Life, with Clotted Cream
An ordinary life with a dusting of luxury.
A touch of luxury
The hubby and I are always on the hunt for unique experiences. We found one. A truly remarkable experience that will stay with me for the rest of my life.
We love movies. In particular, we love going to the #Electric Cinema with its old-worldly style and classic charm. We love to have that sense of luxury, knowing that for two hours we can indulge in a lifestyle that we can only but aspire to.
A few months ago the hubby came across this amazing opportunity where the Electric Cinema has a drive-in in Oxfordshire. With a bit of luck from the ticket fairy we managed to book the last two available seats on the first day the booking opened. A #BMWi8. Wow!
On Sunday afternoon we set out in the autumn rain towards Oxford, secretly hoping the rain will clear as we don’t know what to expect from this drive-in experience. Along the way we saw a service station that sells #Starbucks and we can’t resist a bit of Pumpkin Spice Latte for the road! Google’s satnav function takes us on some strange, but absolutely stunning, country roads. The tree-lined avenues just added that tad of extra magic to our adventure.
As we drove up to #Soho Farmhouse we couldn’t help but feeling a bit out of place. Everything was so grand and we felt so plain against the grandeur. We parked our ever so plain car amongst the cream of the automobile world and we walked through the crisp wooden fence towards the grey main building. In a second we were transported to another world. The low-lit path made for a romantic stroll, behind us the familiar cling of a bicycle’s bell warns us of another couple’s approach. Little wooden cabins are dotted around and then we saw it: a field of electric BMW’s all parked neatly in front of a giant screen. Having never been in the 50’s era, I could just imagine that this is what it must’ve felt like. Two quint little food trucks are parked up with lanterns lighting the retro setting. Bales of hay creates a fete-like atmosphere. 50’s music is playing softly in the background.
We were shown to our car and given a little tour of the do’s and don’ts of the evening. We were presented with a white flag that will allow us to have ‘car-service’ during the movie. Since we arrived in good time (an hour before the movie starts) we decided to go and explore the main building. A spa. Luxury oozed out of every corner of this building. In the changing rooms you can help yourself to the use of hairdryers and hair straighteners. And there were every possible toiletry going. In abundance. I washed my hands with the unique-smelling Cowshed hand wash. A lightbulb went on. This is the same hand wash they have at the Electric Cinema in Portobello Road. This Spa is called the Cowshed… I dried my hands with the rolled-up cotton towel and dropped it in the hole next to the sink – I hope that is where it was supposed to go!
We were starting to feel peckish so we headed towards the food trucks. One was for drinks and the other served freshly made burgers and chilli dogs. I ordered a delicious cocktail, but for the life of me cannot remember what it was! We both settled on a chilli dog and chips for dinner – all served on bamboo plates. The chilli was aromatic and flavourful and the sausage had that satisfying crack when I sank my teeth into it. The roll was crisp on the outside, yet surprisingly fluffy on the inside. A luxurious chilli dog for a luxurious date night.
We moved towards our car to settle in before the movie starts. For the next ten minutes we just sat and admired our surroundings, dreaming about the day we, too, can make this luxury a permanent feature in our lives.
Midway through the movie the heated seats are only warming the back half of my body. My arms needed that extra comfort that can only be brought by a soft blanket. We took the chance and stuck the flag out. Within minutes someone came to the window. We ordered two Cokes and casually mentioned that I was feeling a bit cold. With our Cokes, much to our surprise, arrived not only the warmest, nicest smelling, cosiest blanket, but also a hot water bottle neatly covered in a crochet jacket! Wow, oh wow! That is service.
Very sadly the action-packed movie ended (we watched #Atomic Blonde in case you were wondering) and it was time for us to say our goodbyes. Another round of pictures and the fact that I had to leave early the next day for work forced us to leave this magical night behind. Electric Cinema: you have outdone yourselves. You have made the ordinary very extra-ordinary with your small, but classy touches. Thank you for being part of what could’ve been a mundane existence a magical adventure.
Life, with Clotted Cream 
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