Archive For November 2018
West African-style Chicken Maffe with Brown Rice is quite a mouthful, but a delicious one. It’s another vibrant recipe from Gousto. Who are Gousto and why be interested in them? They are a company delivering food boxes and they are one of the best-value suppliers around. They have a host of recipes that are just…
Call me picky but to my mind a hot drink should be just that – HOT! If a travel mug suggests that your beverage of choice will remain steaming to the last drop then that’s exactly what I expect. But we all know that these promises are seldom met. Hydro Flask has been something of…
Scotch Whisky – The Essential Guide for Single Malt Lovers will make the hearts of so many discerning sippers beat just a little faster. Single Malt Whisky from Scotland sets the benchmark for other similar drinks from across the globe. The book gives a history of the world’s best-loved drink with an illuminating overview. This…
This classic Brut Rosé by celebrated Champagne House Nicolas Feuillatte would make a perfect gift for any lady. Note I say ‘lady’ rather than ‘girl (but over the age of 18)’. Think Audrey Hepburn rather than Barbie. Think Givenchy rather than Woolworths. Founded in 1976 in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, in the…
Here is an interesting item. It won’t be shipped till January 2019 but it will be worth buying and putting by for the summer. Chameleon Colour Changing Water Bottle will add colour to your commute! This metal bottle actually changes colour when one fills it with cool water. The thermochromic ink reacts to cold temperatures:…
It’s true! I am a Londoner and have never been, until now, to the Hard Rock Café. My guest boasted that he had been before, but that was back in 1975! Yes, this restaurant is iconic and although its food is quintessentially American there is so much that is British. Hard Rock Café was founded…
It’s trending! Anything to do with gin is popular just now, and there are so many different bottles to try – traditional gins, floral gins, spicy gins, and sweet gins. Gin makes a perfect gift, but it’s a bit like buying perfume for a friend. It’s tricky to buy such a personal gift and get…
Well, where did that year go? Here we are, weather cooler, shops fuller, gift ideas harder to come by. Yes, it must be nearing Christmas time! But there are wonderful presents out there, and you won’t have to go pounding pavements to find them. Visit Best Kept Secrets to find fragrances and candles for the…
I am usually not a great lover of ‘free-froms’ or ‘lite-somethingorother’; strangely, ‘healthier’ brings visions of beige, tasteless and likely not to be repeated. But it seems there are products out there that do deserve a try, and with unexpectedly good results. Skinny Lager is said to be full strength and full flavour with a…
Here it is again! Seems like the pine needles from last year’s Christmas tree have just been extracted from the carpet, and mince pies are back in the shops! Where did that year go? Now, I am a lover of a good mince pie, and a Christmas would not be complete with out a box…
Today I have a review of a smart restaurant conveniently situated about 2 hours outside Paris. Good transport links with easy access to city shops. Superb food and waiters who speak English, and a menu in English as well. Yes, that’s got your attention, my dear Anglophone reader! Even better news is that, if you…
The Root 7 G & Tea set is a rather beautiful glass teapot with two matching cups. The fabulously sophisticated design, by master mixologists, is of high-quality rainbow-tinted borosilicate glass with a shimmering gold script. That glass is ideal for both boiling-hot water and the coolest of iced gins and tonics, with perhaps a few…
A small glass of El Dorado 12-year-old Rum by Demerara Distillers will waft the lucky sipper back to the days of sailing ships and sugar plantations, and perhaps some romantic pirates. Guyana has always produced rich rums, and this bottle is a fine example of what many of us would view as an adult and…
Well, where did that year go? Seems like it was just a couple of weeks ago we were enjoying summer barbecues in blazing sunshine. Now the dark evenings are long, and the air has a chill. It’s the festive season, or will be in a moment. Its Copperpot Fudge for Christmas! So, thoughts move from…
It seems a long way off, but the gift-buying season will soon be here. What do we give to family and friends? is the question on so many lips. Wine Folly: Magnum Edition: The Master Guide could be the solution for any lover of good wine, and those who would want to learn more. Wine…
OK, I am a serious (sometimes) food writer, so you expect me to do everything long-hand and suffer for my art? But why? Who has time? We have Gousto! It’s easy to be a food snob these days. We are almost encouraged to be that way. Use the farmers’ market (if we have one), go…