Category Archives: Shopping
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Delectable Collio Goriziano
With the charming Udine as my base for a couple of days, I spent an afternoon in the nearby wine country of Collio Goriziano visiting a wine producer and cheese maker, both of whom had been recommended to me … along with finding out about a local ham maker whom I wish I’d had the chance to meet. Here’s the scoop on what makes this little nook of northern Italy such a yummy destination. Continue reading
Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: DOK Dall’ava Prosciuttificio in San Daniele di Friuli
Prosciutto made in San Daniele is protected by the EU as a PDO product. With the Alps to the north whipping the area with cold mountain winds and the Adriatic sending warm air up from the south, San Daniele has a distinctive microclimate which results in singularly sweet and savoury cured meats. Second only to Parma with respect to popularity and recognition (you decide for yourself which tastes better), San Daniele hams are pretty easy to come by in much of the world. One brand to look out for is DOK Dall’ava. Continue reading
Barista Skills (espressoCrazy) #illyschool
Recently, I helped organise and host an intimate coffee tasting and training session for a select group of London bloggers. Leading the event was Marco Arrigo – Head of Quality for illy Coffee in the UK – who provided our guests with a hands-on chance to hone their skills making perfect espresso-based drinks, along with a fun and informative ‘beans to cup’ lesson about the history and chemistry of coffee. Marco has trained hundreds of baristas throughout the UK. His course usually takes three days, but he crafted this this one to be a three-hour crash course session especially for bloggers. Continue reading
Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Speck-tacular Views and Smoky Brews in Sauris
Day two of my foodie odyssey had me saying goodbye to the Dolomite gateway town of Forni di Sopra and heading even higher (and deeper) into the Alps to the tiny Germanic enclave of Sauris for a taste of the local delicacies and to take in the sweeping views – all of which elicited some form of audible and involuntary whoa or wow from an overwhelmed me. Continue reading
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! Copas Turkeys 2013 saw the third Thanksgiving in as many years with a Copas … Continue reading
Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway: Ciao and Grazie!
Over the next several days I will share highlights from my adventure in a Tasty Tales from the Italian Ham Highway miniseries of posts featuring entries about the following phenomenal destinations – Forni di Sopra, Sauris, San Daniele, Udine, Collio, Trento, Torino, Parma, Modena, and Bologna – all with tips and suggestions to help you plan your own delectable itinerary. Continue reading
London’s Top Christmas Markets (OneTravel)
December is a fantastic time to visit London, offering a healthy dose of Christmas cheer that’s unparalleled. Here’s a roundup of the city’s best Christmas markets to help you fa la la your way to an excellently English Christmas. Read … Continue reading
Win a £150 Voucher from Zalando: UK’s Largest Online Wardrobe
Online shopping for top brands with guaranteed free deliveries and returns – that’s not just a Yuletide offer from Zalando, the UK’s largest online wardrobe, but what they provide to customers year round. With a great range of festive styles, a smart selection of Christmas gifts, and of course vouchers to give that friend or loved ones who might be a little more difficult to shop for, now is a great time to browse Zalando’s online aisles – especially since I’ve got a Zalando gift voucher worth £150 to share with one lucky reader. Continue reading
What Happens When Your Christmas Gifts are Left Alone at Night?
Ever wonder what sort of magic takes place this time of year when the shutters are closed and the lights turned off at a major department store? See what happens when Christmas gifts are left alone at night in this fun little clip from BHS featuring some very clever slow motion animation. The video is only about a minute and a half long but is chocked full of all sorts of great gifts available at BHS Continue reading
Whisky Wonderland – 2013 Jura Whisky Festival (City AM)
Waaaaaay back at the end of May I travelled up to the remote island of Jura to check out its annual Whisky Festival. This year’s event was even more worthy of red letters on the Jura calendar than usual, as the occasion marked 50th anniversary of the island’s distillery. Continue reading
Reminder: Win Seasonal Pasta Christmas Hamper from Carluccio’s Today! #BuonNataleUK
Okay. So I’m just back from a rather epic week-long foodie ramble across the north of Italy. Yes, I had an amazing time. Soon enough, I’ll be writing about all the delectable highlights I experienced and sharing some top tips learned along the way. Keep an eye out for plenty more posts about my trip. Until then though, if you have a craving for some cibo Italiano but can’t getaway before the festive seasonal, don’t forget to enter my latest competition for a pasta hamper from Carluccio’s. Continue reading
Exploring the Possibilities with espressoCrazy’s Ultimate illy Mixed Case (Espresso Crazy)
Recently, I’ve been sipping my way through illy’s Ultimate Mixed Case of iperEspresso capsules. With a mix of five different iperEspresso capsules, giving the Mixed Case a try is great way to sample the illy capsule range and find out which ones are best for you. Continue reading
Product Review: Heat Holder Socks (CheapOair)
Ever spent a whole day away from home with cold feet? I’m not being metaphorical and talking about being too shy or afraid to enjoy yourself. I mean being uncomfortable because you’re not wearing the right socks for the weather. … Continue reading
Review of The Recipe Kit by @urbanpixxels
The Recipe Kit is not the first food delivery service. But founder George Kazarian wanted to add ‘a layer of awesomeness’. It might take you a few minutes extra in the kitchen, but as a result you get to learn new techniques, discover ingredients that you won’t find in every supermarket, and explore new cuisines. I mean, how good does ‘candy beetroot salad with lamb lettuce and goats cheese’, ‘sweet potato salad with barberries and tamarind dressing’, or ‘poussin stuffed with couscous’ sound? Continue reading
Win a Seasonal Pasta Christmas Hamper from Carluccio’s
Carluccio’s is a fantastic one stop resource when Christmas shopping for the foodies in your life, whether you’re browsing for authentic Italian foods in-store or shopping online for the best of Italy brought straight to your door, with a new next-day delivery service. Treating friends, family and colleagues to Carluccio’s selection of hampers, gift boxes, cakes, biscuits, sweets and chocolates is an excellent way to ensure the people most important to you have a deliciously buon Natale this year. To find out more about all the yummy festivities happening this Christmas at Carluccio’s plus the chance to win one especially scrumptious Christmas hamper for free, just keep reading! Continue reading
Kamps: New German Backerei Café on Tottenham Court Road Near Warren Street
Kamps is a new German backerei café on Tottenham Court Road near Warren Street station. Stop by for a coffee (artisan wood roasted in Oxford) and a pastry, an especially budget friendly and tasty breakfast or a loaf of bread baked fresh in-store. Not yet open a full week with no marketing , the clean little shop is making fans quick. After my recent visit I can see why. Continue reading
Get 15% Off the Ticket Price for This Weekend’s BBC Good Food Show
Sponsored by BBC Heading to this weekend’s BBC Good Food Show at Olympia Exhibition Centre this weekend? Be sure to watch this video for 15% off your ticket price!
Deck the Halls with Post-it Index This Christmas
Hoping to avoid a fa-la-la-la-fail this Christmas? Post-it Index is an excellent and versatile resource to help you stay organised and on top of your game over the festive season. Continue reading
Celebrating Edward VII’s Birthday with The King’s Ginger and Berry Bros
The level of kitsch and pretence was nearly as copious as the amount of booze in the cocktails during a recent posthumous birthday lunch for King Edward VII, with The King himself on hand to preside over the merriment. As wackily anachronistic as the celebration was, the setting could not have been more authentic or historically spot on. Of course as is so often the case with too many wonderful experiences, there had to be a hitch. Continue reading
Festive Season Ideas for Coffee Gifts and Entertaining (Espresso Crazy)
The festive season will be here before we know it. And if you’re like me, coffee is going to play an even more important part of life than usual over the coming weeks. Whether downing a much needed boost of caffeine during an exhausting round of shopping, capping off a fantastically filling roast dinner with a shot of espresso or leisurely sipping a moreish mocha while admiring twinkling lights on a Christmas tree, coffee is going to help me cope with my hectic schedule, celebrate the important moments with my family and friends, and relax as the final days of the year wind down. Continue reading
Win a Selection of Christmas Chocolates from Hotel Chocolat
Love chocolate? Check out the recently launched 2013 range of Christmas chocolates from luxury British chocolatier and cocoa grower Hotel Chocolat. From gorgeous stocking fillers and stunning boxed chocolates to full-on family hampers, there’s something for everyone with something for all gift giving budgets. And for one lucky reader of this blog, there’s a chance to win free chocolate. Continue reading