Posts

Showing posts from June, 2024

Taylors Port for amusing gifts in Oporto, Portugal

Image
Amusing tins, not sardines but chocolate. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.  Taylors in Portugal will ship bottles of wine to the UK and Europe. If you visit their shop by their restaurant in Porto, at hillside Gaia, you can also buy chocolate bottles, chocolate sardines and socks decorated with wine bottles. A visit just to their shop will show you: cartoons, and greeting cards. A single wine bottle wine fridge, costing 139.95 euros. An electric corkscrew, Reidel decanters. A decanting funnel. A jigsaw puzzle. The shop is like a mini museum with lots of framed prints to look at and buy.  I bought socks with wine motifs.  You can book tastings. Useful Information Wikipedia Wikivoyage Tripadvisor Rua de Choupelo, 250 Vila Nova de Gaia 4400-088 +351 22 374 2800 \ Please share links to your favourite posts.

Lindisfarne Mead - the old British honey drink

Image
  Lindisfarne Castle I first came across honey wine, or mead, at Lindisfarne in the north East of England, where a causeway floods. The causeway leads to a romantic, remote hilltop castle. It is called Holy Island and associated with monks and mead. A haunting Polanski film was shot here, called Cul de Sac. The film was released in 1966 in black and white. Somebody described it as a comedy, drama, thriller. Yes, there is supense. I did not find it funny. It was shot showing the tide out, and the tide in, at Lindisfarne Island, Northumberland, where the protagonist, played by Pleasance is the owner of historic Holy Island.  The Lindisfarne mead is curently in May 2024 selling online in British pounds at  11.25 for a 70 cl bottle. The company website also shows fruit wines, such as rhubarb, at 9.50 for 70 cl.  You might be interested in ginger wine, same price, or damson, or elderflower.  Mulled Wine Mulled wine which is available in the smaller size, 35 cl, is po...

Happy Birthday Dessert at Kiyoto Sushi Bar

Image
  Happy Birthday written on the plate for dessert, at Kiyoto Sushi Bar and Takeaway (and restaurant), Hatch End, Pinner, Middlesex. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. A short walk downhill from the station, in the centre of the Broadway. Their website says they have a loyalty card. This was not mentioned to us when we booked. Useful Website https://www.kiyotosushi.co.uk/ Please share links to your favourite posts.

Finding A Birthday (or anniversary) Venue - and BYO

Image
  I have used three methods for choosing a birthday venue. 1 Book a special gourmet restaurant..  Ask them what they can offer for a birthday. They might charge extra for Champagne, or a birthday cake. If they won't do something special for birthdays, take your own table decoration or d\birthday card or birthday girl or boy badge or hat. 2 Check who is open and has availability on the day. 3 Pick a location and ask all the restaurants  I did this walking up and down Hatch End high street, called The Broadway. 4 Keep a birthday restaurant list in your diary  (Write on the birthdate and a week or month before). Note venues you visit where you see a dessert and candle presented and hear the music or singing of happy birthday. 5 Celebrate at home and buy wines for the dates of the birthday or anniversary You could be doing this years in advance. For example. buy wines in the year of the birth of a baby. Save wines for their coming of age, confirmation or barmitzvah....