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You may choose from the best Irish & British B&B's, hotels, guesthouses, inns in Ireland, unusual manors and even the most elegant Irish castles to form your perfect vacation! We have 3 star relaxed castles to 5 star elegant ones.

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09:31 PM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

London Gastro Pubs

Gone are the days of a swift half in the local boozer, perching on a carpeted bar-stool for a natter with the barman, while the sun glints through the cigarette-stained curtains.

These days, with all the wooden-floored pubs featuring everything from organic ales to well-sourced rare-breed pigeon on the menu, it's a much more sophisticated affair! Welcome to London's gastro pubs.

The Couch

This popular Soho haunt boasts (apparently) the biggest windows on Dean Street. Perfect then for chilling out with a pint and watching the hectic bustle outside. The menu at The Couch changes weekly but to give you an idea, when we last popped in, chargrilled king prawns with couscous and sweet chilli along with chicken breast with cream cheese and asparagus were both on the menu. There's only one sofa though. Get there early if you want to nab it.

The Cow Dining Room

Another of the founders of gastro pub food is Notting Hill's Cow Dining Room. The owner is Tom Conran - son of Terence, Oysters and Guinness are the things to be seen with here. Choose from Irish Rocks or Wild Falmouth Bay Natives. Seafood features heavily on the menu and the pub's philosophy is "eat heartily and give the house a good name." We think that could be arranged.

Duke of Cambridge

Voted the second best bar in this year's Observer Food Magazine Awards, the Duke of Cambridge prides itself on its organic, well-sourced fare. The seasonal menu of wholesome British food changes twice daily. All the real ales are local brews and the wine list is made up of 40 bins, all organic too.

The Eagle

Rumour has it that The Eagle, a fine Farringdon watering hole, was where the gastro pub revolution first evolved. The menu is simple but delicious. The food is a mix of Mediterranean and wholesome British and the varied wine list is fairly priced. The owners are even attributed with starting the bread with balsamic vinegar and olive oil trend that you'll find today in many a gastro pub. Just don't ask for any salad cream, OK?

The Garrison

There are a few cool extras at The Garrison such as a downstairs cinema room that can be hired for private dos. The menu includes fancy options such as foie gras and chicken liver parfait, and roast guinea fowl with sauce poivrade. And to finish, sample tasty pub puddings such as Norfolk apple and treacle tart with clotted cream.

The Gun

This Grade II listed gastro pub dates back to the 18th century and boasts a lovely deck overlooking the Thames. The Cabin Room at The Gun features murals of Nelson's cabin and the Battle of Trafalgar and can be hired out for private dining. Food ranges from dining room delights to a more relaxed pub menu. In the summer - if it's sunny - fresh fish is barbecued in the alfresco eating area.

The Marquess Tavern

Having had a revamp, The Marquess Tavern in Canonbury now boasts a kitchen headed by chefs previously at the Ivy and St John. The food is top-notch British fare, sourced almost entirely in the UK. Traditional Sussex pond pudding, Bath chap (pig's cheek) with mash and homemade pork pie with piccalilli are all on the menu. Add a drinks list including award-winning Nyetimber sparkling wine, Bramley and Gage liqueurs from Devon, and London Porter beer.

Queen's Head & Artichoke

The Queen’s Head & Artichoke is a more recent arrival to the scene. Begin your meal with Portuguese rock oysters with shallot and Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar, and follow perhaps with duck breast, roast Jerusalem artichoke and baby beetroot salad with apricot and ginger jam. And did we mention that the decor is picture perfect too? It is!

St John's Tavern

This pub is a real find on Junction Road in Archway. The locals love the rustic French/British menu featuring a mix of meat, fish and salad dishes. Everything at St John's Tavern is homemade and the bread is baked on site. Choose from eating in the beautiful high-ceilinged ballroom or the outside garden.

You may choose from the best Irish & British B&B's, hotels, guesthouses, inns in Ireland, unusual manors and even the most elegant Irish castles to form your perfect vacation! We have 3 star relaxed castles to 5 star elegant ones.

Other websites: Cruise Tour Planners

08:42 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Britain’s Biggest Cheese Festival

Cardiff Castle 2009

26th & 27th September

Ellen McNulty is President of

Cheese Lovers should put these dates in their diaries NOW and plan to visit Cardiff Castle and Britain's Biggest Cheese Market where you can taste over 450 Sheep, Cow, Goat and even Buffalo cheeses. Visitors can also taste and buy artisan wine, cider, perry and beer.

You may choose from the best Irish & British B&B's, hotels, guesthouses, inns in Ireland, unusual manors and even the most elegant Irish castles to form your perfect vacation! We have 3 star relaxed castles to 5 star elegant ones.

Other websites: Cruise Tour Planners

09:30 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Cool Bars in London

Whether you want to plan a special celebration, impress someone with your knowledge of the latest hang outs, or simply have a cracking night out with the girls or lads, these are the coolest places to drink in London. Officially! (OK not officially but just the ones we like best.)

Ice Bar

Book your slot, don your poncho and settle down for a nice-cold, ice-cold vodka cocktail at the newly refurbished Ice Bar. Everything in this bar is made entirely out of imported Swedish ice, including the stools, tables and glasses. The new "factory concept" features industrial cog wheels, pipes and warning sounds. This novelty bar is the first of its kind in London and perfect for those needing to chill out (geddit?).

Pigalle Club

If you're looking for sophisticated elegance, you can't go far wrong with Le Pigalle Club. This new supper club will take you back to the glamorous era of the 1940s. Dine on home-cured salmon with gravadlax sauce and pan-seared gingered tiger prawns with crab rice, while listening to live acts from up-and-coming artists to big-named veterans like Shirley Bassey and Van Morrison.

Loungelover

OK, listen up. This bar is seriously cool. Loungelover is the sister bar to the lavish Les Trois Garçons (which is just around the corner). The beautiful lounge is adorned with unique pieces of antique furniture and colourful details that will have you marvelling all the way to the cocktail list, which is also superb. Sip on Eastern Promise made with Sputnik rose petal flavoured Russian vodka and lychee liqueur, and Thai Breakers, made with coriander, ginger, passion fruit, kalamansi juices and coconut liqueur.

Lucky Voice

Choose from over 5,000 classic songs, and sing in your own plush, private booth with your favourite (and most out of tune to make you sound better) friends at Lucky Voice. This is London's coolest karaoke bar by far. It features nine individual rooms, each with an "I'm Thirsty" button to hail the waiter and order drinks like Ginseng Margarita, Love Hotel and Lucky Destiny. But make sure you plan in advance. This place is popular.

Shochu Lounge

Underneath Roka, you'll find the chic Shochu Lounge. This bar is a cut above the rest. You can even have a bespoke shochu cocktail mixed up from all of your favourite fruits, scents and colours. Ask at the bar for details, but only if you're feeling flush.

Sketch

Chic and elegant, Sketch has an egg-shaped bar with a bit of a retro feel. The venue covers a number of different bars and restaurants. So, from luxurious opulence to informal fun, there's a setting to suit every mood. Something of a temple to food, drink, music and art, Sketch even has a gallery thrown in for good measure.

Trailer Happiness

Self-titled as "a retro-sexual haven of cosmopolitan kitsch and faded trailer park glamour", Trailer Happiness is a great little hideaway on Portobello Road. The cocktail menu is kicking. Try the rum-based Scorpion Bowls and Zombies, both designed for sharing. You can even buy your own tiki shot mug and keep it at the bar.

Volupte Lounge

This sexy burlesque cabaret club will jazz up any night out. Drink Japanese Slippers and French Martinis then kick back and enjoy fabulous cabaret acts. And best of all, we think, are Volupte Lounge's afternoon teas made up of apricot scones, frosted lemon butter cakes, mini raspberry custard tarts and double chocolate and hazelnut brownies.

You may choose from the best Irish & British B&B's, hotels, guesthouses, inns in Ireland, unusual manors and even the most elegant Irish castles to form your perfect vacation! We have 3 star relaxed castles to 5 star elegant ones.

Other websites: Cruise Tour Planners

08:40 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Cooking Scools in Ireland

Dunbrody Cookery School has been designed to cater for all levels of cooks, from budding enthusiasts (Back to Basics) to the experienced gourmet (specialised courses). The perfect blend of demonstration and hands-on individual tuition means that you will learn practically and be able to reproduce the dishes at home in your own kitchen.

Located opposite Dunbrody Country House where the restaurant has received numerous awards the simple philosophy of under-stated but delicious food follows on in the Dunbrody Cookery School.

Ballymaloe Cookery School

The only cookery school in the world located in the middle of its own 100-acre organic farm.

When you step through the little wooden side gate and into the courtyard of Ballymaloe Cookery School you enter a different world. A world where the loudest sounds are the sounds of the countryside and maybe, if the windows are open, the quiet chatter and gentle clatter of people at work in a kitchen.

Highly acclaimed, Ballyknocken Cookery School lies in the pretty village of Glenealy, near Ashford, County Wicklow, Ireland. Run by chef Catherine Fulvio, this school offers a broad range of cookery classes from Southern Italian to Mexican, from vegetarian to Gourmet Entertaining and much more.

Ballyknocken, regarded as one of Ireland’s leading cookery schools also offer cooking classes to private groups Catherine is the food writer for the Irish Garden Magazine and has made many media appearances in leading magazines such as Saveur USA, and TV such as Discovery, The Food Network, UKTV Food, RTE 1 & 2, TV3 to name a few.

Bunratty Cookery School
Bunratty Cookery School specialises in hands on cookery courses. From Quick Suppers to Divine Dinner Parties Bunratty Cookery School cover all aspects of cooking.

Ellen McNulty is President of

You may choose from the best Irish & British B&B's, hotels, guesthouses, inns in Ireland, unusual manors and even the most elegant Irish castles to form your perfect vacation! We have 3 star relaxed castles to 5 star elegant ones.

Other websites: Cruise Tour Planners

09:25 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Whiskies in Scotland

Highland Malt Whiskies span the largest geographical area, and are the most diverse, they are produced north of the area defined by Dundee in the east and Greenock in the west

Speyside Malt Whiskies, which technically fall within the Highland District, are produced in the Valley of the River Spey

Western Isles, including Islay Malts, are generally the heaviest malt whiskies and are described as having a "maritime" character, combining brine, smoke, and peat

Lowland Malt Whiskies, which are generally lighter, softer, and drier, are made south of the area defined by Dundee in the east and Greenock in the west.

Most Scotch whisky is blended, meaning that it comes from the blending of as many as fifty malt whiskies and grain whiskies. In fact, blended whiskies account for upwards of 95% percent of all Scotch whisky sold worldwide In contrast, a single malt Scotch whisky is the product only of malt and no other grain and is the product of only one distillery. A single distillery may, however, mix or "marry" whiskies from several production batches over a period of years. A "single single malt" is a bottling produced from a single cask.

Malt is barley which has first been allowed to germinate by soaking it in water and then dried in a kiln or furnace. The drying, which often involves the use of peat, both stops the germination and imparts a particular aroma to the whisky. The malting process converts the starch in the barley into a compound which makes fermentation, and hence the creation of alcohol, possible. The malt detritus is removed and used as cattle feed. Ever the frugal Scotsman, to say nothing of the lucky cows.

There are fewer than 100 malt whisky distilleries currently in operation in Scotland. Approximately half of all these are clustered in the Spey Valley, a region in the northeast part of Scotland. The Northern Highland region accommodates around a third of distilleries. The remaining distilleries are situated around the Scottish Islands, Islay,The Lowlands & Campbeltown.

Although there are fewer than 100 working single malt distilleries, approximately 120 single malts exist, including some which are the product of distilleries not currently producing or which, even more sadly, are defunct. Ellen McNulty is President of

You may choose from the best Irish & British B&B's, hotels, guesthouses, inns in Ireland, unusual manors and even the most elegant Irish castles to form your perfect vacation! We have 3 star relaxed castles to 5 star elegant ones.

Other websites: Cruise Tour Planners

09:33 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Great Welsh Beer & Cider Festival

11 – 13 June

Great Welsh Beer & Cider

Festival

Cardiff International Arena

+44(0)29 2022 4488

www.gwbcf.org.uk

Ellen McNulty is President of

The Great Welsh Beer & Cider

Festival has established itself as the

premier real ale event in Wales with

the Champion Beer of Wales

competition held on 12th June. The

event is a festival for all Welsh

brewers to showcase their products

alongside some of the best beers in

the World. The event is an excellent

opportunity to appreciate and

experience the many varieties of

beers from Wales and else where.

You may choose from the best Irish & British B&B's, hotels, guesthouses, inns in Ireland, unusual manors and even the most elegant Irish castles to form your perfect vacation! We have 3 star relaxed castles to 5 star elegant ones.

Other websites: Cruise Tour Planners

09:30 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Scotland Whisky Month May 2009

Going to

Scotland

in May? If so there are many fantastic events taking place as part of Whisky Month.

One of the main themes of Homecoming Scotland is whisky and the month of May has officially been called Whisky Month.

Here is a wee taster of some of the events that you could include in your clients itineraries

1 - 10 May : Largest Speyside Whisky Festival

Spirit of Speyside Whisky Festival celebrates 10 years of world class events over 10 days at venues throughout Speyside.

www.spiritofspeyside.com

16-17 May: Spirit of the West

The

Whisky

Coast

presents Spirit of the West, a spectacular weekend of events, in the stunning grounds of

Inveraray

Castle

, Argyll

www.spiritofthewest.co.uk

Several dates throughout May: Talisker Whisky Evenings

Dunvegan

Castle

is hosting Talisker whisky evenings. Enjoy a selection of Skye’s most famous Malts in the fantastic surroundings that the castle has to offer.

www.dunvegancastle.com

15 May -17 Oct: Whisky Galore - A Musical

A tale of drams an dreams. Pitlochry Festival Theatre is delighted to be staging the musical World Premiere, based on Compton MacKenzies’s novel.

Ellen McNulty is President of

You may choose from the best Irish & British B&B's, hotels, guesthouses, inns in Ireland, unusual manors and even the most elegant Irish castles to form your perfect vacation! We have 3 star relaxed castles to 5 star elegant ones.

Other websites: Cruise Tour Planners

09:33 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

English Cider and Perry - Food in Great Britain

What to drink in England? English Cider and Perry are key pieces in the jigsaw of real food and drink in England. With most English ciders the greater the variety of apples used, the better, as they all have different characteristics. Real English Cider is natural cider – the fermented juice of the apple, with nothing added and nothing taken away, perfect English food accompaniment.

The main areas with a strong tradition for the production of this great drink are in the West of England, Herefordshire, and the counties of Sussex, Norfolk and Kent.

Perry is made exactly the same way as cider but is made from Perry Pears. Like cider apples, Perry Pears are grown specifically for perry production. It is traditionally a speciality of the Three Counties (Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire) and the Welsh Borders. If you’re popping along to one of the many beer festivals around Britain, or visiting a farmers market or food and drink festival, you can usually sample a range of perries.

Ellen McNulty is President of www.lynotttours.com

You may choose from the best Irish & British B&B's, hotels, guesthouses, inns in Ireland, unusual manors and even the most elegant Irish castles to form your perfect vacation! We have 3 star relaxed castles to 5 star elegant ones.

Other websites: Cruise Tour Planners

Scotland Travel Master

08:55 AM in Food and Drink | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)

Best tea In England

Find out more about where best to enjoy your afternoon tea with our pick of the best tea shops or tea rooms in England. Most of the places featured are members of the Tea Guild (www.tea.co.uk/), which is part of the Tea Council. Use the links below to select a venue to enjoy tea in England.

Ellen McNulty is President at www.lynotttours.com >

Outher websites: Cruise Tour Planners