Waipara West 2014

There must be something special about this site because every Waipara West wine that I’ve tasted has been memorable for all the right reasons; and the wines are numerous.

Kanteen – K West Spa

I realise it doesn’t sound like a ground-breaking menu and the hardcore Come Dine With Me lovers will scoff and demand much more flamboyance, but that’s not the point of coming to Kanteen. If you want something bland from a brand and covet sitting in a huge fishbowl so everyone can see you eat, go to Westfield.

Celebrity Cruises of the Ben Fogle variety

The Fogle’s got a new role as “Destination Expert” with Celebrity Cruises, creating a series of shore excursion programmes that I would have enjoyed more than nutmegging Gordon Banks or waiting in the Pompeii gift shop for the bus back to the boat.

Almond Bar- 100 Syrian recipes

Syrians believe you should never eat alone and there is, Salloum says, good natured rivalry between household chefs to put on a great show. It’s from those women; the kitchen was almost entirely a female domain in her youth, that she learnt her skills and recipes.