Category Archives: Life & Style

12 helpful tips to save your water.

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As the hosepipe ban is introduced across parts of the UK, people need to make sure they’re keeping an eye on their water consumption. The shortage will affect millions of homeowners, not to mention having a potentially adverse effect on the UK’s wildlife. Cutting down water usage not only makes good environmental sense, it can save on household bills too which is why Megaflo, the water experts, have put together some practical, everyday tips to help homeowners save precious water.

 

1.    Savings on tap

There’s no need to keep the tap running while brushing your teeth or shaving as you can waste up to 9 litres a minute by just letting the water pour down the sink , so turn it off in-between cleaning(water-guide.org)[i]. This way, we are only using as much water as we really need.

 

2.    A glass a day helps keep the ban away

Why not just use one glass for your drinking water each day or refill a water bottle as this will cut down on the number of glasses to wash, reducing both your washing up time and

 3.    Make sure your wash is a full one

When using your dishwasher or washing machine make sure the load is full as this can save gallons of water and also helps you shift your piles of washing more quickly!

 

4.    A shower of savings

Spend less time in the shower and even turn off the tap in-between rinses while washing your hair.  If you aim to spend no more than two minutes in the shower it will go a long way to helping cut down on your water usage.

 

5.    Rationalise your tea-making operations!

Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need as this will save both water and energy.  Using a cup to measure out the amount of water you put into your kettle will help reduce the strain on your bank account as well as on the UK’s water resources!

 

6.    Fix your leaks

Those leaky taps can waste gallons of water, it is estimated that just one drop a second from a dripping tap wastes nearly 5,000 litres of water a year (fhc2020.co.uk)[ii]. So get the plumber in and fix those faucets! Having a new washer fitted will be a lot cheaper than the cost of the water a leak can waste.

 

 

7.    If you can, use it twice!

Never let water down the drain if you can use it again.  Did you know that you can re-use your washing-up water to water your plants and garden?  Washing up liquid is harmless to our growing friends and recycling the used dish water ensures you are doing your bit for the environment.  You can even water plants with your used vegetable cooking water!

 

8.    Keep it cool

Keeping a bottle of water in the fridge avoids you having to run the tap for a while and waste water while you wait for it to run cold.  You can then refill the water bottle as you need it and even use the water left over in your kettle to be super-efficient.

 

9.    Wash your dishes

When washing dishes by hand, don’t let the water run while rinsing. Try filling one sink with wash water and the other with rinse water and wash up everything in one go.

 

10.  Keep your greens green!

However, you can wash your fruits and vegetables in a single bowl of water instead of running water from the tap through a colander.

 

11.  Forget the hose- use a bucket and sponge

Using a sponge and a bucket of water to clean your car, instead of a hose, is the smart way to keep our prized four-wheeled friends shining, without breaking the water bank.

 

12.  Stop your flushing

Did you know that each time we flush the toilet it uses the same amount of water which a person in the third world used all day for washing, cleaning, cooking and drinking?(whrnet.org)[iii]Avoid flushing the toilet unnecessarily; put your tissues and other waste in the bin rather than the toilet.

 

Megaflo is showing its support to helping save water by co-funding a Pump Aid project to develop water wells and flushing toilets for 21 schools in Malawi.  Pump Aid is a charity dedicated to providing clean water and good sanitation to underprivileged areas in Africa.


One Night in Heaven

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RC Theatre Productions presents Don Giovanni, The Opera, at Heaven

Those of you who remember the 1980s will find much nostalgia in this highly original reworking of Mozart’s Don Giovanni.  Richard Crichton’s production aims Mozart at a new audience and reinvents Don Giovanni himself as a gay, debauched playboy and nightclub owner in the heady world of the 1980s.

Cleo Pettit’s set is the first thing you notice on entering the club, and straightaway you are conveyed to 1987, the time being marked by various graphics of the period, including a conservative party campaign poster, film posters for Dirty Dancing and The Running Man, and a mock up of the Thames Television ident (5 years before they lost the franchise to Carlton).  The evocation of the era is also greatly aided by the costumes, designed by Mia Flodquist, with the assistance of Samantha Gilsenan, which show great attention to detail.  Two personal favourites of mine were Marina’s white lace boots, and Leo’s office handbag.  Finally, the hair and makeup by Evan Huang also helped to set the scene.

All gender roles in the opera have been reversed apart from the Don himself (now just Don), and the relocation of the sexual roles works very well.  Don’s pursuit of an endless series of sexual adventures and his indulgence in sensuality of all kinds lends itself to a gay world as readily as to a heterosexual one, and the addition of the late 80s drug scene adds further to the moral ambiguity of the story (although they have pre-empted the use of Viagra by more than a decade!).  The opera is performed in a new English translation by Ranjit Bolt, though I imagine the translation is far from literal.  Said to be inspired by New York’s legendary Studio 54 and Matthew Bourne’s all-male Swan Lake, the production seemed to draw ideas from many quarters.  In the early part of the story, Don reminded me of the character of Stuart in Queer as Folk, with broken hearts strewn left, right and centre; a later scene, where he is corrupting Milton Keynes sweethearts Zak and Marina, was evocative of the Rocky Horror Picture Show; but as the show progressed, and the libretto got more outrageous, it was reminiscent of the musical humour of the wonderful Avenue Q.

Musically, the opera was a delight.  The orchestra were tight, and played exceedingly well despite taking the time to laugh at some of the more amusing parts of the libretto.  Some interesting variation was provided by a disco backing track at one point (an adaptation of the Minuet by Vince Clarke), and Don accompanying himself on an acoustic guitar at another.  All the cast gave excellent performances as actors as well as singers: vocally my favourites were Mark Cunningham (Eddie) and Stephanie Edwards (Olivia) who both entranced me with their voices, though Duncan Rock, (Don) and Helen Winter (Marina) were also marvellous.

Don Giovanni kept its energy high throughout, and I assume this is a testament to the skills of director Dominic Gray.  The ending was a bit ambiguous – I wasn’t quite sure where Don ended up – but this in no way took away from my enjoyment of the evening; which ended with a blast of Falco’s Amadeus, thus tying the opera and the 80s together and rounding everything off nicely.  I highly recommend this inventive, capricious, laugh-out-loud, libidinous, and euphonious entertainment.  Catch it while you can – and look out for a surprise cameo from a famous camp disco group!

Don Giovanni is at Heaven, Under The Arches, Villiers Street, London WC2N 6NG on the following dates: Sunday 22 April, 5pm, Monday 23 April, 7pm, Sunday 29 April, 5pm, Monday 30 April, 7pm.  Tickets can be purchased from http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/venueartist/254189/1677123?camefrom=CFC_UK_TH0401_WEBLINK

The Voice. Week 4

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So the ‘blind’ auditions are over at last. They may have been about as blind as the ‘all-seeing-eye’ but more on that later.

I want to get the good stuff out of the way before I rant about the auditions because, regardless of what may or may not be wrong with it, we’ve been given the chance to see some real quality.


The best bits of this week’s show were people like the young Ruth Brown, a 19 year-old with a voice like Gloria Gaynor-meets-Mischa B. Lindsey Butler, the 41 year-old who sang like I, personally, really wanted to hear her sing- beautifully and with genuine tone, depth and character. There was Becky Hill. A great voice but with ‘trouble’ written all over her face. I can see her storming out more often than Cher Lloyd with the trots.

Finally- and I do mean finally, we had the wonder of Jazz Elington. So good, just so very, very good indeed. I cried, I packed and I left for the nearest HMV where I have decided to camp until he wins the competition and releases his first album so I can get it as soon as humanly possible. He sounded like the best bits of Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross and maybe a little Sam Cooke rolled onto one sweet sound and poured over my soul. Jazz is a Gospel singer and a Christian, I am neither, but I do have a real love of black church music and Mr. Elington ticked boxes I never knew I had.

Wouldn’t it have been nice if we could have had Jazz presented to us in another format? One that doesn’t treat us all like idiots and then preach, louder than Jazz ever has I imagine, about how virtuous it is.

For those of you who haven’t spotted it, my rant has begun.

I’ll come onto the ‘Ellington Miracle’ as it’s bound to be tagged but let me first point out what appears to be something of an agenda by The Voice and, therefore, the BBC against people from a musical theatre background.

I’m biased- I know that. I’m connected to MT closely enough to want good things for it albeit not as a performer myself. But even someone who has never known the joy of a twelve quid bottle of warm beer will have spotted a pattern in these shows.

How many times have we seen someone labeled ‘West End’ like it was leprosy? Poor Ben Lake was, like those before him, built up to be knocked down. He sang well and took his rejection with the humility and grace of a real professional but when Indie and Pixie, a pair of giggling girls that looked like ‘Two Shoes’ had met the devil at some crossroads and swapped their talent for looks, came on and sang badly, and I mean badly, they were rewarded by ALL FOUR coaches!

I’m starting to think that the secret formula to success on this show is to be as far removed from ‘The West End’ as possible.

Next year I’m going to apply and say, “I’ve never heard of musicals, or even theatres… In fact my entire family were killed by Andrew Lloyd Webber on roller skates and my musical background is… East… Beginning!” Then go on with eight mates or so and sing a black-eyed-peas medley wearing lycra leggings, a black blazer and shirt and a bouffant hairdo. That should cover it.

Will.I.Wont.I said ‘dope’ I said, ‘no shit!’ Danny said he was waiting for something really unusual to hit him, I looked for my penguin wrapped in tinsel and took aim.

It’s ok, crap gets through, I can live with that. It’s a TV show, not open heart surgery. I should relax and let bygones be bygones. It’s just entertainment isn’t it? Well, not according to the BBC.
Fast forward to the arrival, on stage, of Daniel Walker. Who’s he? He’s the poor sap with the dreads and the pregnant wife who went on before Jazz and never stood a chance.

Here’s why.

Everyone has their ten and Bill.a.rickey still has one spot to fill. There are two people left to perform and, even if this were completely open and fair with no set-up involved there would be only two options:

Daniel doesn’t get picked so we see who is last. Or, Daniel gets picked and Jazz gets told, “sorry mate but everyone’s got ten now so there’s no point in you going on- thanks for coming down though… good luck with the baby and all that.”

It was NEVER going to happen was it? The pure maths of the situation meat that Daniel was never going to be picked or we’d have sat through Jazz singing to four chair backs for no reason at all.
Even worse. Before Jazz even came on he should have been told that he was picked regardless of how he sang because there’s one space that needs to be filled and he’s the only choice. The fact that he was the best thing on the entire series was academic. They could have wheeled a dead budgie in a shoe box onto the stage and Will.a.mena would have had to pick it, so why did he try and convince us his mum is residing somewhere in his pancreas with all that, ‘listen to your gut everyone’ nonsense?

It gets worse- a Lot worse. You know those toe-curling moments when Simon Cowell holds up an arm, like Caesar at the Colosseum, and stops the music about two seconds into a song on BGT? The audience is in awe of his foresight as he asks, ‘what other song have you brought?” and the poor cow on the stage has to keep reminding herself not to say, “the one you told me to Simon” and we’re all supposed to think it’s a natural situation. Don’t you just hate that?

When Jazz finished and Jessie asked, out of the blue of course, “Can I just hear you sing?” I was thinking, ‘that’s a bit of an odd thing to ask but he was very good.’ And I imagined the producers screaming about schedules and the live band looking at each other in disbelief and there being a polite but definite ‘no’.

Instead the producer probably counted the band in with a gentle, “’ordinary people’, just like we rehearsed, in three two, one…” and it all just miraculously happened about as naturally as Gary Barlow turning up at the fake door of the fake house in the studio of Michael Buble’s Christmas special and everyone acting all surprised. “Look everyone, it’s Gary Barlow! Who knew?”

The difference is that Mickey Bubbles did it with a twinkle in his eye and a tongue in his cheek and even Simon Cowell doesn’t expect us to believe his little charade any more. The BBC tried to convince us that we were all witnessing some kind of spiritual awakening for Steel.I.Span and the coming of the new messiah for everyone else.

What were the chances that the VERY LAST competitor would turn out to be such a great climax to the auditions? Or that he’d be able to telepathically transmit his own version of ‘Ordinary people’ into the minds of a live band with no warning whatsoever? It’s almost as if the producers had seen every competitor sing before these auditions- oh they have, and arranged this from the very beginning! Surely not- this is the BBC!

This entire show has been a smoke screen. People are told what to sing, set up to fail and thrown to the lions- they must be hoping Satan Cowell will jump ship and join the BBC if they do things his way.
Afterwards every judge said Jazz was amazing- and he was. They all bleated about how they wish they could have him in their team because he’s really something amazing. Shame for the 39- sorry 41 as there are two couples in it, previous contestants who sat and saw all the promises of world domination and certain victory dissolve to be replaced with the sad understanding that they were just the warm up act for the Jazz Ellington show. Oh well.

Next week we have face-to-face battles in a stage designed around a boxing ring. Fists may fly, faces will be covered in spittle, grills will be got ‘all up in’.

Very cultured- makes BGT look like the Royal Ballet.

 

Slim shark or curvy mermaid? Dressing for your shape on the beach By Lizzy Pudner

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Slim shark or curvy mermaid? Dressing for your shape on the beach

 

By Lizzy Pudner, Marketing Director at StarBlu luxury resort wear

 

Whether it’s in Cornwall or California lots of us will be seeking out sunny beach destinations this year. But revealing a body that’s been hidden away from the sun’s rays for months is a pretty daunting prospect even for the most honed and toned women. The good news is that you don’t have to resemble a tanned Swimsuit Illustrated model to look beautiful, or most importantly to feel confident on the beach.

To start with, get familiar with your basic body shape and then think about which bits you want to flaunt and which you’d rather cover up.

We all fit roughly into these categories – sporty or ‘shark’ (think Kate Hudson’s boyish and lean shape), hourglass, the mermaid in beach fashion terms (a curvy Kim Kardashian type), or more pear-shaped, ‘the shrimp’, smaller up top but with a rounded bottom (like Rihanna). The good news is there’s a bikini or swimsuit to suit every shape.

If you’re a slim shark…

Sporty, athletic shapes or ‘lean columns’ as they are sometimes known, can wear most things but need to create curves and accentuate the bust, so a horizontal print bikini with stripes or colourful detailing works best. Bikinis that have padding in the bust are a must to create a softer, more feminine shape (which is flattering in photos too).

 

When you want a bit more cover or dignity, a feminine, floaty maxi dress softens the lean look. Equally, the new big thing in resort wear for 2012, the beach jumpsuit softens those angular lines by pulling in at the waist but giving added volume at the bust.

 

If you’re a shrimp…

A pear-shaped or triangular body shape should accentuate the top half of the body, so chose swimwear that emphasizes the bust and minimizes the bottom and hips. Anything bold or patterned on the top is good, which is handy as this season is all about strong colours and striking patterns. A colourful tankini will also draw the eye to the top half. Team our swimwear with a cover-up like our Tuscany kaftan which with its structured A-line cut is perfect to hide the less than perfect bits!

 

If you’re a mermaid…

Neat hourglass figures are the most balanced of the body shapes.

Mermaids tend to have great waists so show them off in bikinis. If you’re big up top, a halterneck bikini is good for hoisting you up and giving support and definition to the bust.

Mad Men style structured all in one swimming costumes also look very sexy on an hourglass shape.

And when the sun goes down try a becoming, low cut maxi dress that goes in at the waist but shows off a great bust.

Photo by Alaskan Dude.

 

Frankie and Benny’s Restaurant Review

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Frost went to review Frankie & Benny’s anonymously. We reviewed the one in Kingston.

 

I love Frankie and Benny’s theme, it is like walking onto the set of American Graffiti or travelling back in time. The ‘New York Italian’ restaurant and bar has good retro music, fun décor and those brilliant banquet booth seats. I feel I should have dressed up.

 

We started with the The Big Sampler Platter; a feast of Frankie & Benny’s house favourites; chicken strips, BBQ chicken wings, fully loaded potato skins, spicy onion rings, bread sticks and garlic ciabatta bread. Served with dips and crunchy celery sticks.

 

It is a lot of food and, frankly, too much for two people! But it was delicious. A really good selection of stuff and very generous portions. There is four of everything so it is very good for family’s or a group of friends.

 

I followed this up with a BBQ Double Cheese and a Long Island Ice Tea.

 

Two 6oz grilled hamburgers each topped with Monterey Jack cheese. Served with lettuce, tomato, red onion, dill pickle, mayo, spicy onion rings and a pot of BBQ sauce. The burger was great- and huge- the fries were good too, however, my eyes were bigger than my belly. The portions are huge. But I really enjoyed my meal. Though I was too full for dessert.

My friend had the Chicken Club Triple Decker and one of Frankies’ Thick Banoffee Shakes. The shake was amazing, tasted brilliant.

The Triple decker included; Grilled chicken breast, crispy bacon, lettuce and fresh cut tomato layered between toasted wholemeal bread spread with mayo. Served with house fries and a pot of coleslaw on the side. The portions are brilliant, really huge. Even having a main will fill you up. Very generous.

 

Our waiter was good. The service is first-class.

 

We also had a Frankies’ Delight and a Frankies’ Refresher. The drinks in Frankie and Benny’s are second to none. Absolutely delicious.

 

All in all I like Frankie and Benny’s. The portions are generous, the service is amazing, the food is good and the theme is great fun. Brilliant for some reasonably priced food.

 

All About the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GLK Facelift

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There is no longer any delineation between diverse kinds of bumpers with particular off-road and on-road packages. Below the recently designed headlamps, the entire models give LED driving lights at daytime in a chrome clasp as standard. The radiator grille with central star and two slats goes after the design idiom of all existing passenger automobile models. The slats are decorated silver, along with chrome inserts as an alternative. In addition part of the model facelift, the design makers have developed latest wheels in size 17-inch (43.2 cm), 19-inch (48.3 cm) and 20-inch (50.8 cm) that are accessible in a variety of paint finishes or by means of a high-sheen finish. An aerodynamically optimized 17-inch (43.2 cm) wheel is accessible probably with auto loan for the first time.

The GLK SUV received a total internal renovation: the dashboard for instance provides a broad trim in aluminum or alternatively in wood spans the whole width of the dashboard. The additional trim elements in silver shadow and new round vents also grasp the eye. A high-end color display is alternatively accessible for the appliance cluster. A new upholstery colors, three-spoke sports steering wheel, and indirect ambient lighting plus seat designs featuring LED fibre-optic technology that is obtainable on the GLK for the first time, additionally improve the feel-good environment inside the automobile.

The GLK provides wonderful driving dynamics, admirable driving security and excellent ride comfort. Besides the versions of rear-wheel drive, the 4MATIC models together with an everlasting all-wheel drive reveal an intrepid courage even in the most unfavorable situations both off-road and on-road. Similar to all-terrain and all SUV motor vehicles from Mercedes-Benz, the GLK is a pure-bred, without hesitation off-road operator. In the meantime, the forefather of all contemporary Mercedes-Benz SUVs that provided its name to the GLK is at this time in its model year of 33rd and is also experiencing a comprehensive facelift.

The external lends the GLK additional poise. The body unites classic elements of all geographic condition motor vehicles with the design saying of the existing Mercedes-Benz saloons. Expansive surfaces and the smooth-surfaced, stringent lines, volume-emphasizing rear and front regions synchronize with the trademark GLK body features that are characteristic of functional all geographic condition vehicles. These comprise slender roof pillars, a steep windscreen, short overhangs, the taut roof line and the upright front end. The design of the body is not a fashionable end in itself. Otherwise, it applies the benefits typical off all geographic condition motor vehicles to the compact SUV class. Proficient ATV-specific characteristics for example departure and approach angle and ground clearance allow off-road schemes at any time. The good all-round visibility and the carefully designed body together with the seat position augment appropriateness for everyday use and give for comfortable driving.

The headlamps symbolize an innovative version of the signature of the design of Mercedes lamp. On the fundamental model together with headlamps of reflection-type, a chrome torch characteristic spans the two reflectors. On models showing the ILS (Intelligent Light System), the headlamp includes a reflector, the torch and the projection unit with LED cables made from fiber-optic for the position light. Moreover, the turn signal indicators comprises individual LEDs are situated. The roof rails in an entirely new design are specifically striking in the side view.

Kathleen Hubert is a blogger who writes on a variety of different sites. Check out more of her work at autoloan.org.

Londoner’s Life 27 – by Phil Ryan

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Well the last weeks in London have been characterized by terrible weather. A huge disappointment for London retailers when everybody went away on Holiday for Easter and of course the ever pointless Mayoral elections. My favourite little story however was how much Oyster Cards steal people’s money. It’s incredible, a po faced TFL official blamed customers inability to touch in and out correctly! But then when you start looking into it because we are so trusting we all assume even when we do ‘correctly’ touch in and out the right money will be taken. WRONG. It’s a bit of a lottery apparently. There were thousands of tweets and emails with various folks pointing out that they had random sums (almost all large) swiped from them (no pun intended) It seems you have to check your travel history. The best way is to set up an online account and then track each journey – how very convenient. But the sums erroneously taken head into the tens of millions which is staggering. System error kept cropping up from various commentators. So now we travellers must understand that the beep doesn’t mean the money we expect has been taken. It probably means some money or some amount has been taken.
So now you’ve been told.
The current dip in the housing market is being written off as spring related. But in truth apart from the mortgage companies making it virtually impossible for young Londoners to get any money from them the prices continue to rise. HUH? How does this work exactly. Every month a new ghastly London tower block – sorry – designer apartment complex pops up with a fancy marketing brochure and is apparently snapped up. By who exactly? Well it’s more bad news I’m afraid. The rental sector is now easy pickings for rich non UK-based individuals and companies who are cash rich and able to negotiate block deals. They see rental as an easy way to hide and store their money. It’s a better bet than lousy interest rate banks and savings companies. And of course it just keeps rents artificially high and secondly shuts out local people from living and buying in their own areas. So when you look at a block where a few people have paid staggering sums for some concrete and glass designer shoe box the chances are that most of the block was already purchased at a knock down rate. Building companies like the deal as they often sell ‘off plan’ ie they draw up plans – sell the idea to rich foreign backers – and then use their money to actually build their latest blight on the landscape. No one builds houses anymore. Where’s the profit? Where’s the funding going to come from.
Hm.
On a cynical but weary London note I see that the citizens of Brixton are complaining of the rampant gentrification of their area. Locals are watching as their manor is slowly overpricing itself. And pushing them out. Of course the local Council love it. They get rid of the people in the once poorer troublesome areas and their folk. They can overpriced the Council Tax as houses and flats jump into higher tax bands. My favourite comment was from one guy who went into what used to be his local café and was offered bruschetta and olives! Poor sod was looking for egg and chips but now it was very ouef a la frites at £10.95 with hand brushed Brazilian honey rolls.
Right onto happy news of a sort. It’s coming up to a bumper year of London-based events. So Londoners can effectively play night and day for many months. The Queens Jubilee is the first of many events designed to promote Great Britain PLC (a minor division of the Qatari Investment Corporation) and thousands are supposedly flocking in to see the river pageant and take part in the street parties. Then comes the biggest corporate event of the decade. The Olympic Games (four tickets available to Londoners) will spin-off into endless Corporate junkets and promotions. I mean to say the food sponsor is McDonalds! Irony or what. Who’s in charge of customer relations Robert Mugabe? But it does mean London will see some incredible sights so we have to try to take a small crumb of comfort from that. I’m told the West End theatres are dreading the time – but I think locals will go to the theatre (if prices drop below those affordable only by having the income of an oil millionaire) So lots to look forward to.
And finally on trends. We’ve seen the Sushi restaurants, the tiny dogs and the tiny car invasion. But now we have the discount card and promotion explosion. London seems to be awash with ‘offers’. Every newspaper in town now has its own loyalty reward card – and the offers brigade are growing like wildfire from Groupon, Wowcher, Taste Card, Wedge Card (this one the only genuinely decent one) But it seems our capital is full of 50% or get one buy two type offers. I’d hate to run a small business in this new half price landscape. You have to join in or get left behind it seems. My local restaurants all participate in various schemes. So now locals go in and shamefacedly push their cards and coupons across the table. But times is hard and every penny counts. And do the people need to save? Yes they blooming do. So we all hunt for bargains wherever we can. And does it make us feel awkward. Yes it does. But do we care? No not really. It’s a London thing.

 

Win Tickets To The Real Wine Fair 2012!

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The inaugural Real Wine Fair will take place in Holborn, London WC1 on Sunday 20th May between 10.00am and 6.00pm, giving wine and food lovers the opportunity to meet winemakers from 13 countries and taste over 600 organically or biodynamically produced wines. Tickets are now on sale for £20 per ticket at www.therealwinefair.com.

 

Frost Magazine has teamed up with The Real Wine Fair to give away a pair of tickets. One lucky winner and their guest will be able to meet and talk to the growers, whilst tasting a diverse range of honest, terroir-driven wines.

Three leading London restaurants, Ottolenghi, The Modern Pantry and Morito, will provide an array of delicious tapas-style dishes for the Real Wine Café. Coffee will be from renowned roasters Caravan in Exmouth Market whilst Camden Brewery will be dispensing cooling beers.

Spitalfields Market affineur and cheesemonger Androuet will be exhibiting a selection of seasonal cheeses, whilst award-winning north London deli Melrose & Morgan will have an array of tasty nibbles to try. Hansen & Lydersen will be providing small platters of freshly cut salmon from their smokehouse in Stoke Newington. There will also be tables dedicated to artisan bread, charcuterie and chocolate. The great tradition of London distilling will be showcased by Hammersmith’s Sipsmith with their London Dry Gin and English Barley Vodka and Highgate’s Sacred Microdistillery with their wonderful boutique Gin, a London-style dry Vodka and a vermouth.

There will be an exhibition of contemporary paintings and posters from cartoonist Michel Tolmer on wine-related themes. Several real wine ‘heroes’ have been lined up for a series of free seminars and debates. Plus director and producer Jonathan Nossiter will present the UK première of the 10-part series of his critically acclaimed film “Mondovino” in the “wine cinema.”

All of the wines on show at the fair will be available to purchase from an on-site pop-up shop, created specifically for the event.

In conjunction with The Real Wine Fair, restaurants across the UK are being invited to take part in Real Wine Month throughout May, and give their customers the chance to try natural wines by the glass. A (growing) list of restaurants can be found here: http://therealwinefair.com/real-wine-month/.

Terms & Conditions

There is one prize in total: one pair of prize tickets (retailing at £20 per ticket) for one winner.

Travel to and from the venue (B1, 6 Victoria House, Southampton Row, London WC1B 4DA) is not included in the prize.

The event is on Sunday 20th May, from 10am until 6pm.

Winners must be 18 or over and photographic ID may be required.