The Jewels of the High Jura
La Taillerie – the Gemstone Shop Although precious stones are not found naturally anywhere in the Jura mountains, the cutting and polishing of imported stones...
Wild and Game for Christmas
It’s that time of year again! We are in gift-giving mode but much of our festive energies are spent on meal planning. The big Christmas...
Vodka – The Essential Guide for Vodka Purists
Vodka – The Essential Guide for Vodka Purists is a one-stop shop for lovers of this versatile spirit …but what actually is it? Vodka is...
Bangkok Thai: The Busaba Cookbook
Busaba presents modern Bangkok dining, with a dozen or so restaurants around Greater London. Having opened its first restaurant on London’s Wardour Street in 1999,...
Vegetable Cakes
I have just returned from a trip to delicious Thailand. There were curries, refreshing and spiced salads, and noodles aplenty. There were also desserts, and...
Rosa’s Thai Café – The Cookbook Review
I have just returned from Thailand where the flavours and indeed textures of that country’s vibrant cuisine reminded me how much I enjoyed those dishes...
Metzo’s – Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort
At Outrigger’s Laguna Beach Phuket Resort, Thailand, there are both top-notch Thai and vibrant Asian foods aplenty (read my reviews here). And there is a...
The Mezze Cookbook: Sharing Plates from the Middle East
The Mezze Cookbook is a gift-quality volume which reflects how most of us eat… or would like to. There are 135 recipes suitable for the...
Abelha Organic Cachaça
Abelha means ‘bee’ in Portuguese and the striking label offers a swarm of them on this bottle of Abelha Organic Cachaça. It speaks to one...
Locavore – Outrigger Laguna Phuket
One of the joys of a vacation, for me at least, is food. Not necessarily huge quantities but it must be interesting, perhaps reflecting the...
A Spectacular Museum in Jura
In the beautiful Jura mountains of Eastern France, in the small town of Morez, there is a big museum. It’s dedicated to a rarely-seen industry...
Sight Smell Touch Taste Sound
Sight Smell Touch Taste Sound: A New Way to Cook, by Sybil Kapoor, is a book that truly does awaken all the senses, and perhaps...
Gin: The Essential Guide
Gin: The Essential Guide for Gin Aficionados offers a wealth of information. Gin is one of the world’s best-loved spirits. It has a rich history...
Foxhole Gin review
Well, what a surprise. A bottle of Foxhole Gin arrived. The event was no surprise, but the shelf appeal was. There are so many new...
Marco Polo Vienna Guide
It’s summer and it’s been a hot one. Europe, and indeed much of the globe, has sizzled in high temperatures, and those pavements tire the...
Shorn goes on Tour to California
It’s the time of year when our thoughts turn to California. Well no, really we are making plans for Christmas, but that celebrated wine-producing state...
Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort, Thailand
Thailand is a beautiful and magical land of charm and grace. It’s fringed by some of the best beaches in the world and is famed...
One Aldwych for a Stay
No, this isn’t the first time I have visited one of my favourite hotels, but it was the first time I had spent the night....
Maestro Dobel Diamante Multi-Aged Tequila
Tequila has long been popular in the US, north of the border from Mexico, the land of its origin. It is now rather trendy in...
There’s no smoke without … a Saint-Claude pipe
You, dear reader, will be unusual to say the least if you own one; your father probably didn’t have one, either; more likely your grandfather...