If you are looking for a stylish cocktail to impress your guests with this Christmas, you might like to try Bloom’s Gin & Sin. It couldn’t be easier to make, so you don’t have to be a bartender to put it together.
Nescafe Dolce Gusto Piccolo on test
We’ve had a lot of coffee makers in the office this year and not all have been interns. Some we have plugged into the electricity socket to see what would happen. In the case of the interns it was a lawsuit, but the machines weren’t so fussy. The last one we tried this year was the Nescafe Dolce Gusto Piccolo. If the Nespresso is the George Clooney of coffee machines, this is his younger, racier, brother.
The OXO Tower Bar is Now Open at London’s Iconic OXO Tower Building
The new OXO Tower Bar is now open, giving Londoners an iconic place to enjoy a cocktail or two. Situated on the 8th floor of the the OXO Tower building, the OXO Tower Bar offers stunning views over London, a warm atmosphere to relax in and an impressive cocktail list created by Ian Goodman and his team.
Tracklements Onion Marmalade: Great in sauces, casseroles, sandwiches and tarts
When winter comes and the nights start to draw in there’s nothing quite like hearty comfort food. Sausages are a guaranteed winter time pleaser and Tracklements Onion Marmalade is the perfect accompaniment.
Michel Roux Jr at Parliament Square, London
The room, as many have already rather sniffily remarked, is a bit odd. It’s reminiscent of attempts to recreate a Georgian sitting room in a Barrett’s home. Of course the fireplaces here are the real thing, not made of plastic, and yet the impression lingers. It’s not unpleasant, far from it, but it does strike a slightly wrong note. Thankfully the food is good enough to distract you from the décor.
Gourmet dinner for charity at Sofitel The Grand Amsterdam
The final Sofitel Stars, Food and Art is the biggest and best yet. Six 2 Starred Michelin chefs cook one course each at Sofitel The Grand Amsterdam and the result is culinary perfection. Nick Harman packs his clogs and black tie and joins the lucky diners.
Juniper Dining, 100 Highbury Park, London, N5 2XE
Yorkshire-born chef Rob Wilkinson has set up his restaurant Juniper in Highbury to please his Arsenal-loving wife. Having worked through a clutch of Manchester restaurants before a stint at Boisdale Bishopsgate, Wilkinson now heads Juniper’s kitchen while his father-in-law does the accounts – a true family-run restaurant.
Made in Camden, Roundhouse, Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8EH
Made in Camden sits neatly between west London me and several north London friends and I will be steering them swiftly into it. A very short walk from Chalk Farm tube station, it’s the new bar and dining room at The Roundhouse. No, it doesn’t have that sterile, safe, tacked-on-to-something-corporate feel so typical of in-theatre restaurants and bars.
La Maison Du Chocolat launch their Christmas range
While their outlets are in London, the main one in Piccadilly, there are also concessions in Harrods and Selfridges, La Maison Du Chocolat products can also be ordered on line with guaranteed next day delivery anywhere in the country. These top quality chocolates would make excellent gifts at Christmas time or for any special occasion really.
The Basement Bar and Restaurant, Broughton Street, Edinburgh
The Basement is one of those places where you want to hover in the kitchen and taste everything that hits the pass. As you clock every dish heading for nearby tables it is easy to dither and even harder not to trawl the other tables asking for a forkful as it all looks so good.