EU Referendum – If You Really Believe in Democracy There is Only One Way You Can Vote on Thursday

eu referendum A couple of months ago I began this EU campaign genuinely undecided about how I would vote. I knew we sent the EU quite a lot of money and that it was bureaucratic. But I also believed fully in the idea that we were stronger together and that free trade is usually a good thing.

After much thought and research I have decided to vote to leave the EU. The final factor was the Paxman documentary which I would encourage everyone to watch.

Much as I love Europe. I cannot vote in favour of a system which is undemocratic and unaccountable. We must all fight to defend our democracy. So many have already sacrificed so much in the past to do so.

How is the EU undemocratic? Firstly, perhaps most importantly it lacks transparency. This system is unnecessarily and seemingly deliberately complex. Understanding how laws are actually made is difficult. There are three main bodies.

The European Council – Decides priorities and directions of the EU

The European Commission – Proposes legislation, policies and programmes of action and is responsible for implementing the decisions of the European Parliament and the Council.

The European Parliament – Amends and approves legislation

There are also a myriad of other bodies involved, of which there are far too many to list. When a system is this complex it becomes impossible for ordinary people to have any input or influence on the decision making process. Power becomes held in a smaller and smaller elite.

New laws are not proposed by elected members of the EU parliament. In almost all cases they are proposed by unelected commissioners. This is crucial. What is the point of having elected representatives if they are powerless to change anything? When I vote for my MP to go to Westminster he or she stands on a manifesto of policies he or she wishes to undertake on my behalf. My MEP stands for nothing. It’s little wonder that almost no one actually knows who their MEP is. The elected European Parliament, in those policy areas in which it is allowed a say, votes on directives in vast batches with very little opportunity for debate. Detailed scrutiny is given in committees, but only a tiny proportion of MEPs are able to participate. The ability to modify directives is itself subject to many rules. There is no accountability. Any laws which are created trump our own parliament. Whatever people may say, it is not democracy.

I do not pretend that leaving the EU would not be difficult and there would not be a great deal of upheaval. I have also been very disappointed with most of the arguments and figures from both sides. It saddens me that the debate has been dominated by immigration and the economy when to me the true issue is our relationship with the EU and our democracy.

But we cannot allow this undemocratic system to continue. The EU has shown itself to be completely unwilling to reform. David Cameron had a golden opportunity to work for proper democratic reform during his re-negotiation. He didn’t even bother because he, and most other politicians, have no interest in changing a system which favours them. It is time for us all to stand up and be counted and take back control of our democracy. We may not get another chance.

 

Bingham Hotel Restaurant Review

The Bingham hotel is tucked away in a great location next to the river Thames in Richmond. First impressions are very good, the staff are professional and the hotel is immaculate. Before we have our meal we go to the bar and order some cocktails.

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IMG_0977The Bingham is well known for its cocktails and its easy to see why. The barman is extremely skilled and rustles us up two delicious mocktails in front of us. (Catherine is pregnant hence the mocktails).  My mocktail is delightful, I’m tasting something unlike anything I’ve experienced before and I feel as if I’ve been transported to another part of the world.IMG_0707IMG_0993 The bar is a beautiful grand room, full of comfortable chairs, very high ceilings and views looking out over the Thames. It’s all real luxury. The main restaurant is similarly impressive and we have a table looking out over the river. Despite coming across as a luxury first class restaurant the atmosphere at the Bingham is relaxed – something which is very rare in these high end establishments in my experience. The room has a warm feel and the service is absolutely first class. The staff are all highly professional, knowledgeable, friendly but also not overly formal, which allows you to feel very comfortable. The style of the restaurant food is modern British.

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The Bingham is proud of its extensive wine list and rightfully so the wine we had was superb.

To start we have some delicious homemade bread – it’s amazing the difference good quality bread can make to a whole meal – it sets the tone.IMG_0712

Catherine started with Heritage Beetroot – chicory, horseradish ice cream £11.50
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An interesting savoury dish with lots of imagination. Catherine chose it because of the horesradish ice cream which is not something you see on the menu every day! The dish was extremely inventive and worked exceptionally well.

I have Quail with butternut squash, quinoa and tarragon £11.00 IMG_0716

As you can see from the picture the presentation is superb. The quail has been cooked beautifully. It’s crispy on the outside and juicy and tender in the middle, The butternut squash is perfectly smooth and has a delicious flavor. Together with the quail and texture provided by the quinoa this is a perfect starter.

For my main I have the sweet potato ravioli with goat’s cheese, spinach and toasted seeds £15.50

A picture tells a 1000 words

A picture tells a 1000 words

My ravioli is perfectly cooked and the combination of goat’s chess and spinach is a classic and delicious combination. It looked so good I was afraid to eat it.

Catherine has the beef with salt baked celeriac, caramerlised oniom, variegatedkale £25.00IMG_0997

The beef was extremely well cooked and the sauces and kale went perfectly together. It was a beautiful piece of meat.

For my dessert I have the Rhubarb Millefeuille which also comes with a Rhubarb sorbet, ganache and cream pattisserie. £8.00IMG_0721

I loved my millefeuille which went perfectly with the sorbet which was a great accompaniment. This was a very skilfully created and tasty pudding.

Catherine has the Banana Parfait with chocolate mouse, peanut ice cream and salted brittle £8.00

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Showstopper

Wow this looked incredible on the plate and tasted just as good. The combination of the different elements was simply divine.

The Bingham was a wonderful experience and we will definitely be returning in the near future. The setting next to the Thames is stunning. The interior and atmosphere were perfect, the food and drink was superb and the service was flawless.

http://www.thebingham.co.uk/

61 – 63 Petersham Road, Richmond Upon Thames, Surrey. TW10 6UT T: +44 (0) 20 8940 0902 Email: info@thebingham.co.uk

Charlotte’s Bistro Restaurant Review

IMG_0151Long time Frost readers may remember that we reviewed Charlotte’s Bistro at the beginning of 2013. It was one of our favourite reviews and we were very keen to go back.

Charlotte’s Bistro is just a couple of minutes walk from Turnham Green tube station. It has a vibrant and lively atmosphere. It always seem close to full even in the middle of the week. We started off with some delicious home-made bread which set the tone for the rest of the meal. For drinks we had two mocktails. The Bare Necessity made from fresh orange juice was particularly good.

Our first starter was a pumpkin soup. It was delicious, and the little croquets were a great contrast.

We also had the gin infused salmon which was incredible, it had a wonderful flavour and a beautiful texture which held together. This was a very accomplished dish. I loved the sharpness of the pickled vegetables and the little sweetness of orange on the salmon was divine.

For our main course we had confit of Lamb’s breast, braised lamb shoulder, broad beans and baby gem. This was a truly stunning dish of the very highest quality. The lamb was beautiful, the lamb shoulder had an incredible intense salty earthy flavour. It was the best lamb we’ve had for an extremely long time. The creamy broad beans, braised gem lettuce and delicious sauce were all superb accompaniments. This was a wonderful dish and is a customer favourite for good reason. We would urge everyone to go and try it, you won’t find anything better.

Our other main was a beautiful piece of 28 day aged rib eye steak. We asked for it to be well-done and the chef cooked it extremely well. Despite it being well-done it was juicy, tender and delicious. It was also accompanied by some excellent chips and a tasty Bearnaise sauce.

For dessert we had a raspberrybavoir. Wow, this was another knock out dish. It looked amazing and tasted even better. It had an intense raspberry flavour and a beautiful texture. The soft creamy ice cream and delicious sweet, crunchy biscuit base were a perfect complement to the sharp raspberry.

We also had a brioche doughnut, apple compote, salted caramel and Calvados cream. Doughnut, apple, caramel and cream. What a brilliant combination and it was beautifully executed. The brioche doughnut was light and not too heavy, the apple compote was excellent as was the Calvados cream. A magic combination and everything a dessert should be. Simply superb. Charlotte’s Bistro has taken its puddings to another level.

This is an outstanding restaurant producing some of the best food around. It’s not stuffy and has a fun and lively atmosphere. The service staff are warm and professional. It’s not surprising to see why house prices in the surrounding area are so expensive! We will be back, hopefully not before too long.

Charlotte’s Bistro food changes with the seasons – click here to find out what’s on the menu

Charlotte’s Bistro

6 Turnham Green Terrace, Chiswick, London. W4 1QP

020 8742 3590

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Biju Bubble Tea Review

photo 2 (26)photo 3 (19)What is Bubble Tea?

So what is Bubble Tea and how is it different for to your normal tea? Bubble tea has been around since the 1980s and it is already quite big in many Asian countries, but recently it has become a global phenomenon. The tea is shaken to produce bubbles and is served with an edible topping, but as we soon learned, that doesn’t really cover it.

Biju

Biju is a new bubble tea room in Soho. Founder Nick invited us to to try some of his creations. Nick had gone out to Asia and had worked in a bubble tea room before he set up Biju.

Unlike most other bubble tea rooms, ‘who are in it for a quick buck’, Nick’s painstaking research and his passion ensures he has done things properly. Biju uses fresh organic milk in its tea, unlike most of its competitors who use powder. Nick and his team go to incredible effort to make every tea fresh and have made a significant investment in equipment. Many of the ingredients and jellies are made daily.This makes an incredible difference to the taste as we discovered.

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Honeydew milk and sweet egg pudding

We start with the Honeydew melon with egg caramel pudding, a fruity milk. The honeydew melon was truly delicious and very refreshing and the sweet egg caramel was a delight.

Next up was a Jasmine Green milk tea with classic tapioca pearls, the original bubble tea ingredient. The classic pearls are balls of starch. Their texture is extremely satisfying to chew as you suck them up through your straw with your tea. The whole thing was delicious and totally different to our first tea.

We then tried a passion fruit iced tea with basil seeds, another unique and satisfying topping. It was the perfect thing for a summer day. It was delicious and I could drink it every day. We also tried a chocolate with tapioca pearls as seen above. In fact we ended up trying all sorts of different teas.

We were extremely impressed with our first experience of Bubble tea at Biju. The variety of the different teas was amazing. The tea was also so fresh and real. You could really taste the high quality ingredients. If there were a Biju next to me I would be in there every day and who knows? I wouldn’t be surprised if there was someday. I don’t think this is a short term trend. If your in the area make sure you try one because it is a new experience and if you don’t you will be missing out. Ask for help if your not sure what to choose, Nick or his staff are always keen to help. Make sure you go to Biju if you want a proper experience.

http://www.bijububbletea.com/

45 Old Compton Street, Soho.

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Passion Fruit Iced Tea with basil seeds

Passion Fruit Iced Tea with basil seeds

 

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Pickled Fork Pop Up Restaurant Review

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Salt Beef ‘Sandwhich’, Grilled Corn Bread, Home Smoked Streaky Bacon, TPF’s Grain Mustard, Kohirabi & Cucumber Slaw

We recently went to a pop up restaurant in the Barmouth Kitchen hosted by the Pickled Fork chef Alex Motture. If you haven’t been to a pop up restaurant you should try it, it’s great fun.

You bring your own alcohol and the focus is entirely on food. Alex grew up in Australia and he has cooked in kitchens all around the world.

The first course were these delicious meat balls you can see below, all washed down with a glass of ale from the local brewery. A great combination and it got our taste buds tingling for the next course.

Next was a Salt Beef ‘Sandwhich’ with grilled corn, smoked bacon, mustard and a kohirabi (turnip cabbage) & cucumber slaw. The beef was delicious and Alex’s combination of flavours and textures was exceptional. Passion and attention for detail were immediately apparent. He had clearly gone to great lengths to source the right ingredients.

Next up is a dish I will remember for a very long time. A beautiful piece of Hake, not a fish I eat regularly but this was something particularly special. The Hake was salty firm and incredibly succulent. Combined with the tomatoes, tomato liquor, Dill Granois and Dill Mayonnaise it was a beautifully balanced combination full of incredible flavour. A total triumph and a dish which really showed off the chef’s incredible skill.

The third course was pork belly with cherries, crushed courgette & watercress relish. Alex had cooked his pork belly perfectly a difficult feat many chefs often get it wrong. It was crispy on the outside and juicy in the middle. It went beautifully with the sweetness of the cherry.

For pudding we had Beetroot & Carob parfait, redcurrant smoothie and beetroot crunch. It was another unique experience and unlike anything I had ever tasted before. The beetroot parfait was earthy yet sweet and very tasty.

It was a wonderful experience of fantastic food. This was very high end cooking by a very talented young chef. We liked the food so much we hired Alex as the caterer for our wedding. If that’s not an endorsement I don’t know what is.

Alex’s food was exceptional but he’s incredibly easy going and friendly. He spent a lot of time out of the kitchen talking with all the guests. His passion for food was clear. I highly recommend you make a booking for his next event or even hire him out if you are having a party. He can cook just about anything at very reasonable prices. http://www.thepickledfork.com/

The pop up event we went to was held at the Barmouth Kitchen, a meeting place set up by local families. Below is what they say about themselves

2 Years ago, 10 local families opened Barmouth Kitchen to provide our community with a local coffee shop and meeting place. When we opened Barmouth Kitchen the aim was not to make a profit, but enough to keep us open…. And we’re still here! We DO need your continued support to ensure our little hub stays open for many a year yet.

2 Barmouth Road
Wandsworth
London
SW18 2DN

Tel: 020 8704 4413

info@barmouthkitchen.co.uk

The Pickled Fork – https://twitter.com/thepickledfork

http://www.thepickledfork.com/

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Heritage Tomato Cured Hake, Tomato Liquor, Young Tomato Leaves, Dill Granois & Dill Mayonnaise

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Cherry Roasted Pork Belly, Pickled Cherries, Crushed Courgette, Courgette Flowers, Runner Bean & Watercress Relish

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Beetroot & Carob Parfait, Beetroot Crunch, Redcurrant Smoothie, Fresh Redcurrant & Basil Salad

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Alex – The Chef

Cinnamon Soho Restaurant Review

photo 1 (20)photo 3 (15)Cinnamon Soho is a stylish and contemporary restaurant which has just recently opened, following on from the extremely successful Cinnamon Kitchen and Cinnamon Club. First impressions of the restaurant were excellent. The interior looked great and clearly no expense had been spared.

The bottle of house wine we started with was excellent. It was a very good white wine. Very refreshing and drinkable. For a starter we tried the steamed chickpea cake with coconut chutney and the grilled asparagus, sesame and garlic yoghurt.

The chickpea cake was astonishing. It’s soft spongy delicate texture was indeed cake like but it did not feel out of place as a starter. The flavours were brilliant, the coconut chutney combined brilliantly with the chikpea and the raw red onion and cucumber brought freshness to the dish. The dash of spice was beautifully balanced. A truly original and exciting dish.

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Our asparagus was also very good. It was beautifully cooked and very well seasoned with coriander and cumin. The sauces it came with were all beautifully balanced with excellent flavours.

Expectations were very high for our mains after the superb starters and they didn’t disappoint. I had the Orissa style chicken curry. My chicken was gorgeous, it was succulent, moist and perfectly cooked. The tomato lentil based sauce was a delight. Everything was beautifully spiced and seasoned without being overpowering. This was high class Indian cooking of a type I am not usually used to. It was very clear the chef had an excellent palate. As a side we had some superb peshwari naan. I love Peshwari naan but this was particularly good and had clearly been freshly made.

photo 1 (22)The other main we had was seared plaice with tomato lemon sauce and a lentil salad. Again, a beautifully cooked piece of fish with a delicate and exciting sauce with subtle spice and flavors. The portion sizes were perfect.

Our puddings did not disappoint either. The sticky ginger toffee pudding with banana ice cream was delicious. The banana ice cream was a delight and the pudding was light and tasty. The second dish of yoghurt and lime cheese cake with tamarind glazed strawberries was even better. An original dish with a wonderful creamy texture and refreshing taste. Perfect for a pudding at the end of a meal.

Overall Cinnamon Soho was a delight. The food was exquisite and the service which I have forgotten to mention until now was also excellent. Even more astonishing was the price. Our meal which came from the lunch menu was just £11.75 each for three courses! (excluding wine) or £9.75 for two courses. Frankly it was incredible value for food of this quality. Definitely the best value restaurant Frost has been to this year. We will certainly be going back soon and I highly recommend you give it a visit in the near future.

5 Kingly Street, London, W1B 5PF

Tel: 020 7437 1664, www.cinnamonsoho.com

facebook.com/cinnamonsoho

@cinnamonsoho

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Last Minute Tech Gifts for Father’s Day

It’s almost fathers day but there’s still time to buy a gift. You won’t go far wrong with this exciting list of the latest tech gadgets below.

stylus penWacom Bamboo Duo stylus £29 Available from Wacom.eu

This stylus will work perfectly with any Android or Apple tablet. It has a pen on one end and a nib on the other end. It also comes with a lid. We really loved this. Perfect for arty dads. You can also buy replacement nibs.

 

 

 

 

 

beezBe.ez LE Littoral for iPad Air Available from amazon.co.uk

A thick cotton iPad case for extra protection. Be.ez LE Littoral Folio for iPad Air is incredibly stylish and keeps the iPad Air very secure and safe.

 

 

 

 

 

booqpadBooqpad for iPad Air £49.80 available from booqeurope.com

A stylish case to store your ipad, notepad and stylus. Is incredibly versatile and lets you view your iPad in many ways. An excellent iPad accessory.

 

 

 

 

qdosQDOS Q-BOPZ £29.99 available from www.qdossound.com

A really cool bluetooth speaker that has a suction pad on its back. Availiable in many different colours, this durable speaker has a bluetooth range of ten metres and can be stuck on almost anywhere. We thought it was amazing and very handy.

 

 

 

steelseriesSteelseries Stratus Wireless Game Contoller £67.90 pre-order from steelseries.com

The Stratus Controller from SteelSeries is the first Bluetooth controller for iOS devices; its sleek, lightweight design has a comfortable grip with 10+ hours of battery-life and features that are ideal for iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch gaming.

 

 

scarabeeBeeWi ScaraBee £89.99 available from Maplin.co.uk

Amazing remote control buggy with built in camera which can be controlled from a tablet or smart phone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

jabraJabra Sport+ £79.99 Available from Amazon.co.uk

Bluetooth earphones with outstanding sound. Easy to wear and designed for sport so they won’t fall off easily. They also come with an FM radio.

 

 

 

 

misfit shineMisFit Shine £99.99 Available from John Lewis

A stylish fitness monitor. Waterproof and with a 4 month battery life. Information is fed back to an app on your smart device. It is amazing. We tried it and loved it.

 

 

 

 

divoomDivoom Voombox Travel £49.99 

An excellent bluetooth speaker designed for the outdoors. It includes a built in microphone to allow users to make calls. Has excellent sound quality and is very handy.

 

 

 

Quest Hepburn £149 Available from Apple and Selfridges

quest hepburnThis extravagant radio produces excellent sound.  It includes Bluetooth, a remote control app (iOS and Android), a USB port for charging devices, dual alarm and kitchen timer. It is also easy to carry around because of the handle.

 

 

 

 

 

tyltTylt Y Charge 2.1 £39.99

The Y-charge 2.1 takes the bullet style charger to a whole new level with its compact and sleek design

 

 

 

 

 

 

parrotflowerParrot Flower Power £49.99 Available from Selfridges £49.99

A real time sensor that measures the health of your plants and provides information back to your iOS smart device via Bluetooth. It also has a database with over 600 plants

Groovez BTHS800 Bluetooth headphones by STK Review

We were lucky enough to be sent some Groovez BTHS800 Bluetooth headphones to review.

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First off they look beautiful. The headphones are covered in a tough hard white plastic coating which feels expensive and solid. I love the white colour which is bright and reflective (They also come in black if you prefer). The surface doesn’t easily attract finger prints or dirt. I’ve now used mine for well over a week they still look shiny and brand new. My only issue with the plastic is it is very hard which can make the headphones feel slightly inflexible although this is overcome by the many adjustable options the headset has.

On the top underside of the headphones is a soft comfortable black leather like material which ensures they rest comfortably on top of your head. On either side the headphones easily extend downwards. It’s easy to adjust them to find the perfect height. The ear pieces are soft and a good size and the headphones fit very comfortably. The ear pieces are not solidly fixed in place and easily adjust. Again the user can get the perfect fit. This is a really great feature.

On the outside of the ear pieces are solid easy-to-use buttons. On the edge of each ear piece is a stylish dotted silver/chrome finish which is something else which sets this product apart. It adds an extra sparkle which makes the BTHS800 standout.The headphones easily fold up inwards into a much smaller size, another very useful feature for when you want to take them out of the house or store them. They also come with a useful carrying case.

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Of course the best part of this product is that its totally wireless. After I charge the headphones and turn them on, it takes only a few seconds to set up on my iPhone. The Bluetooth is excellent. Not having any wires to worry about is incredibly liberating, before long I ended up wearing these headphones everywhere. The range is 10 meters. I loved using them as I was in the kitchen. It was great to listen to the music or the radio whilst cooking.

The headphones come with a microphone for hands free conversations. Your music automatically pauses during incoming calls. Its very convenient. The audio is very clear and the microphone works well.

The sound quality is excellent. Battery life is very good. There are no actual batteries to worry about. The headset will need to be charged every so often but not until after a long period of use. The headset can also be plugged in and used with non blue tooth devices. This would be an excellent device even without the Bluetooth feature. This a fantastic product with a brilliant design and look. All in all its very impressive.

5/5

See Full Specs at the Bottom

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BTHS800 Specifications

Supports: Headset and Handsfree Profile,A2DP,AVRCP,APTX,AAC

Bluetooth: V4.0 Class 2

Range: 10 metres

Working Band: 2.4G ISM Band, 2.402-2.480GHz

Transmit Power: Class 2, Max4 dBm

Reception Sensitivity: -88dbm (typical)

LED Indicators: One Blue and One Red

Dimensions: L155mm X W45mm X T58mm

Weight: 250g

Battery: Rechargeable Lithium Polymer

Talk Time: Up to 12 hours

Music Playback time: up to 8 hours

Standby time: up to 200 hours

Buy the STK BTHS800 GroovezHD BT headset here