2021 - The Year That Really Wasn't All It Should Have Been

Published On Friday 31 Dec 2021 by Sticky Beak
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Well folks, we made it through 2021. Is it just me, or was it a bit under-whelming? I started with such high hopes; surely 2021 couldn’t be as crap as 2020? I look back and there have definitely been some high points – just not as many as there should have been. Maybe that’s just me being my usual greedy self though! There has been an awful lot to be grateful for, not least the fact that we’re still here, alive and healthy; many families have lost loved ones and many businesses have sadly not survived the economic impact of Covid-19.

The Man Bird and I (and various other flock members when time has allowed) have had another super year of eating and drinking, visiting some old favourites again and discovering new treasures as well. This little blog of mine has been going since 2013 and I still get the same giddy excitement now (when an invite to a venue comes in) as I did back in the early days. It’s been lovely to meet so many fabulous people along the way, and I am beyond thrilled that more of you are interacting with us, whether it’s telling us somewhere you’ve enjoyed eating at, suggesting places for us to try when we ask, or just commenting on posts. I’m going to take this opportunity to say thank you; each time you get in touch it makes my heart jump for joy... unless you’re a negative Nelly, in which case just scroll by instead of dragging the mood down!

Behind the scenes, The Man Bird has been working his feathers off. Without him, the blog would be a higgledy piggledy hot-mess that no-one would be able to follow! One of the things he’s started doing is collating themes together to make it even easier for you gorgeous peeps to find what you’re looking for. Currently, he has done ‘Where to go for Sunday Lunch’ and ‘Where to eat in and around Belper’; other pages will be following through the year, so look out for them.

I am tinkering with the idea of doing health snippets, something along the lines of ‘how to have your cake and eat it’ where I suggest how to eat out smarter. It’s well documented that I have NO self-control whatsoever when I eat out, but this is perhaps not sustainable if I want to look after my long-term health? If you’re a Chef or Manager or Restaurant Owner and you would be interested in sharing your dishes and suggesting savvier alternatives, then please get in touch. Likewise, if you attend a weekly club that requires you to dial-in certain food groups and you’ve found tasty alternatives whilst dining out, then please share the information with me. I have also potentially got something coming with a nutrition and fitness coach/personal trainer. The finer details need to be thrashed out (over brunch, what else?!) sometime in January, so fingers crossed we can formulate our ideas into a blog-friendly piece and share it across both our pages!

New Years Eve (tonight) will see me and the Flock (minus my beloved Daddy Bird who is no longer with us) dining at a local Curry House; it’s something we began several years ago and has become a bit of a family tradition! Delhi Signature is this years’ choice thanks to us having savoured several scrummy takeaways and dining in meals with them over the year.

Whatever your plans, I hope you enjoy them and surround yourself with those people that make you happy – life’s too short not to enjoy it! His Nibs and I wish you all the very, very best – and thank you again for supporting The Sticky Beak Blog and your local eateries, along the way:

Much Love,
Sticky and The Man Bird.
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