Author Archives: tikichris
Top 5 Christmassy Things to do in Madrid (CheapOair)
Heading to Madrid this month? Here’s a list of tips to help have a Feliz Navidad in true Spanish style. Read my complete post at the CheapOair blog.
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Tilia: Christmas Nibbles Sorted
Started in 2011 and incorporating a “Five Point Selection Criteria to identify producers who display qualities that set them apart from the pack”, Tilia connects Londoners with some of the best local suppliers of artisan food and drink. Currently, Tilia is only a London only thing, but there are plans to expand. Continue reading
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Posted in Christmas, Food, London, Money, Shopping
Tagged artisan food, artisan food and drink, artisan food and drink delivery service, artisan food delivery, barclaycard, Barclaycard’s Freedom Rewards Card, belle epoque, belle epoque patisserie, breakfast, cheese, cheesemonger, christmas, cooking, deli, delivery, fishmonger, Food, food shopping, gourmet, groceries, independent retailers, London, London blog, mortimer & bennett, online delivery, online home delivery, online shopping, patisserie, review, seafood, Shopping, small business, steve hatt, tilia, tilia.co.uk, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦
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London Daily Photo: Upper Clapton Road
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Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography
Tagged clapton, E5, east london, hackney, LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, london photographer, Photography, photography blog, street photography, upper clapton road, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦
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Spaghetti Bolowhatta? The Real Bolognese Revealed (Great British Chefs)
Let’s get to the meat of the matter. There’s no such thing as spaghetti Bolognese. Or, at least, there isn’t in the actual city of Bologna. You would do well to seek Bolognese inspiration for its rich tradition in pasta making. It’s a deliciously saucy city too and one which rightly lays claim as the original home of a large variety of food products – just not spag bol. Bologna and the region of Emilia-Romagna have as prominent a cuisine and as celebrated a food culture as anywhere in the world. Even among Italians from other parts of the country, the gastronomic sensibilities of the Bolognese are held in the highest esteem. Continue reading
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Posted in Drink, Food, Great British Chefs, Italy, Recipes, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel, Wine
Tagged bologna, deli, Drink, emilia romagna, Food, GBC, gelato, GREAT BRITISH CHEFS, ice cream, Italy, Mercato delle Erbe, Mercato di Mezzo, northern italy, pasta, polpette con piselli, ragù alla Bolognese, recipes, restaurant, restaurants, salumeria, Shopping, street markets, tortellini, tortelloni, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, Via Drapperie, wine, Италия, イタリア, 意大利
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Tweet Your Christmas Wishes from atop the BT Tower – #TweetsOnTheTower
From Thursday the 19th to Saturday the 21st of December (yep, this week!), BT will give folks a chance to share their personal Christmas messages to millions of people across London via giant screens at the top of the BT Tower. To get your message displayed, all you have to do is tweet it to @bt_uk with the hashtag #TweetsOnTheTower on the day you want the message to be shown. Continue reading
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Posted in Christmas, London, Social Media
Tagged @bt_uk, #TweetsOnTheTower, BT, BT Tower, christmas, London, social media, twitter
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London Daily Photo: The Mount Only
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Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography
Tagged east london, hackney, LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, london photographer, Photography, photography blog, street photography, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦
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Recipe: Gorgonzola Meatball Sub with Creamy Dill Sauce and Balsamic Honey Vinaigrette
Here’s a recipe for a Gorgonzola meatball sub guaranteed to leave a mess and satisfy appetites of any proportion. Enjoy. Continue reading
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Posted in Food, Recipes
Tagged baguette, balsamic, Balsamic Honey Vinaigrette, blue cheese, Creamy Dill Sauce, Food, gorgonzola, Gorgonzola Meatball Sub, gorgonzola meatballs, gorgonzola recipe, italian cheese, meatball, meatball recipe, Meatball Sub, meatballs, pork meatballs, recipe, recipes, sandwich, submarine sandwich, tikichris recipes, vinaigrette
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How to Manga like the Modenese (OneTravel)
With a population of fewer than 200,000 people, the list of icons associated with the northern Italian city of Modena is impressive. Pavarotti, Ferrari, Maserati, Balsamico, tortellini … whatever floats your proverbial boat, odds are you’ve been inspired by someone … Continue reading
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Posted in Drink, Food, Italy, OneTravel, Restaurants, Shopping, Travel
Tagged Acetaia Pedroni, aceto balsamico tradizionale, albenilli market, balsamic, balsamic vinegar, Balsamico, balsamico tradizionale, bar schiavoni, bottega storica, bottega storica di modena, Drink, emilia romagna, farm, Food, gavioli, Gavioli Cantinieri, gavioli winery, Italy, lambrusco, lambrusco di modena, mercato albinelli, Modena, modenese, Nonantola, northern italy, OneTravel, panini, pasta, pedroni, province of modena, restaurant, restaurants, sandwich, Shopping, sparking wine, street markets, tortellini, tradizionale di Modena, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, trebbiano, vinegar, vineyard, wine, winery, Италия, イタリア, 意大利
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London Daily Photo: Milkmaids Passage
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Win a Free Bottle of Appleton Estate VX + How to Make a Mai Tai
Appleton Estate VX is one of my favourite rums, especially when it comes to mixed cocktails. So it’s a pleasure being able to spread some Christmas cheer with my readers and offer a free bottle to one of you. I’ve only got one bottle to give one lucky reader though. For everybody else, I thought I’d share not one but two recipes for my favourite rum cocktail, the Mai Tai! Keep reading for a couple of ways to mix one of the world’s tastiest cocktails along with your chance to nab a bottle of excellent Jamaican rum! Continue reading
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Posted in Christmas, Competition, Drink, Freebies
Tagged appleton, appleton estate, appleton estate rum, appleton estate VX, cocktails, competition, contest, Drink, free, freebies, jamaican rum, Mai Tai, mai tai recipe, retweet to win, rum, spirits, twitter competition, WIN, win a free bottle of rum
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Currency Conversion Concerns? Consider WeSwap Next Time You Travel.
Next time I go abroad (and all indications suggest I’ll be doing a lot more international travel in 2014), I’m going to consider giving WeSwap a try. It’s a new service with an aim to change the way currency is exchanged. Providing a social platform that matches you up and your particular currency with other travellers and their currencies, WeSwap cuts out the middleman and only charges 1% (compared to up 17% for some exchanges!) for an exchange. Continue reading
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Posted in Money, Travel
Tagged currency, currency exchange, exchange rates, money, SPONSORED POST, Travel, weswap
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Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Arrivederci and Grazie Mille!
Over the past several days I’ve been sharing highlights from my recent Ham Highway adventure across northern Italy in a special 14-part miniseries. The series features entries about the following destinations – Forni di Sopra, Sauris, San Daniele, Udine, Collio Goriziano, Trento, Torino, Parma, Modena, Nonantola, and Bologna – along with tips and suggestions to help you plan your own delectable Italian itinerary. Continue reading
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Posted in Art, Beer, Cars, Chocolate, Coffee, Design, Food, Italy, Parma, Restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel, Wine
Tagged 7th chamber, bologna, Collio, Drink, emilia romagna, Food, Forni di Sopra, Friuli, Friuli Venezia Giulia, ham, hotels, Italy, Modena, northern italy, parma, Piemonte, proscuitto, restaurants, San Daniele di Friuli, sauris, Shopping, speck, SPONSORED POST, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, the 7th chamber, Torino, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, Trentino, Trento, Udine, wine, Италия, イタリア, 意大利
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Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Bounteous Bologna
That I’ve been to Bologna four times (twice just this year) should speak volumes about how much I love this city. It and the region of Emilia-Romagna have as prominent a cuisine and as celebrated a food culture as anywhere in the world. Even among Italians from other parts of the country, the gastronomic sensibilities of the Bolognese are held in the highest esteem. Continue reading
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Posted in Drink, Food, Hotels, Italy, Restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Street Markets, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel, Wine
Tagged A F Tamburini, Al Cappello, Al Cappello Rosso, atti, bakery, bologna, deli, Drink, Drogheria Gilberto, eatly, emilia romagna, Food, gelato, hotel, Hotel Al Cappello Rosso, hotels, ice cream, italian deli, Italy, Mercato delle Erbe, Mercato di Mezzo, northern italy, osteria, osteria del cappello, paolo atti & figli, pasta, polpette con piselli, restaurant, restaurants, salumeria, Shopping, street markets, tamara venturi, tamburini, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, tortellini, tortelloni, TOUR GUIDE, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, vecchia malga, wine, wine bar, wine shop, Италия, イタリア, 意大利
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London Daily Photo: Bracing Broadway Market
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Having a Dickens of a Happy Christmas with Attractiontix
Attractiontix got in touch with “seven of London’s most influential bloggers” to come together and create a special Festive Tube Map “highlighting the most fabulous feasts, seasonal shops and glorious grottos” in London. One-seventh of the map was my own Christmassy creation, the Dickens Express Line. Continue reading
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Posted in Attractiontix, Books, Christmas, London, Shopping, Travel
Tagged a christmas carol, charles dickens, christmas, christmas in london, dickens, festive season, festive tube map, London, London blog, london blogger, tube map, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦
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London Daily Photo: From the Battery Club
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Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography
Tagged battery club, canary wharf, E14, east london, LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, london photographer, Photography, photography blog, river thames, street photography, thames, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦
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Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Balsamico and Lambrusco
During my day in Modena, I made a postprandial excursion to the nearby village of Nonantola (still within the provincial boundaries of Modena) where I visited a balsamic producer and a winery. Finding out what makes aceto balsamico tradizionale such a prized delicacy and why local quaff Lambrusco is a lot better than many wine snobs seem willing to realise added up to a wonderful way to spent an afternoon. Continue reading
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Posted in Drink, Food, road trip, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel
Tagged Acetaia Pedroni, aceto balsamico tradizionale, balsamic, balsamic vinegar, Balsamico, balsamico tradizionale, cars, DOP, Drink, emilia, emilia romagna, Extravecchio, farm, ferarri, ferrari, Food, gavioli, Gavioli Cantinieri, gavioli winery, ham highway, Italy, lambrusco, Lambrusco Ancestrale, lambrusco di modena, Maserati, Modena, modenese, museum, Nonantola, northern italy, osteria, pedroni, po river, province of modena, restaurant, restaurants, Shopping, sorbara, sparking wine, sports cars, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, tradizionale di Modena, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, trebbiano, vinegar, vineyard, wine, winery
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20 reasons why Londoners love Christmas (Time Out)
As an American expat living in London, Christmas time makes me think of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. I reckon Spitalfields has the most Dickensian feel for London these days, and I love … Continue reading
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Top 5 Sights to See in Turin (OneTravel)
Probably the nicest thing about any visit to Turin, Italy is simply having the opportunity to wander round the narrow lanes of the old city and happening upon its majestic galleries and long covered walkways. From elegant and antiquated cafes … Continue reading
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Posted in Italy, OneTravel, Travel
Tagged egyptian museum, Italy, museo egizio, museum, museums, northern italy, OneTravel, Palazzo Madama, piedmont, Piemonte, Torino, Travel, turin, Италия, イタリア, 意大利
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Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Modena: Fast Cars and Slow Food
For a town with a population of fewer than 200,000 people, the list of icons associated with Modena is impressive. Pavarotti, Ferrari, Maserati, Balsamico, tortellini … whatever floats your proverbial boat, odds are you’ve been inspired by someone or something Modenese at some point in your life. Continue reading
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Posted in Cars, Coffee, Drink, Food, Hotels, Italy, Restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Street Markets, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel, Wine
Tagged albenilli market, Balsamico, bar schiavoni, best western, bottega storica, bottega storica di modena, cars, chef, chef massimiliano telloli, chef max telloli, Drink, emilia, emilia romagna, enzo ferrari, ferarri, ferrari, Food, francesca stradi, ham highway, hotel, hotel liberta, hotel liberta modena, hotels, Italy, Maserati, massimiliano telloli, max telloli, mercato albinelli, Modena, modenatur, modenese, museo casa enzo ferrari, northern italy, osteria, osteria stallo del pomodoro, panini, pasta, restaurant, restaurants, sandwich, Shopping, sports cars, street markets, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, tortellini, tortellini en brodo, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, wine, Италия, イタリア, 意大利
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London Daily Photo: Melange
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Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography
Tagged LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, london photographer, Photography, photography blog, street photography, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦
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Ancient Frescos and Fresh Mountain Air in Trento, Italy (CheapOair)
With a newly opened museum designed by star architect Renzo Piano; a distinctive sparkling wine with a rich tradition behind it; an exquisite regional gastronomy that’s big on flavour; and of course a stunning backdrop of snowcapped mountains, the lively … Continue reading
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Posted in CheapOair, Drink, Food, Italy, Shopping, Travel, Wine
Tagged alpine, alps, Castello del Buonconsiglio, design, dolomites, Drink, Food, Italy, methodo classico, MuSe, MuSe Science Museum, museum, northern italy, Palazzo Roccabruna, renzo piano, restaurants, science museum, Shopping, sparkling wine, spumante, Travel, Trentino, Trento, trentodoc, wine, Италия, イタリア, 意大利
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Good Stuff
Good Stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some yummy treats I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy! Miss P’s BBQ Pop-Up I attended a porky preview of a new pop-up from … Continue reading
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Posted in Food, Good Stuff, London, Restaurants, Shopping, Wine
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London Daily Photo: Trio
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Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography
Tagged buckingham palace, guards, LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, london photographer, Photography, photography blog, street photography, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦
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Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Antica Corte Pallavicina
Just outside the blink-and-miss-it village of Polesine Parmense, Antica Corte Pallavicina is a gorgeously restored 14th century castle situated on the banks of the Po that’s been transformed into a six room boutique hotel with Michelin starred restaurant. As refined as it is rustic, the venue is the result nearly two decades of dedication by local chef Massimo Spigaroli (whose other Michelin starred restaurant, Al Cavallino Bianco is located in the same village). Dining at Pallavicina was a sumptuous affair, yielding one of the loveliest meals I’ve had this year. Knowing that practically everything I put in my mouth came from here and was made onsite made all the more tasty. Continue reading
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Posted in Drink, Food, Hotels, Italy, Parma, Restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel, Wine
Tagged Al Cavallino Bianco, antica corte pallavicina, Antico Corte Pallavicina, boutique hotel, chef, Chef Massimo Spigaroli, culatello, culatello di zibello, Drink, farm, Food, ham, ham highway, hotels, Italy, Massimo Spigaroli, michelin, northern italy, parma, po river, Polesine Parmense, province of parma, restaurant, restaurants, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, vineyard, wine, zibello, Италия, イタリア, 意大利
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London Daily Photo: Play-Doh Slopes
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Posted in Christmas, London, London Daily Photo, Photography
Tagged christmas, LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, london photographer, Photography, photography blog, Play-Doh, selfridg, street photography, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦
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Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: November Porc
Celebrating a decade since its inception, November Porc is a month long foodie festival held every weekend during (yep you guessed it) November with each weekend seeing the party move to a different village in the Province of Parma. If the idea of visiting Torino was the impetus to planning my trip, the possibility of attending one of the November Porc weekends was what led to designing my actual itinerary and coming up with its broad “Ham Highway” theme. Continue reading
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Posted in Food, Italy, Parma, road trip, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel
Tagged Andrea Aiolfi, cicciolata, Drink, emilia romagna, Food, food valley, Food Valley Travel and Leisure., hotels, Italy, northern italy, november porc, parma, pork, province of parma, restaurants, roccabianca, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, Италия, イタリア, 意大利
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Twelve Days of Christmas Afternoon Tea at the InterContinental London Park Lane
It’s no secret. I’m a big fan of the fine foodie offerings InterContinental London Park Lane. With Executive Chef Paul Bates calling the palate pleasing shots (not to mention chef Theo Randall doing his own tasty thing with onsite upscale Italian restaurant), I’ve never never even come close to having a less than ideal dining experience here. So an invitation to try the hotel’s limited edition Christmas afternoon tea was one I greedily accepting. This was my second time to enjoy an afternoon tea at the InterContinental and it did not disappoint. If anything, my expectations for a high level of quality and service were exceeded. Continue reading
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Posted in Christmas, Drink, Food, Hotels, London, Restaurants, Wine
Tagged 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS, ARCH BAR & WELLINGTON LOUNGE, bar, champagne, cheapoair, chef paul bates, christmas afternoon tea, cocktails, Drink, executive chef paul bates, gin, hotel, hotels, INTERCONTINENTAL, InterContinental London, INTERCONTINENTAL LONDON PARK LANE, intercontinental park lane, jazz, live music, lobby bar, London, London blog, london hotel, mayfair, park lane, paul bates, tea, Travel, Twelve Days of Christmas Afternoon Tea, W1, W1J 7QY, wellington lounge, wellington lounge & arch bar, wine, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦
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London Daily Photo: Hackney Wick Pose
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Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography
Tagged east london, hackney, HACKNEY WICK, LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, london photographer, Photography, photography blog, street photography, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦
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Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Torino Unshrouded
Initially pursuing an opportunity to visit Torino (perhaps better known to some of my readers by its anglicized name, Turin) was what eventually led to me coming up with my the full blown “Ham Highway” itinerary. The city was (and I assume still is) keen to have bloggers visit to write about the city. There was a chocolate festival scheduled for when I knew I would be able to go, and I was pretty sure I could get a commission to write about it. The more I looked into Torino, the more I of a hunch I had that it would be the sort of “content rich” place that I’d enjoy checking out. Continue reading
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Posted in Art, Christmas, Coffee, Drink, Food, Italy, Restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel, Wine
Tagged ancient egypt, barbaresco, barbera d'asti superiore, barney's bar, bicerin, chestnut gnocchi, chocolate, chocolate festival, Cioccolato, coffee, Drink, egyptian museum, Food, gelateria pepino, gelato, hot chocolate, hotel, hotel victoria, hotel victoria torino, hotels, ice cream, Italy, lavazza, museo egizio, museum, museums, northern italy, Palazzo Madama, pepino, piedmont, Piemonte, pinguino, red wine, restaurants, Shopping, spa, swimming poll, swimming pool, Tabernalibraria, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Torino, Torino+Piemonte Card, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, turin, Италия, イタリア, 意大利
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Win a Neo Starter Kit worth £199 and Control Your Home Heating from Anywhere
Heatmiser’s latest Neo system delivers control-from-anywhere functionality via your smart phone or tablet, making it the most convenient and effective method for controlling your home heating and hot water – wherever and whenever you want. Keep reading for your chance to win a free Neo Starter Kit valued at £199 to help you start taking more control over your comfort and home environment. Continue reading
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Posted in Apps, Competition
Tagged £199, app, competition, contest, heatmiser, home heating, neo kit one, neokit1, retweet to win, twitter competition
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London Daily Photo: Clapton Station
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Posted in London, London Daily Photo, Photography
Tagged clapton, E5, east london, hackney, LDP, London, London blog, London Daily Photo, london photographer, Photography, photography blog, street photography, Лондон, ロンドン, 伦敦
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Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: a-MuSe-ing and Bubbly Trento
After an all too short sojourn in Friuli (God, I hope I make it back there before too long), I hit the autostrada heading west to the region of Trentino for an overnight stay to see what sort of wonders its scenic city of Trento had to offer. With a newly opened museum designed by a star architect; a distinctive sparkling wine with a rich tradition behind it; and an exquisite regional gastronomy that’s big on flavour, locally sourced ingredients and seasonality – the answer I soon discovered was A LOT! Continue reading
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Posted in Beer, Design, Drink, Food, Italy, Restaurants, road trip, Shopping, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, Travel, Wine
Tagged al vo', alpine, alps, antica birreria pedavena, beer, bellaveder, Blanc de Noirs, Bollicine su Trento, brewery, bubbles in Trento, cantine ferrari, Castello del Buonconsiglio, chef alfio ghezzi, design, dolomites, Drink, ferrari, ferrari spumante, ferrari wine, Food, hotel, Hotel America, Hotel America Trento, hotels, Italy, lager, Lager Chiara, locanda margon, mach, methius, methodo classico, michelin star, microbrewery, MuSe, MuSe Science Museum, museum, northern italy, Palazzo Roccabruna, Perlé Nero Pinot Noir, pizza, pizzeria, renzo piano, restaurants, science museum, Shopping, sparkling wine, spumante, Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway, tavern, Travel, travel blog, travel blogger, Trentino, Trento, trentodoc, wine, wine festival, Италия, イタリア, 意大利
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