It’s been a bloody long year for the gastronome, eh? Despite a few special chef-made deliveries and an endless stream of experimental dinners (a novelty which, frankly, wore thin in the first few months), there has nary been a meal that truly knocked my socks off. Which is why, like many of the people who’ve seen their favourite places shut their doors throughout the pandemic, I booked in to Paris House as soon as the government said ‘go’. For this all-important champagne pop of a meal, you see, there really wasn’t a better option. Paris House is a special occasion box ticker; more tasting me ..read more

So, it seems we all share a guilty penchant for Hallmark Christmas Movies. At least, when I asked if you’d be interested in reading a Hallmark Christmas Movie guide on Instagram Stories, a whopping 100% of you voted ‘OMG YES’, so here we are. Let me start by acknowledging that, yes, there are some absolutely awful Hallmark Movies out there. Some not-so-bad, but not-so-great; the type that show conventionally-attractive cutie pies falling in straight love, surrounded by snow, and usually with some wannabe high-powered business woman, or manic pixie media type, re-evaluating her life’s choices ..read more

Well ‘ello again, online family. Your resident whiskey/whisky expert is back with something new and rather exciting; namely, a weekly video series where I dip into the spirit world’s boozy waters for you and share my favourite findings. This week, for Whisky Wednesday‘s inaugural episode, I’m introducing you to Waterford, the Irish distillery en vogue, and giving away a bottle of its brilliant Ballymorgan 1.1 malt whiskey (e for the Irish, of course). You can check out all the terms and conditions in the description box of the video above (just double click the title to open it in a new windo ..read more

Well Covid has been a real treat, hasn’t it? Lots of uncertainty, anxiety and stress for everyone, with the added bonus of a killer virus! Which won’t go away! Hooray! Quite understandably, I’m losing it, and — even with a few months of reduced restrictions under Britain’s belt — everyone else I’ve spoken to is, too. Still, we’re all trying our best, and with lockdown two on the horizon, I think this might be a better time than ever to share a little lived-and-learned survival guide for the next few weeks (dare I say months?) of uncertainty. Don’t worry; I’m not here to tell you to start exer ..read more

Art by Chris Marrinan You could not have paid me to go for a run at any point in the last twenty years. I was more likely to hike up and down mountains all day than run a single bloody mile. And often would. It was asked of me at times – when training for soccer, dance and the like – but never received well. With a larger-than-average chest, little legs, type 1 diabetes and a mind that never stops, I simply couldn’t think of anything worse. Unfortunately, I’m also a do-what-you-say kinda woman, so when a loved one tagged me in the Run For Heroes challenge (to run 5k/3.1 miles, donate £5 to the ..read more

Well hello, friend! Been quite a while. I know, I know – that’s an understatement – but I had the most all-consuming craving to blog this morning. I could say it came out of nowhere, but I won’t pretend. After more than a year of silence, you deserve more. So, here I am today: former full-time blogger and so-called ‘influencer’, tip-toeing back to write for the lolz – something I haven’t done since my work at The Telegraph and Forbes filled my schedule…and quite some time beforehand. You see, around two or three years ago, I reached breaking point. I was tired of traveling with peers who care ..read more