed kitchen. Some of your friends are there already, pulling breakfast together and making tea. The huge kitchen island is covered in spilled Cheerios, apple splices, and orange peels. Your pal slides a hot mug of English Breakfast tea over to you, into which you toss a spoonful of sugar and a glug of oat milk. Take some hearty sips as you listen to your friends chattering away.
Step 3: The rain has slowed down since breakfast, so pull on some wellies and head out the door for a long walk down the road into town. Along the way you spot sheep grazing in the distance. The air is clean and dewy, and birds are flitting overhead between tree branches. Your head feels clear and your body refreshed as you round the corner into a small village filled with old pubs and cheerful folks. You stare down at the cobblestones you’re walking on, glance at the terrier trotting past you, and then up towards the sky as the clouds part and the sun hits your face.
Step 4: Locate the yummiest looking bakery and purchase a dozen biscuits and another cup of tea (you are in Scotland, after all). You decide to sit for a while, sipping your tea and nibbling on one of the biscuits. Its perfect butter to flour ratio melts in your mouth. You notice classic celtic music playing in the shop, and see too many fabulous raincoats to count. Take another deep breath and sink into the cozy, understated vibe. Before you leave, an elderly woman dressed in tweed asks you for the time, which for some unknown reason feels like an enormous honor.
Step 5: When you get back to the house, your friends have made a roaring fire and are beginning to pull a pot of stew together for dinner that night. They devour the biscuits you brought back and begin discussing the evening's activities. Y’all settle on classic card games in front of the fireplace with wine in hand. You’re beaming and laughing, languishing in the simplicity of it all.