Markets of Canada | Montreal’s Marché Jean-Talon

Visiting the Marché Jean-Talon in Montreal’s Little Italy district, I felt like a kid in a sweet shop; overwhelmed by stall after stall piled with beautiful, fresh, brightly-coloured produce, I didn’t know where to look next. Punnets of tiny physalis, known locally as cerise de terre (ground cherries) sat next to the last of the ... Read more »

Eating Out In Edinburgh

Meal at Bridge Inn at Rathco Edinburgh Scotland

Scotland is blessed with a terrific natural larder – top quality beef, poultry and dairy, an abundance of fresh fish and seafood, excellent wild game, not to mention the national tipple, scotch whisky, made from malted barley. But like anywhere, it can be cheaper and easier for the hospitality and catering industry to purchase lower ... Read more »

Postcard from Iceland #4 | The North

Outside of Reykjavik, Iceland is sparsely populated with individual farmsteads and small communities dotted across a rural landscape. Farming and fishing are still key industries but the last decade has seen huge growth in software, biotechnology, finance and service industries and a significant increase in tourism. Sauðárkrókur – Hólar – Akureyri After an inland detour ... Read more »

Postcard from Iceland #3 | The North West

I’m conscious that it’s now several months since our summer visit to Iceland and that I stalled after sharing just two ‘postcards’. I’ve been processing more of the images from the trip and decided to resume the series; better late than never! We didn’t have time on this trip to include the Western Fjords that ... Read more »

Glazebrook House Hotel | A Perfectly Modern Country Hotel

If you were to write a wish list for the perfect, modern country house hotel, what might you include? For me I’d be looking for a beautiful rural setting with plenty of varied attractions in the vicinity, easy to get to but still with that feeling of getting away from it all, sumptuous and spacious ... Read more »

Memories of Luton, Lübeck, Marzipan and Niederegger + Marzipan Giveaway

You can take the girl out of Luton… Smack in the middle of the eighties – which I still hold to be the best decade, musically and fashion-wise (though I admit to harbouring some bias on this) – I did a German Language Exchange Trip through my secondary school. Luton and Hamburg were an odd ... Read more »

A Visit to Vilnius | Lithuania’s Capital City

Just before Christmas I was invited on a trip to visit Vilnius, Lithuania. As a country I’ve long wanted to visit, and with the added allure of December Christmas markets, I didn’t hesitate to accept. I spent a wonderful few days exploring the city (and nearby Trakai) with incredibly knowledgeable, not to mention helpful, patient ... Read more »