My first winter in London

February 15th, 2010

Autumn

When leaving New Zealand most people warned me of the terrible London winters I would have to endure.  I was told that for a quarter of the year I would never see the sun, it would be miserable, and I’d be terribly homesick and depressed.

So when the summer faded into autumn, I started to get a bit worried… I had had amazing summer, but the dreaded winter was almost upon me.  Preparation is everything thought right? So I went out and bought ugg boots, jackets, scarves, thermals and even joined a DVD store preparing for the onslaught.

But to my delight, I happily breezed through October and November.. Loving the beautiful autumn leaves and enjoying the change in season which is so much more dramatic than we experience in NZ, as most of our trees are evergreen.  I was still expecting the worst for December – but I couldn’t have been more wrong.

I have never loved London more than when the first snow flake fell!

London looked absolutely beautiful with the white blanket of snow… And everything just seemed better: the pubs were cosier, the mulled wine tasted spicier, and the roast dinners were more satisfying, I could go on… The lead up to Christmas was enchanting and I even made my first ever snowman!

I know that I’m not out of winter yet.. And there is still Febrary and March to go, but so far I have enjoyed every moment of it. And although everyone else in the office hopes the snow has gone for the season, I’m hoping for just one more snowfall for me to frolic in.

Time Out listed its top recommended places to stay warm from the snow, and below are my favourite places I’ve enjoyed a glass or two of mulled wine:

  1. 69 Colebrooke Row, Islington
  2. The Avalon, Clapham South
  3. Gordon’s Wine Bar, Embankment

Shannon

Winter

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When in Rome…

February 4th, 2010

Just like the Celts and the Romans did in Bath over 2000 years ago, my friend and I donned a robe and entered Britain’s original and only natural thermal spa. Thermae Bath Spa is a day spa where you can bathe in the warm, natural mineral-rich waters and well generally blob around and relax – perfect for a restful Sunday.

We treated ourselves to the ‘Twilight Package‘, offering a tasty one-course meal in the restaurant, choice of a drink, a 3-hour spa session and complimentary use of towel, robe & slippers.  All for a reasonable £39.00.

With my hair piled up like a pineapple, slippers that felt like I had my mum’s shoes on when I was five, I was ready to join the race to the open-air roof top pool.  The doors flew back and the cold, sorry let me rephrase ‘FREEZING’ cold air hit me so hard, my hairs stood to attention but I was able to thaw out quickly in the pool.

Looking out over Bath Stone architecture and hearing the Cathedral bells ringing, I was in heaven.  We wanted to experience day and night in the roof top pool, so after supping up enough cold air on the way to the stairs, we headed for the steam rooms.  Lavender, Frankincense, mint and eucalyptus are the four aromas in the steam pods and happily I embraced lavender and relaxed.  Like having sorbet between dishes to refresh the pallet, I dunked myself under the waterfall shower in the centre of the room before testing out the others.

To replenish energy levels we headed to Springs Café & Restaurant.  Feeling famished, we both opted for Somerset pork loin of pork accompanied by creamy mash with red cabbage, cider gravy & apple sauce.  The food choice was varied and with changing menus, you can be sure to find something you like. The majority of produce is sourced locally and dishes are freshly prepared, I can certainly say our dishes were devoured in moments – very happy customers.

Although we still had the Minerva Bath to check out, darkness was upon us and I really wanted to see go up to the top again to experience the roof top pool at night. The open-air rooftop pool is the largest of the thermal baths and with blue lights, massage jets and a whirlpool, it was the nearest experience to being in a scene of Avatar you could get – awesome!

A great late afternoon out, definitely one to recommend to friends, family and partners to experience on a day out to Bath.

Rosie

NB. Thermae Bath Spa is located in the heart of Bath, close to Bath Abbey and the Roman Baths.

(c) Thermae Bath Spa

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Rum and raisin tart

January 25th, 2010

Last weekend I had my future in-laws visiting and wanting to make a good impression I spent time in the kitchen whipping up culinary delights, like this rum and raisin tart.

It’s my favourite dessert, my mum and nan both make this and now I do too. It is incredibly simple to make but tastes delicious especially when served with cream! But be warned – it is quite rich.

6oz Pastry (6oz flour, 1 ½oz marg, 1 ½oz lard, cold water)
4oz raisins
2oz glace cherries, chopped
3oz butter
3oz castor sugar
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp rum

Make the shortcrust pastry by sifting the flour and salt into a bowl. Chop the fat into small cubes and add to the bowl. Using your fingertips rub the fat and flour together until it resembles fine bread crumbs. Add two tbsp of water and mix with a palette knife, keep adding the water gradually until the dough comes together in a ball, but do not let the dough get damp or sticky. If you are short of time, ready rolled shortcrust pastry does the trick!

Line a flan tin with the pastry, trim edges.

Place the raisins in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and then allow to cool for 5 minutes. Drain off water.

Melt the butter and sugar and gently bring to boiling point. Remove from heat.

Add the rum and egg yolks and beat well.

Cover the base of the pastry with cherries and raisins and pour over the egg mix

Bake in a pre-heated oven, Gas mark 4 for approx 40 minutes.

(For larger flan tins, make 1 ½  of all quantities)

Emma P

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LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW…

January 19th, 2010

Hailed as the reunion of all time, my trip to Amsterdam with eight of my long lost school friends was gearing up to be the most epic adventure since Phileas Fogg breezed around the world in eighty days. Booked into the Bulldog Hostel, the only 5* hostel in the world, with a vague itinerary, three months worth of gossip and a new pair of heels – there was nothing to stop the Bromley babes descent on the cobbled corridors of Amsterdam.   And indeed, epic it was. 

As I awoke at three in the morning, hoping to roll out of bed and straight into the cab, I was somewhat distracted by the inches of white powder that crunched under my feet.  That’s right, the white Christmas had come early – and in its eagerness it had brought mountains of the magical white stuff.  But our glee was short lived when, on arrival at the airport, we discovered our flight was cancelled. Feeling extremely hard done by, our hormonally charged group stood defiant in the face of adversity. ‘We will have our holiday.  We will return with stories of wine, food and shopping’.  And so we did.  Choosing a destination closer to home, we picked our bags and spirits off the floor and ended up in … Brighton.

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Armed with iphones we managed to reorganise our ad hoc excursion in just fifteen minutes.  The greatest triumph of all was our accommodation, The Lanes Hotel.  Situated right on the seafront, a ten minute walk from all the boutique lanes, the commercial high street and the busy bars and restaurants, it was a tourist treat! At only £30 a night, (including breakfast) we had our very own bachelorette pad. I cannot praise the staff enough, their helpful service really made our trip; clearly customer service is not lost on this young bunch.

 Our time was spent relaxing in the Angel food bakery, drooling over their exceptional cupcakes, followed by exotic cocktails at My Hotel.  Finally, we topped it off with a delicious dinner at Jamie Oliver’s Italian diner.  With atmospheric lighting, fabulous food and extremely handsome staff (!) I was quite literally in my element.

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Upon my return to hectic London life, I reflected on how I had misjudged what our little country has to offer. With a full belly, some vintage jewellery in hand, and many a fond memory, I realised that a holiday doesn’t have to be either well planned or stressful, indeed sometimes the more ad hoc the better, and for me – how worth the spontaneity it was!

Lauren

 

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The foodie hen-do of all hen-dos

December 21st, 2009

It was the foodie hen-do of all hen-dos. It began on Friday with dinner for the bride to be (Emily), the hen’s sister Polly and myself. Dinner on Friday was at Sam’s of Brighton, I had rib-eye steak, perfectly cooked, served with chunky (proper) hand-cooked chips. Emily’s partridge was a little tight and difficult to eat, but the flavour was good. Polly chose Thai-spiced sea bream which she quietly enjoyed I think, but didn’t say much… A bottle of powerful red from Ribera del Duero was divine.

On Saturday we were sensible all day, knowing that a gourmet dinner and drinking marathon was coming. Polly had arranged for a chef-friend of hers to come and cook a three-course dinner for 15 of us. I loved being responsible for the food & wine-matching element. I had spent hours ‘umming’ and ‘ahring’ over the right combination, plus a few essential tips from the food & wine matching queen Fiona Beckett.

I chose Australian Green Point fizz for the afternoon’s drinking… recommended by the lovely Johnny Ray, Telegraph Weekend. A great value sparkling wine for £10 – it showed enough depth of flavour to stand on its own.

We then moved on to roast peach bellinis with wild mushroom, fig and Parma ham crostinis, olives and bread. Then to start, I enjoyed roast pumpkin, goats cheese and caramelized walnut salad, other chicks gobbled up potted brown shrimps, chicken liver pate with spiced plum chutney, pan fried chicken livers with pomegranate and watercress. For all this I chose Albariño Martin Codax 2008 Rias Baixas – it is one of my fave white wines and always impresses! A white wine of enough strength to complement the many flavours of these dishes, but yet not overpowering and gentle on the palate.

For mains I opted for slow cooked pork belly with herb Puy lentils, black cabbage and grilled apple - it was good but I think a little more slow cooking was needed to get the fat fully dissolved so the meat falls apart. The ‘hen’ had venison with red wine, juniper and chestnuts while there was some great fish being eaten - black bream with herb orzotto and gremolata and cod wrapped with prosciutto and sage with pea and garlic cream. At this point we drank Yering Frog Pinot Noir 2008 which was actually a little powerful in flavour, more than I has imagined. Believe it or not, the richer (Decanter gold award winner) Ch. Moulin Mont Milan 2007 was better, a joy – very smooth.

Three puddings on one plate - Bakewell tart, treacle tart, berry granita and clotted cream were accompanied by a scrummy dessert wine Concha y Toro Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2006. Good old Majestic!

And yes believe it or not, after all of that, we still managed a night of dancing at Funky Fish, with lots of vodka red bull – oh dear! A little sore the next day to say the least, but it was so worth it! What will be eating and drinking at the wedding?

Georgie

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Fizz

December 18th, 2009

I must admit that, like most people, I am partial to the odd splash of Champagne.  So in September, when I had the opportunity to venture across the border to Champagne itself, I was exceptionally excited!  Getting up at the crack of dawn we made our way to the ferry, catching a glimpse of the White Cliffs of Dover, before heading to the port of Dunkerque.

We were greeted by a sun drenched country at around 11am – time for our first champagne house visit! Driving along the breathtaking country lanes, leading us through the vine laden fields, we eventually arrived, eager for some bubbles! However I swiftly learnt that many people don’t just go to Champagne for it’s world-famous produce, it also offers exquisite food.  You just need to know where to look…

After fighting through the road works currently going on in Reims, my first fill of fine food wasn’t too hard to find as it was our hotel’s restaurant – L’Assiette Champenoise.  This restaurant boasted a Michelin star where you can sample outstanding cuisine, whether you opt for Foie Gras, King Crab or Pigeon of course teamed with a delicious choice of wines, including an extensive choice of champagnes.  After reading the rave reviews, prior to the trip, I was not disappointed – noted by the accolade of praise for the head chef Arnaud Lallement.

Varying from the local restaurants, littering the streets of Reims, to such treasures as L’Assiette Champenoise or another favourite from my trip, Le Foch, with so much to see, do and taste, Champagne is certainly worth a visit.

Edwina

L’Assiette Champenoise

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Pushing through the Eastern Block

December 15th, 2009

Within a week of being at University I realised how young and uncultured I was, well, for all of my 18 years that is. Surrounded by gappies who had ‘discovered’ themselves, matured and caught the traveling bug, I felt quite insignificant. I got a part time job and immediately started saving for some extravagant summer adventures to rival the stories of my peers.

Never one to follow the crowd, I avoided the conventional Thailand, South American gaunt and decided to inter-rail around Europe. One of my many stops was Montenegro in the Eastern sphere of Europe. Previously Yugoslavia and then Serbia Montenegro, this little country had been plagued by a history of nation-state conflict. Indeed my trip there came just two months after its independence was constitutionally recognised. A far cry from the backward, unstable and out of touch image the Eurovision would have us believe, Montenegro was jaw droppingly beautiful and the people amongst some of the most hospitable around.

Prepared with a tent and camping equipment my boyfriend and I headed for Durmitor National Park in the North of the country. This trip definitely wasn’t for the faint hearted! As Montenegro only has one train station (linking it to Serbia), the national mode of transport is…wait for it…a minibus. Our particular model had a door that didn’t close properly and a severe lack of seat belts; lets just say it was an MOT disaster. With multiple warnings of ad hoc landslides and ‘soft roads’, as well as the odd deserted car crash, the five hour journey winding along steep cliff faces was not exactly confidence inspiring! However, what we found at the top was well worth the high blood pressure.

Filled with deep and vast lakes, several mountain and hiking trails with the offer of white water rafting and hand gliding- Durmitor is an unsung adventure playground. However, it was the simplicity, beauty and tranquility of life there that was heart-stopping. After buzzing round cities sapping up culture after culture, Durmitor offered the perfect scenery to sit and take stock. After days of swimming in the icy-cool lakes followed by romantic walks among the trees, I left with a contentment I have yet to rival. For those of you with a little fire in the belly and a curiosity for the unspoilt, Montenegro is a must. As an up and coming ski resort, Montenegro’s doors are now open all year round. To capture the magic of the country in all its perfection, get in quick…that is before Ryan Air or Easy Jet do.

Lauren

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Dean Street Townhouse - letting the riff raff in

December 11th, 2009

With the announcement of yet another fabulous hot spot in town, my friends and I were delighted to see that despite being part of the Soho House Group this place was not confined to members only.

Minutes after spotting the new opening on Daily Candy, three of my closest friends and I were proudly coveting a dinner reservation. Minus the usual blag to get into Soho House and Shoreditch House, Dean Street Townhouse was calling us.

After eventually locating the conspicuous front door of the four-storey Georgian townhouse, we found ourselves greeted immediately and shown to our seats. Minutes later we were sipping cocktails and pondering over the mouth-watering menu, agreeing to each other that the service so far had been spot-on.

The dining room itself has a fabulous wintry atmosphere, full of first week opening buzz and Thursday night media types starting the weekend wind down. The interior was all hard wood floors, leather Georgian banquette seating and crisp white linen table cloths.

The food did not disappoint, and the Hot Smoked Salmon with Beetroot to start was divine followed by the Chicken Bacon and Leek Pie which was a delectable bargain at £11.50. The Smoked Haddock Soufflé and the Red legged partridge were also raved about. Too full for desserts, the staff were more than happy to leave us relaxing at the table whilst we finished our wine.

Overall Dean Street Townhouse was a great spot to catch-up with friends over great food with attentive staff. Not expensive at all and if you really wanted to push the boat out what better place to crash than in one of the 39 bedrooms on offer.

Hannah K

parlour, from http://www.deanstreettownhouse.com (c) Dean Street Townhouse

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X FACTOR

December 9th, 2009

You might think I can cook given I work for a food and drink PR consultancy. Well you’d be wrong.

I have one dish. I developed that out of necessity whilst living on the Guinean border in Sierra Leone for a couple of years trying to turn ex-rebels into soldiers. Based on the food is energy theory and the availability of fowl with a modicum of flesh, it was never a headline act. But my family flatter me when my Chicken Makeni is rolled out once again. I know the enthusiasm is based on its delivery being in close proximity to either X-Factor or Strictly Come Dancing (yeah – I’d rather be cooking but didn’t Darcey do well). The respite it gives them from cobbling together the Saturday evening nosh.

So I set myself a target. The aim being to get their attention and produce something that can be turned out at a dinner party and generate the enthusiastic response Greg and Michel cough up when digging into an inspiring offering from a finalist on Professional Masterchef. I wanted a dish that was self-assured and freewheeling. A mother of all dishes.

For this I called up the Leith’s Cookery Bible, which smacks of culinary authority and turned to page 421. Peppered Venison Steak. Honestly it couldn’t be easier. And when there are only seven stages, one of which is ‘ boil up the sauce again’ I thought I’d hit a winner. I couldn’t have imagined how such a fantastic dish could be so easily produced. Nor how much fun one has (another stage is the pyrotechnic explosion when lighting the brandy – WHOOPS A DAISY where’s the dog gone?). I’ve created this using Donald Russell meat and it’s sublime. ‘Created’ implies artistic input but really Prue and Caroline are such consummate story tellers it merely needs a slavish adherence to their very clear direction and you’re in with a chance at the final.

I’ll allow myself to go ‘off piste’ once I’ve concocted it sufficiently well to see real satisfaction and not the glee of an uninterrupted Cowell-fest.

PS
All my growing bravado went to nothing when I tried this with pork. Disaster.
But at least the dog was back which was useful. He’s never been picky.

Simon

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Who said romance was dead?

December 1st, 2009

21; a milestone, a coming of age and mostly a time for AMAZING presents!  These annoying little assumptions tormented me for months when considering what to buy my boyfriend, Seb, for his 21st birthday.  During the summer we had visited Norway on a hiking trip.  However due to our university loans not funding such extravagance, we had to camp for the duration of the trip.  Usually I’m a lover of the great outdoors and a bit of rough, but my spirits couldn’t help being dampened somewhat as we pitched tent next to a site of traditional (and extremely comfy looking) Scandinavian log cabins.  Squished in a two man tent with sizable backpacks to match wasn’t exactly romantic, or a set up suited for a good nights sleep!  So to make amends for our missed opportunity, and provide probably the best birthday present I’m ever going to come up with, I booked us a log cabin on the Finnish lakes for a few days during Easter.

Usually my luck in life is higher than the average human being.  However, the first day of our trip proved I had had more than my fair share of good fortune and fate was doing a 180 on me.  We arrived late at night into a very shanty airport only to find that we couldn’t hire a car being neither 25 nor the owner of a credit card!  As the log cabin was a four hour drive from Tampere, we were in somewhat of a pickle.  An organisational freak, I was horrified at my lack of preparation and promptly went into a sheepish silence. Little did I know that things were only going to get worse!  Jumping off the bus from the airport we arrived in Tampere at midnight only to find our youth hostel closed.  Trundling round the town got us nowhere as we were beaten off with Scandinavian hotel prices!  After haunting the train station until it closed, Seb and I set up camp for a night on a park bench. Northern Finland, in the middle of March with only a few blankets and fleeces for warmth, was not the smartest idea I’ve had. As we snuggled up for the night I was heartbroken that my brilliant plans had gone so wrong!

But like a Hollywood block buster there was a light at the end of the tunnel.  Acting as his own knight in shining armour, Seb was up early with a beaming grin and a will full of confidence.  After finding a coach to take us to a local town near the cabin we were well on our way; when we arrived what we got was nothing short of spectacular.   With a view to die for, our own sauna, jetty and wood burning fire I was ready to throw away my passport and set up life amongst the lakes. With the nearest cabin a good half a mile away, seclusion was no longer a far off dream.  The next three days were a blur of forest walks, blistering hot saunas, winter bbq’s and hot chocolates on the jetty.  The holiday was perfection and I will certainly be returning, hopefully with car and hotel to boot next time!

Lauren

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