Living out of town and 'in the sticks' can pose an obstacle or two when you are looking for a great little place to grab a coffee, take a break away from the office or organise an informal business meeting or work-related chat. Whilst London has an abundance of pop-in places, Surrey has an enormous amount of country pubs but finding ones that stock soya and free-from cakes presents more of a challenge.
If you like cabaret and burlesque, comedy and song then Lady Rizo will have you swinging between the four, all in one night. Billed as an entertainer - dream maker - chanteuse and superstar, Lady Rizo will certainly raise a laugh from any audience.
You can't beat fresh, homemade soup. But we don't always have the time or the ingredients to hand to make it when we crave it most. And for that reason having a few pots of Tideford Organics soup in the fridge is the perfect answer. With most pots being gluten- wheat- and some dairy-free as well as containing no GM products, they really are a good 'comfort' food to keep to hand - especially as the nights draw in and the temperature plummets.
When it comes to chocolate are we really getting the best from the cocoa beans? Many companies overheat their beans and lose all the goodness from their bars. Some add cream and sugar until the original bean becomes less of a chocolate bar and more a butter bar with little nutrition left. But at Ombar they take their cocoa a little more serious and treat their beans with a lot more care, to produce a great selection of 'new' chocolate that should suit every taste.
Every once in a while we discover a smaller producer that catches our eye. Not because they have a huge marketing campaign, nor an elaborate stall at a grand event but because of the simplicity of their product and the honest way in which it is presented and displayed. Last month (October 2013) we were presented with a jar of pineapple jam and a caramel chocolate spread from EDM - fine groceries online.
The Country Living Magazine Christmas Fair London gave visitors the chance to soak up the magic of the festive season, enjoy a great day's shopping and leave with a hoard of heavenly gifts. The Fair brought together hundreds of exhibitors from all over the UK in a festive extravaganza of quality and craftsmanship, giving visitors a chance to get inspiration for the festive season ahead. And if you missed it - the next stop is Glasgow, before Harrogate sees in the start of Advent.
