Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes
I’ve been looking forward to the British Museum’s Defining Beauty: the body in ancient Greek art exhibition since first reading about it some months ago. It was watching Alastair Sooke’s brilliant Treasures of Ancient Greece on BBC4 last night that reminded me that the exhibition must have opened. With another of my ‘days off between […]
Read MoreI’ve noticed the Observer‘s Jay Rayner praise Brasserie Zedel a few times. From Mr Rayner, this means a lot. So I’ve been thinking I must try it and then a few weeks ago passed it by chance and duly noted its location, promising myself to return soon. Having decided to take another of my midweek ‘holidays’ in-between […]
Read MoreA week ago, my daughter Nicola came down from Birmingham for the weekend and was taking her partner Rachael into London in the afternoon for some birthday treats. The birthday girl was first given a surprise of ice skating on the rink outside the Natural History Museum and then taken inside for the Wildlife Photographer […]
Read MoreWhitton is only a couple of miles away from my home, but it’s been off my radar most of the time I’ve lived in the Twickenham area – for well over twenty years! However, when Jonathan and Lyndsey moved to a house there a few months ago, I started to get to know it better. […]
Read MoreI hadn’t planned to write about The Pavilion Cafe in Victoria Park, east London, but by the time I’d tasted some of their food and drunk a great coffee, I thought it was an opportunity not to be missed for the blog. My friend Elsa has just moved and her new home overlooks the park. […]
Read MoreIt’s well known amongst my family and friends that my favourite coffee house/cafe is Butter Beans (formerly Taylor St Baristas) in Richmond. Why else would I travel two and a half miles at least once a day, and often twice, for a cup of coffee unless it wasn’t just good, but wonderful! Butter Beans has […]
Read MoreThis is quite a special blog post. It’s my 500th, which to me feels like something worth celebrating. I’ve given some thought to what special, celebratory post I might write over the last few days – cooking something special, listing my favourite restaurants, my top kitchen gadgets or best new cookbooks. In the end, life […]
Read MoreDespite my love of Italy, it has to be said that when it comes to coffee, it’s an Antopidean coffee that does it for me: that strong punch of deeply rich coffee. My loyalties transferred to Australia-New Zealand about 4 years ago when I read in Time Out that the best coffee in West London […]
Read MoreOK. I know I’m on a bit of a Carluccio’s roll here with two Carluccio posts in a row. I promise they don’t pay me. I almost decided not to write about tonight. But I took my camera just in case, and as soon as we sat down after a warm welcome with a glass of […]
Read MoreWhen I was at Carluccio’s party for their Christmas 2014 press release recently, it occurred to me that while I frequently speak of my affection for Carluccio’s Caffe and talk about how I always buy their wonderful orrechiette and trofie pasta, have a strong addiction to their Baci di Dama biscuits from Piedmont, and like […]
Read More