Groningen A gastro Heaven I could have arrived at London’s Southend Airport some early ‘o’ clock to start my trip to Groningen in northern Holland, but why do that when I could have a comfortable night right next to the airport at the Holiday Inn? Dining at the 5thfloor 1935 restaurant on a fine
Hampton Manor Shadowbrook Lane Hampton-In-Arden B92 0EN Tel: 01675 446 080 Ever fancied being Lord of the manor? By that I mean really enjoying life in your country pile with fabulous grounds, staff everywhere you need them and never where you don’t. Great drinks on tap and Michelin starred food served in your own
Asparagus: Edible gold April in Europe can mean only one thing in the vegetable world, asparagus. That wonder of the chef’s table, speared, doused in butter, poached egged or just plain steamed. It is a thing of beauty and taste. Time to find out where most of our asparagus comes from and how to eat
St. Moritz Gourmet Festival St. Moritz Switzerland Crisp white stratocumulus scud beneath me on the swift 75-minute flight to Zürich. From there I take a couple of trains to that swishest of resorts where only the stylish check in and if you have to ask how much you’re in the wrong place. Or that’s
Mango Lounge at The Chequers Dean Lane Cookham Dean Berkshire SL6 9BQ Tel: 01628 481 232 From the success of Mango Lounge in nearby Windsor this young offshoot is housed in a splendid old pub, The Chequers. It is quintessential country tavern territory with a wood burner, more ancient beams than you can count
Zagreb Croatia As a travel writer I’m usually too busy flying somewhere to enter competitions but every once in a while I throw my business card into the hat, thank goodness I did. I recently won an all expenses paid trip for two to Zagreb, Croatia’s capital, courtesy of Monarch Airlines and the Zagreb
Doha Qatar The desert is and always will be a special place for me. Refuge for some, the enemy for others. Most of us westerners find its harsh conditions a challenge but I feel it has been undersold. With the right approach it can be rewarding, exciting and like nowhere else on earth. Welcome to
Basque Country In the 1955 the redoubtable Orson Welles had his own travel series for the BBC, Around The World With Orson Welles where he trotted the globe learning about and understanding different cultures. One of the best episodes is about the Basque region. He interviews many Basque people in the region that straddles France
Vienna Austria At the beginning of Carol Reed’s 1949 film The Third Man the narrator talks of not knowing the old Vienna before the war referring to the days of imperial splendour and pomp. That may have had validity when the movie was made but it seems a little quaint now. Today Vienna has
Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains St. Moritz Switzerland Tel: + 41 81 838 30 58 Outstanding service is something you always wish for in a 5 star hotel especially when you’ve taken one of the world’s greatest train journeys to get there. Don’t worry The Kempinski Grand Hotel des Bains does all of this
Pollen Street Social 8 – 10 Pollen Street Mayfair London W1S 1NQ Tel: 020 7290 7600 Jason Atherton has come a long way in a relatively short space of time. From leaving home at 16, briefly cooking in the Army to working with Gordon Ramsay, launching branches of Maze in Australia, Qatar and South
The Hand and Flowers 126 West Street Marlow SL7 2BP Tel: 01628 472277 Tom Kerridge’s rise and rise has been widely publicised and rightly so but it didn’t happen overnight. It has taken Tom and his team over nine years to gain those coveted two Michelin Stars for his ‘pub’ in Marlow Buckinghamshire. My