Travel tips-Restaurant reviews-Recipes
Well how could I resist an invitation to join The Trouble Club? One look at their exciting schedule of events and I was hooked – before I’d even stepped through their doors. The Trouble Club arranges talks and dinners ‘where you can hear some of the finest voices talking on everything from politics to fiction’. […]
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We’re lucky to have a lot of good cafes in Twickenham but we’re always drawn to the Italian ones. The family have frequented Corto Italian Deli for years and it’s a favourite but a few months ago I decided to give the newer Buongiorno cafe, which is much nearer my house, a try. It’s nice […]
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It had been a long time since I was last at Bancone. Well, pre-pandemic. After my first visit in August 2018 (click here), it became a favourite haunt where I ate many times and took friends and family along to enjoy too. Would it be the same? Would I still rate it as one of […]
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It’s always lovely to go up to Worcestershire for the weekend to visit my daughter. I go from busy city living to a weekend in a 16th century farmhouse surrounded by fields and beautiful views. And, most importantly, I get to spend some time with my lovely daughter, her wife, and my 4-year-old grandson. It […]
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Those of us who love Italy are always thinking of ways to bring some of it home – recipes to make in your kitchen; beautiful pottery from the Amalfi coast; glass from Murano; chocolate from Turin. Russell Norman, however, opens restaurants. First he brought Venice to London in the shape of Polpo; now he brings […]
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I loved Aldeburgh so much when I visited for the first time earlier this year that I immediately booked a return trip. I wanted to stay at The Cross Keys pub again and as they only have three bedrooms, they get booked up very quickly and far in advance. The Cross Keys, apart from being […]
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Going to nearby Kingston upon Thames with grandsons Freddie (7½) and Ben (4¾) has become a regular holiday time ritual and makes a lovely outing for me with the boys. A major attraction is Bentalls toy department, which is one of the best I know, and they always come with a little money from Mummy […]
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An email from The Courtauld alerted me that the Edvard Munch exhibition I wanted to see was ending at the weekend. I knew very little of Munch apart from his famous and iconic painting The Scream, which has so often been used as a symbol of the anxiety of the human condition. After reading the […]
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We have a joke in UK that you wait ages for a bus and then three come along all at the same time. I’ve been playing this out with tapas bars recently. For years I meant to go to one of Jose Pizarro’s restaurants/tapas bars, finally made it to the RA one (click here) in […]
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The journey to Stamford for the weekend began with Hambleton Hall. My daughter Nicola searched for a Michelin starred restaurant within about a two-hour drive for both of us – a birthday present to me. My birthday was in April but everything was booked and I was given details then and have spent the last […]
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