Boston in the cold

“The good news is that it’ll be 7 degrees on our first day; the bad news is it’ll drop to minus 12 in the following 48 hours.” I knew this isn’t what my sister had envisioned when I convinced her to take a spring break in Boston but it hadn’t even occurred to me that […]

24 photos to show why you should never visit Cornwall

24 photos to show why you should never, ever, visit Cornwall. 1. Awful beaches 2. Ugly islands 3. Boring theatres 4. Terrible ice cream 5. Unattractive fishing villages 6. Mundane stories 7. No water sports 8. Boring walks 9. Dirty seas 10. Little history 11. Disappointing views 12. Hideous harbours 13. Plain gardens 14. Uninspiring transport […]

A day out in The Gambia: Crocs, monkeys, fish and markets

I’ll admit that I was quite settled in the routine shown in the photo below after just one day at Nemasu Lodge but when invited by some of the other guests to join them on a day trip to see some of the highlights The Gambia has to offer, ranging from a crocodile pond to a […]

Back Door Kitchen @ Unwined in Tooting

After taking a load of photos for #24HrsToots I was invited to take photos of Rob, the chef currently residing at Unwined in Tooting, and his wonderful food. He runs Back Door Kitchen and is their first guest chef. I headed down to the market on Sunday lunch time and was fortunate enough to be offered a couple of dishes […]

#24HrsToots

A recent piece of research claimed that Tooting is the unhappiest place in London, something that all Tooting residents knew to be false. I don’t know whether the excellent Tooting Daily PRSS organised #24HrsToots to counter this reputation or not, but it was a fantastic idea. The concept was for as many people as possible […]

Cooking in Rome

“What is the pasta that goes with bolognese sauce?” asked Chef Andrea to group of cooks hoping to learn how to create delicious Italian dishes in his kitchen. I knew this one. “Spaghetti,” I confidently said with a smug look on my face. “NOOOO! That is how you do it in your country, but now you […]

Five things you must do in Barcelona

Boy George, Sting and Phil Collins wasn’t exactly the music I was thinking of when I booked a trip to Barcelona for some winter sun in January, but this was what was blasting out of the taxi’s radio as we were taken from the airport to our hotel in the Gothic District of Barcelona. For a […]

Southern sun, BBQ and country music – A tour of the deep south – Asheville and Knoxville

For background on this road trip please see the Atlanta and Savannah blog entries. Asheville and Knoxville – Beers, pulled pork and Hugo Asheville has a reputation as being one of the homes of the micro-brewery in America and it does not disappoint. A city high up in the mountains with stunning views at every turn, this […]

Southern sun, BBQ and country music – A tour of the deep south – Atlanta.

When Hugo, Matt and I sat down to plan this trip we pretty much prioritised the three items in the title of this blog entry (we also decided we wouldn’t be adverse to a cheeky beer or two). We got our fill of all of these along with drinking moonshine, visiting the home of blues […]