Win Exclusive cookery class in Cardiff with Spanish Chef Omar Allibhoy

I am very excited to say I have a brilliant giveaway for all you lovely readers and you are in for a real treat. If any of you follow me on twitter you have probably seen me mention my love of Olives which is one of my favourite foods and the wonderful people at Olive it! have paired up with Spanish chef Omar Allibhoy and Italian hotspot Giovanni's in the heart of Cardiff to bring you an afternoon of hands-on cookery tuition in a variety of tapas inspired recipes using olives. Best of all is I have a pair of tickets to giveaway to attend this exclusive cooking class which is taking place on the 12 November 12:30-3:30pm at Giovannis Cookery School, Cardiff, UK. Once you have cooked up a variety of exciting dishes you get to set down and enjoy sampling the feast accompanied by carefully selected wines. It's super easy to enter and the giveaway ends on the 10th November 2015 a Rafflecopter giveaway ...

Read more »

Dreaming of a Christmas in Kefalonia, Greece

Myrtos Beach in Kefalonia I have been to Greece a few times with my parents - we generally avoided large resorts and enjoyed Island hoping to some of the smaller islands such as Poros and Hydra being two of my favourite and I have some very fond memories of our times there, including coming across a beautiful secluded restaurant 2 miles up a hill through a lemon grove, no other customers were there and the owner made us feel so welcome and cooked us a real feast, he then showed us a nearby waterfall, it was one of those magical days. I would love to return to Greece with John and the little man as there are so many places to visit and with such friendly locals, warm weather, blue sea and wonderful food what more could you ask for in a holiday destination. I am particularly drawn to Kefalonia as even though it's one of the larger Ionia Islands it's actually one of the less inhabited and is great for a quiet, relaxed and outdoor filled holiday, which is something I reall......

Read more »

DIY continental food and drink at home in the UK

If you want to bring a little bit of relaxed, continental retirement lifestyle into your own home there’s no better way to do it than through the delicious options you have when it comes to food and drink. People living overseas, especially in Europe, often remark on the wonderful variety of foodstuffs they can enjoy; however, the same ingredients are available to you here in the UK if you only know where to look for them and how to put them together. Here are a few top class ideas for creating some of the delights of continental offerings. Spanish tapas Tapas are appetizers or snacks and an essential part of the Spanish cuisine. Often served in bars as a pre-dinner treat, they can be hot or cold and frequently include ingredients such as cheese or olives, slices of bread with a variety of toppings, cold meats or chorizo sausage. These are easy to assemble at home as you can cook your favourite omelette, for example, containing lots of interesting vegetables (potat......

Read more »

London Love Part 1

So it's John's birthday this week and even though we both visit London fairly often it is rare for us both to have a day together in the big smoke, let alone for two days without the little man (this is only our 2nd proper night away from him). It was great to have a bit more time to stroll around soho or check out the shops we love but never have time to get too. We stayed in a great little boutique hotel right in the heart of soho which had a lovely courtyard with spiral staircase and sunny roof terrace and best of all in the evening in the terrace they served wine with antipasti's and cheeses, all included, which is a great way to socialise and start the evening off. Chillin in the hotel courtyard My favourite - Wine, Olives and hummus We started the day off taking a stroll to Carnaby street, as just off it is one of Johns favourite boutique denim companies - Albam, he treated himself to a denim tote bag which will be perfect for work. We also had a dr......

Read more »

A lunch date with Bill

So we had a rare day date the other day and decided to finally try out the new New York inspired Bill's restaurant and deli shop in Cardiff for a spot of lunch. It has a great vibe to it and it doesn't feel like a chain at all, with cool looking staff, bare-brick walls and wrought iron spiral staircase you feel like your in a downtown loft. Drinks - as soon as I saw they did Elderflower presse I had to have some - this can come either hot or cold and opted for a cold sparking class of elderflower with cut strawberries - very yummy. John went for a retro serve coca cola in the original glass bottles, which was a nice touch. Food - John opted for the homemade fish finger sandwich - which may sound boring but this was fish fingers gourmet style - big chunky and tasty with equally well presented chips that came in a little tin cup. I only wanted something light and had a real craving for tomatoes so I had to give the Tomato and basil soup which was very tasty and not......

Read more »