Come with me to Funchal where I eat the ugliest fish in the sea, visit the world’s best botanical garden, walk above the clouds, get close up with footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, and discover the joys of poncha. Madeira, a small volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean, is part of Portugal. Its location, mild sub-tropical climate and geology have given rise to a unique eco-system which make it a fascinating place to visit. There are stunning views, lush tropical gardens, fruits you won’t find anywhere else, a rich food and drink culture, beautiful beach resorts and a vibrant street art scene. It’s ..read more

Cherry-picking at Chegworth Valley and a visit to Yotes Court Vineyard make for a great day out. One of the brilliant things about living in Kent, the so-called Garden of England, is the sheer abundance of locally-grown soft fruit available in the summer months – strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and gooseberries, as well as stone fruits such as plums and cherries. In autumn, Kentish orchards are bursting with apples and pears and the local vineyards are producing a rich crop of grapes. There’s something undeniably satisfying about heading into a cherry orchard on a sunny da ..read more

One of the loveliest walks in Kent takes you through the beautiful village of Shoreham to the lavender fields at Castle Farm in the Darent Valley. The ideal month to do this walk is July when the lavender is in full bloom and there’s a sea of vivid purple in the valley. Starting Point Most people will probably arrive in Shoreham by car, but the village is very accessible by train as well. Shoreham Station is only 200 yards or so from the starting-point of this walk. The narrow lanes of Shoreham mean that it isn’t the easiest place to find parking. If you’re coming by car, my suggestion would b ..read more

A few weeks ago a Greek friend had recommended to us Ermoupoli on the island of Syros in the Cyclades as a really nice spot to spend a few days. He said it’s more popular with Greeks than with foreign tourists and is beautiful but much less frenetic than islands like Mykonos and Santorini. So, after a few very hot days in Athens recently, we found ourselves at the port of Piraeus looking at “Thunder,” the boat which would take us to Syros. Thunder is operated by Fast Ferries and it’s a magnificent and very well-appointed vessel. It took us to Ermoupoli, the main port on Syros, in just over 2 ..read more

This Syrian vegetarian cookbook has just been published. It’s full of the exotic flavours of the Middle East. If you’re looking for healthier ways to eat, this is a little gem. It also has a fascinating backstory. The Syrian Spoon – Cover The Syrian Spoon is the result of a collaboration between the charity Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees (SWR), Sevenoaks School and two Syrian refugees – Mouna and Khaled – the latter contributed all of the recipes. With Love from Mouna and Khaled Stuffed Peppers Mouna grew up in a village in Syria and has been cooking since she was 12 years old, learning her culin ..read more

A vegan cookbook that should interest non-vegans too I’m not a vegan myself, but like so many of us I’m constantly on the lookout for healthier ways to eat. So when I stumbled across The Vegan Bean Cookbook recently it grabbed my attention. This is a new publication from Sicilian author and food blogger Andrea Soranidis. It’s now available in the UK and looks to be a little gem, packed full of creative and tasty recipes. What’s the USP? The focus is on helping you create memorable vegan meals which are good for your body, relatively inexpensive and which can be prepared quickly. As the title s ..read more

Ian believes passionately that children should be eating healthier school meals. He’s the driving-force behind https://selfsufficientschools.co.uk/ and https://vegschoolmeals.co.uk/ I first came across the Self Sufficient Schools account on Twitter last year. It had a post asking people to sign a petition to make School Food-Growing & Self-Sufficiency a dedicated subject area of the UK National Curriculum. I was curious to find out more about this initiative, which was started by North London-based Ian Dunn, because it immediately struck me as a very good idea. I still have fairly vivid me ..read more

If you follow my blog, you’ll know that I take a keen interest in the Kent vineyard scene. I recently broke ranks and slipped unnoticed across the county border into Sussex to check out the Kingscote Estate and Vineyard. Some friends in London had organised a walking day in West Sussex last week, loosely following the bucolic route of the “Gravetye Circular” in the High Weald. The route takes you past historic houses, lakes and vineyards and through lots of natural woodland. Knowing of my interest in local vineyards they kindly invited me along. The opportunity to call in at the Kingscote Esta ..read more

Welcome to my blog. It’s an eclectic mix, but mostly I blog about travel, food and wine, lifestyle and sustainability. I also write blogs for clients – if you’d like me to write a blog for you, please get in touch ..read more

Home energy – an industry where customer retention no longer matters Like so many people across the UK, I recently changed my home energy provider. You know the situation…you’ve been with your supplier for quite a while, and a few weeks before your contract is due to end, you get a reminder. You start looking at their renewal deals, because you know you’ll end up being whacked pretty hard financially if you do nothing. My existing supplier was E.ON. I’d been with them for a couple of years and was reasonably happy with my dual fuel contract. But when I looked at their renewal offers, I was pre ..read more