Lunch at Comptoir Libanais, Kingston, With the Grandsons

I always love to have an outing with the boys (now 5, 8 and 11) at holiday time. The family have been coming and going on different trips since school broke for the summer holidays and I took my chance at having the boys today. But where to go and what to do? As we […]

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Art & Food: They Can’t Keep Me Away …

It was a fairly last-minute arrangement for me to meet friends Lucia and David at the highly acclaimed Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Cyrano de Bergerac at the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s St Martin’s Lane. As they weren’t able to meet for a meal beforehand I decided to eat at that old favourite of […]

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A Wonderful Weekend at Home in Twickenham

One of the wonderful things about having visitors, apart from spending time with good friends, is the incentive to find out more about what’s going on in your home town so that you have some exciting things to entertain them. My friend Lynn and I have known each other for over twenty years, but now […]

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Art & Food: An Artist Interviewed & Pasta

I used to go to a lot of events at London galleries where artists, art historians and art critics talked about their work. There have not been so many of these in recent years so I was particularly excited by the National Gallery’s new series: Picture This, in which broadcaster John Wilson is in conversation […]

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Restaurant Review: Barrafina, Coal Drops Yard, King’s Cross

I’ve been meaning to go to Coal Drops Yard for ages … well since it opened in October 2018 and people started talking about it being a great foodie destination. So when good friends Annie & Jerry suggested meeting there to eat at Barrafina, I was delighted. At last, I was going to make it […]

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Restaurant Review: Trattoria Brutto

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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Where to Eat with Kids: Franco Manca, Kingston upon Thames

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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Lunch at Brindisa, Richmond upon Thames

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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Where to Eat with Kids: Hache Riverside Social, Kingston upon Thames

It’s half term week, so a promise to take the boys to Kingston upon Thames – more specifically Bentalls – in the next holiday time was fulfilled. Bentalls has a brilliant toy department, which is its chief attraction to the boys, including the best collection of Schleich animal figurines that I know of (short of […]

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Restaurant Review: Tangawizi

I’ve written about Tangawizi before but it was 12 years ago in the early days of the blog. I listed it as one of my ‘favourite haunts’ – a category I eventually abandoned but Tangawizi remains a favourite haunt and the only place I ever order a takeaway from. I thought it deserved some attention […]

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