Fitness 2018 – Blenheim 7k, Blenheim Palace

Sunday, 29th April 2018 – Blenheim 7k, Blenheim Palace Having not run any sort of race since the Silverstone 10K two years ago, the Blenheim 7K seemed like a conveniently sensible distance in a conveniently close location, it being only 40 minutes or so away by road. So I figured what the hell, I’d go…

Food 2018 – Hibiscus, Northampton

Friday, 13th April 2018 – Hibiscus, Northampton And so, knowing we would be out at the Errol Flynn Filmhouse later in the evening, we decided we’d have a second shot at Hibiscus, the fine dining restaurant (their words, not mine, but it is justifiable) tucked away inside the building. We’d booked in early with intent…

Food 2018 – Le Cigalon, London

Monday, 9th April 2018 – Le Cigalon, London Le Cigalon sent me an email inviting me to test drive their new 5 course menu for £29.50 a head (it’s normally £36.50 for 3 courses), which for central London is a massive bargain. Having discussed catching up over dinner with our friend Janice I asked her…

Food 2018 – Locanda Locatelli, London

Monday, February 26th 2018 – Locanda Locatelli, London February got slightly out of control when the lovely people at the Harden’s Guide announced their latest dinner. This would be at Locanda Locatelli, a restaurant we last visited in 2009 for a friend’s 40th birthday. It was lovely then, and given that Giorgio Locatelli is one…

Food 2018 – Hibiscus, Northampton

Tuesday 13th February, 2018 – Hibiscus, Derngate Theatre, Northampton It being Lynne’s birthday (and a significant birthday at that) we would normally have celebrated at The Vine House but they were closed while Julie, one half of the couple who own the place, was having a knee replacement operation. We needed an alternative venue and…

Food 2018 – Frenchie, London

Saturday, 3rd February 2018 – Frenchie, Covent Garden, London A post-theatre treat after a trip to see Mary Stuart at the Duke of York’s Theatre. We’d come out of the theatre slightly too late to get a table for cocktails at the Beaufort Bar in the Savoy, so we’d fallen back on our usual fail-safe,…

Food 2018 – The Oxford Kitchen, Oxford

Saturday 20th January, 2018 – The Oxford Kitchen, Oxford Finally, 8 days after my birthday, we actually got to go and have a celebratory dinner. We had intended to do it the previous weekend, but I was outsmarted by OpenTable, and my booking at The Harrow in Little Bedwyn somehow got transposed from Saturday to…

Events 2017 – Christmas Trail, Blenheim Palace, Woodstock

Saturday, 25th November 2017 – Christmas Trail, Blenheim Palace Having been to the event in 2016 we were quite keen to do the Blenheim Palace Christmas Trail again in 2017 and so booked ourselves in good and early, which meant we had a good choice of dates (though the Saturday slots were filling up fast…

Travel/Food 2017 – Kingston-upon-Hull, Beverley, Raskelf

Saturday, 11th/Sunday, 12th November 2017 – Kingston-upon-Hull (Hull) This was a much shorter visit than the one in May, as we only stayed one night (at the splendidly-located City Centre Premier Inn right by The Deep) and arrived an hour or so before the start of the performance we were there to see, the “Last…

Food 2017 – Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton

Friday 13th October, 2017 – Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Great Milton If there’s one restaurant in the UK that I would sell my grandmother to eat at, it’s probably le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. I make no secret of my admiration for Raymond Blanc, and having met him a couple of times now, I’m even more…