A week-end in Wiltshire. An extraordinary abbey, horses sculpted in the chalk of the hills, a circle of stones going through a village… Time to rest, in Cricklade, a cute town where once a year blooms whole fields of fritillaries, those tulips drawn by Mackintosh, mosaic of lilac and violet squares. This is where I’m staying – in a pub, the Red Lion Inn. Not above the pub though – the courtyard at the back has 5 quiet rooms. Quite large – being used to big cities where space really counts, that was a surprise – welcoming, beautiful stone. On the side, a desk, kettle, tea and coffee, free wifi. A bath, equipped with high pressure shower, natural Bramley products that smell sooo good. I wasn’t expecting that much comfort! Two rooms are kept for guests with dogs – very common in the region, with all the fantastic walks to be done. The best thing about staying in a pub? You can stay until it closes, chat with the locals, learn lots of anecdotes about the city, the best places to visit around, drink a few glasses – there is no driving involved, your bed is less than a […]
On one hand, you have industrial beer. A lot of focus on the financial turnover, not so much on personality. On the other, you have craft beer and they never cease to amaze me. Micro-breweries rarely plan on making a fortune. It might happen and that’s great but at first, there is passion for taste. Their luxury is time: giving the beer those extra few weeks that will infuse it with amazing flavours. They may only make 200 bottles of a particular batch but oh, will it be worth it. Here is a new name for you to look out for: the Earth Ale Brewery. Alex Lewis is 26 years old but quite a full life already. Rather an extraordinary chef. Loves, loves travels and learning. He even spent two months training at Noma before going to San Francisco and later Cape Town. He worked in amazing kitchens along the way, including one in a vineyard – vegetables and fruit growing on site, picking figs from the tree… As a hobby, he starts making beer. From his love of foraging come ideas – why not add herbs from the garden like sage? Cranberries? A beer loyal to the local terroir, infused […]
48 hours in Cork, adorable little Irish town. On your marks… here are our favourite addresses: ♥ Brunch at The Sextant ♥ Situated near the marina (and close to the bus station if you’re coming straight from the airport), The Sextant doesn’t look like much from the outside. Inside, however, is really friendly and atmospheric. It even has little terraces (some sheltered from the wind, others are not). On the menu? Hash of the day, mini Irish breakfast, Huevos Rancheros, eggs/avocado/chorizo… Good to know: dinner is free every Friday evening from 6pm. It all depends on the chef’s mood so it might be a roast, pizza, paella… The DJ will show up around 9pm. >> The Sextant ♥ Kiss the iconic Blarney stone ♥ The castle is a little outside town but you cannot go to Cork and not visit it. It is actually the third built on the site – quite some history there and a good appreciation of how harsh the conditions were at the time. Even the stairs are quite an experience! You’ll have a nice view of the surroundings from the top but most importantly, this is where you kiss the Blarney stone, brought back from the crusades. To […]
If you know me, you already know I’m a craft beer lover. If you have only tasted industrial brands before and decided you did not like the drink… try once more. I was just like you before. But craft beer is all about… passion, finesse, experimenting and micro-batching, you see. And it really, really makes a difference. For this week’s Hoppy Hour (see what I did there?), let me introduce Brewers & Union, who work with small Bavarian and Belgian brewers and for whom time matters. If you ask one of the Beer Giants, most likely; tick tock, tick tock, everything has to go quick, return on investment, you see. But B&U believe you need to let a beer develop its flavours slowly and allow up to 16 weeks if that’s best for the beverage. Because they intend to drink it, not just put the label on the bottle. And they do intend to be proud of it too. They even provide food pairing recommendations. I loved… the decent-sized bottles, 500ml, ideal to share. The very graphic, eye catching design. Especially the Sunday one, to which I am instinctively drawn. It sounds like a reward. A really nice range. If you have a […]
Faire partir de la famille Google? C’est facile, même à petite échelle. Vous connaissez Google City Experts? Des gens comme vous et moi qui postent leur revues… de restaurants, d’hôtels, de boutiques… sur les cartes du géant d’internet. Simple, user friendly, quelques minutes par revue, on écrit son texte, click, fini. Arrivé à 50, on devient City Expert. Bravo! Vous recevrez des invitations aux soirées spéciales en échange de 5 revues supplémentaires par mois. Une database complète pour Google… et bien des suprises pour vous. Car ces évènentiels vous mènent toujours dans des lieux peu connus mais extra. Vous font rencontrer des gens aussi enthousiastes et passionnés de leur ville que vous. Vous ne resterez pas seul dans un coin, c’est garanti! Tenez, il y a quelques temps, nous avions eu un tour exceptionnel de la station fantôme Aldwych. Hier la soirée portait sur le thème de bord de mer britannique… Quelques photos avant qu’elle ne batte son plein! Tout était gratuit. Construction de châteaux de sable, photobooth, craft beer, silent disco par The Robin Collective, l’extraordinaire Travelling Gin et leur vélo spécial cocktails, ballons gonflables, ping pong, bunting, BBQ à se lécher les doigts par The Roast of Sherwood […]
