Having recently spent 72 hours in the Finnish capital of Helsinki, I would like to bring this incredible Nordic city onto your travel radar. All places listed on this post have been handpicked by @MyHelsinki (the City’s official Tourism Board) who hosted us on a 3-day visit, and are some of the BEST places to sleep, eat and play in the Finnish capital. So *SAVE* this post for your next visit to Helsinki and make sure to visit them. Helsinki has been getting a lot of good press recently, and rightly so as it is fascinating city. I was intrigued to read in The Observer that Finland has b ..read more

 Name: Yeni London Address: 55 Beak Street, W1F 9SH, Soho, London, https://www.yeni.london/ Cost: 10-dish Carte Blanche Tasting Menu at £69pp. About: Chef Civan Er is the chef-owner of Yeni Lokanta (https://www.yenilokanta.com/), an established fine dining restaurant in Istanbul. He opened Yeni London in Soho in 2019 aiming to bring a more sophisticated style of Turkish cooking to London but in a casual, sharing plate-type restaurant. And indeed, Yeni London was nothing like what I had tried at other Turkish restaurants in the UK. Living in North London, I am lucky enough to have a pletho ..read more

Name: MiMi Mei Fair Address: 55 Curzon St, London W1J 8PG, https://mimimeifair.com/ Cost: £50 plus per person for a 3-course meal on the a la carte menu, check the menu - https://mimimeifair.com/files/MIMI-MEI-FAIR-A-LA-CARTE.pdf About: Few new London restaurants have caused such a buzz since their recent opening than MiMi Mei Far – and of course we had to check it out. Photo by @stevenjoycephoto Glad to report we had an EPIC meal at MiMi Mei Fair - we loved the strong & well-made cocktails, the impeccable service and the plush and sexy décor (possibly one of the most beautiful r ..read more

This steak sarnie is why I think a low-carb, no-sugar diet is the best weight loss approach for me. I LOVE carbs and couldn’t possibly live without good bread or pasta, but every year, I take the plunge and try and lose those extra pounds. Living and breathing food, my weight fluctuates massively, and with Covid, I thought I ought to do something about it. I find a low-carb, no-sugar diet is the least restrictive regimen for those who enjoy food – yes, there is plenty of good fat, butter, cheese and cream, as well as meat and fish, but there is also loads of green vegetables. The weight does ..read more

If you’ve been baking to your heart’s content through all the lockdowns, and are now wondering what to do with your leftover sourdough - I have a good suggestion for you – make it into this scrumptious Italian soup. This is a recipe adapted from the fab cookbook ‘Jamie at Home’ by Jamie Oliver. I have been making this soup since 2007 when I bought his book, but I have had to adapt it over the years, and I share my findings with you here. This Italian soup is layered like a lasagne, with grilled slices of sourdough bread rubbed in raw garlic, cabbage and chicken stock. As it cooks, the bread p ..read more

 Name: Flat Three Address: 120-122, Holland Park Ave, Notting Hill, London, W11 4UA, https://flatthree.london/ Cost: 5-course tasting menu (with 2 additional appetiser courses) at £59pp with an optional sake and wine pairing for £49pp. There is a lunch menu priced at £33pp on Fridays and Saturdays (when you are welcome to bring your dog(s) with you). About: Opened in 2015 by Juliana Moustakas, a Korean-American and former London City banker, Flat Three is a restaurant that is tricky to label – think top notch British produce with touches of Japan, Korea and Scandinavia and you are in the ..read more

Name: Angelina Where: 56 Dalston Lane, London E8 3AH, http://www.angelina.london/ Cost: £39 for 5-course tasting menu with an optional £35 Italian wine pairing, or £9 for the dish of the day with an optional £3 for a beer or glass of wine. About: Few London restaurants have excited me as much as Italian-Japanese @Angelina.dalston - and glad to report that our experience there was nothing short of outstanding. Owner and General Manager Joshua Owens-Baigler @joshuabaigler, a Japanophile at heart who lived in Umbria, trained at the River Café and cut his teeth with the Bistroteque Group ..read more

A very good morning from the fabulous Shola Coach House Boutique B&B in Portrush, our lovely "home" during our Northern Ireland travels. And no better way to get the day started than with Sharon's Full Ulster Fry with all the trimmings including traditional local family Ethersons Butchers' reared bacon and sausages, my favourite Clonakilty Black Pudding, soda farls and potato bread. We also had freshly cut fruit salad, yoghurts, and more homemade breads, what a feast! Sharon and David set up Shola B&B in 2013 and since then they have been garnering a number of awards - in 2015 th ..read more

Name: Berners Tavern Where: The London Edition Hotel, 10 Berners Street, London, W1T 3NP, 020 7908 7979,  http://www.bernerstavern.com Cost: a 3-course meal will cost around £50 per person on average (not including drinks or service) About: The London restaurant scene moves SO fast, so it is rare for me to visit the same place twice -  Berners Tavern is however one of the few restaurants I’ve been returning to over the years. Another good reason for my recent return visit was to attend a fabulous Wine Masterclass with Matteo Montone, Berners Tavern’s Director of Wine, and possibly the best ..read more

Name: Xier London Where: 13-14 Thayer Street, London, S1U 3JR, http://www.xierlondon.com/ Cost: In the upstairs Xier London, the 10-Course Fine Dining menu (a Vegetarian Menu is also available) is £90 per person, or £175 with a wine and cocktail pairing. For more casual dining, with shared dishes, XR on the ground floor is the thing, with an a la carte menu for lunch and dinner, and a set lunch at £25 for 2 courses, or £30 for 3. There is also a Royal XR Brunch menu offering a selection of starters plus cocktail, a choice of main course plus a glass of wine and a dessert for £30pp. About: Xier ..read more