Buyagift for great Christmas 2018 gift experiences: Imagine receiving a surprise gift that you ‘live’. It’s so much better to have an experience rather than more ‘stuff’ you probably don’t want and have to pack away to store! With the festive season approaching fast, I was lucky enough to be offered the chance to […]
Rhubarb and Custard Cocktail with Jawbox Rhubarb and Ginger:
Easy, delicious cocktail recipe for a winter evening – Rhubarb and Custard: ‘There was a time in this city when the front door was left unlocked. When the kitchen was the scullery. And in the tiny scullery stood this big sink. Clothes and dishes and weans got washed there. A lot of craic was heard […]
Christmas Port and Cheese – Paxton & Whitfield in Jermyn Street.
Matching Historic Cheeses to Exceptional Ports – Christmas Selection: Christmas is coming and with it, there’s always that pressure of what to serve? Fortunately, those sensible people at cheesemeisters Paxton & Whitfield and Taylor’s Port recently held an event at Paxton’s Jermyn St headquarters to help to take the pain out of those festive Port and […]
CARLUCCIO’S CHRISTMAS 2018
Carluccio’s Christmas 2018 – Preview: Last year Deborah went along to the Carluccio’s Christmas in July and got to try all the new Christmas collection before it hit the shops. This year, we somehow missed the preview, but despite that, I was pleased to discover that the Christmas Pixies (Italian Division) have been hard at […]
5:2 Diet Frugal Fasting – Turkey Leftovers
5:2 Diet Frugal Fast Days – Spicy Turkey Meatballs These low-calorie spicy turkey meatballs are a result of looking for healthy ways to use turkey leftovers. One of the biggest challenges of the 5:2 diet for me has been how to cope with family Christmas. To some extent, I haven’t tried too hard. An advantage […]
The 5-2 Diet and Me
The 5-2 Diet – a Lifestyle Choice? When Michael Mosley’s Horizon TV programme about the 5-2 Diet first aired, some months ago now I watched, fascinated. Many of the diet and nutrition ideas I’d grown up with, like eating three balanced meals a day and never eating less than 1000 calories a day, seemed to […]
The Magical Lantern Festival, Chiswick
London lights up with magical lanterns at Christmas: One of my favourite West London haunts is in the grounds of Chiswick House Gardens. I am a regular visitor, be it for a summer’s picnic or an autumnal walk, so I was delighted to be invited to a very wintery event to experience the delights of […]
White Chocolate and Vanilla Fudge
Fudge for Let’s Make Christmas Gift Swap: Earlier this year, Vanessa, fresh back from a trip to Uganda asked us all if we’d like to take part in a gift swap for Ndali Vanilla. She’d been learning about vanilla and specifically about the Ndali estate in Uganda. And, to raise awareness of Fair Trade and […]
New Christmas Menu at The Trading House
Starting Christmas Early at the Trading House: It seemed like an excellent way to round off a cold Monday in November…. checking out the new Christmas Menu at the Trading House on Gresham Street. We’ve written about The Trading House before – it’s one of those places you probably know well if you work in The City […]
Rockin’ Around the Mango Tree
A Christmas meal with a twist of Thai tinsel Attention all party planners! If you’re looking for a Christmas menu to impress colleagues and friends well-seasoned in seasonal spreads, then take a look at Mango Tree’s Christmas menu. This award-winning, much-loved, Thai restaurant sits on the edge of Belgravia adjacent to Buckingham Palace and a […]