At Christmas, well, any time really, the Frost Magazine team LOVE personalised gifts.

So Babyblooms personalised teddy bears seemed well worth a look. Let’s face it, what could be better than teddy bears bearing the name of a new baby? It’s such a  unique, special, and thoughtful gift, but also something to cuddle too, in due course. So put it down mum, and let the baby at it.

Babyblooms range includes their baby clothes bouquets containing 100% cotton baby clothes cleverly rolled to resemble roses, and importantly, interspersed with rather lovely silk keepsake flowers which can be kept in the newborn’s box, to show them later, and to remind mum too.

I received two beautiful personalised teddy bears for my two children. My first impression was how beautifully they were packed into their own charming box and each had a little bow around each teddy bear’s neck. The teddies were soft and cuddly but sturdy enough to be placed on a shelf until baby is old enough for cuddles.

I thought them adorable, and as new mothers are inundated with flowers, chocolates and things that don’t keep, this is an attractive and original alternative, something to remember.

But also, what a great present for a child of any age at Christmas, or for a birthday. The personalisation adds a unique touch and with the choice of pink blue white or red jumper, each bear is one of a kind.

Babyblooms  baby gifts range from books and bears to bathrobes and blankets, and many of these can be personalised.

www.babyblooms.co.uk

Personalised Bertie Bear £24

It is indisputable that many of us are fascinated by the past. Films, books and television programmes abound, as we learn more and more about our ancestors.

Celebrities seem to be queueing up, to find out if they have royal ancestry, or if they are descended from the village idiot.

We have a thirst for knowledge of our past, which goes beyond who our great grandparents were, we want to know what they did and how they lived. We want to know who has lived in the house before us and so it goes on.

I speak as someone who researched his family history in the days before computers and the internet, a time when leafing through hefty tomes was the only way to learn more and back then it had its limitations.

Science in this area has improved enormously and so much more research can be done from the comfort of your own home.

My wife and I have often watched television programmes, steeped in envy, that some celebrity was going to get a whistle stop tour of their own family history, guided by experts.

If you, or someone you know has similar interests, then AncestryDNA may well have the perfect Christmas gift suggestion.

A small kit with easy to follow instructions (even for someone like me, descended from the village idiot)

To begin with I had to log in to Ancestrty.Com to set up a password. This is free, as it is all part of the kit. Remembering not to eat, drink or smoke for 30 minutes was probably the hardest part.

Now for those of a nervous disposition, you may wish to skip these next few lines.

You are required to spit into a test tube, but don’t worry, this is contained in the kit and the test tube has a funnel attached. The test tube also has lines to measure the amount of saliva and we are advised and indeed instructed not to measure the bubbles, which is my favourite instruction, ever.

The funnel is replaced with a cap which also contains a stabiliser, so that when the saliva turns blue, we can be sure that it is working.

The test tube is popped into an envelope and posted to the pre- paid address.

Also included is a rather smart note book, with a black rubberised cover, useful for recording all those notes and I rather suspect that AncestryDNA know that once you start digging into your background, you will be hooked and wish to find out more.

Currently there is a special offer price is £59.00, normally £79.00, plus postage from https://www.ancestry.co.uk

‘Give the gift of family’ they say, and who knows, this time next year we could be sitting next to each other in the House of Lords.

I am a man who currently has 41 types of gin in his possession and whilst I call it a hobby, my wife calls it an obsession, either way there is no disputing the fact that I love gin.

You can find my summer review for this Strawberry Gin in our archives, but now Puerto Indias have made Christmas present buying for gin lovers like me even easier.

I have to confess I haven’t ever really understood the appeal of Mulled Wine, but I do understand that at Christmas there is an urge for something celebratory and different, which is where this Sevillian Strawberry Gin comes in, promising to take pink gin to the next level.

The story goes that the founders were brothers who spotted wild Huelva strawberries growing near the distillery and being about to make strawberry liqueur were curious to know how the mixing of distilled macerated strawberry with gin might taste.

I could have told them, and I can certainly tell you, that is it tastes delicious. Light and of course with more than a hint of Strawberries and on the nose a touch of Aniseed and Juniper.

For that ‘Christmassy’ drink with a difference try mixing the Strawberry Gin with Soda Water plenty of ice and a sprig of Mint and a Cinnamon Stick. I also enjoyed it when I substituted the Mint for Orange peel, twisted to release the oils and rubbed around the rim of the glass. There is something undeniably Christmassy about the scent and taste of Orange at this time of year.

This Strawberry Gin can be bought in a presentation box (not shown) with a beautifully large glass capable of containing enough ice to chill down the Gin quickly as well as holding the cinnamon stick, forming a perfect Christmas gift.

Puerto Indias Strawberry Gin is available from Amazon. Master of Malt and Whisky Exchange with a RRP of £27.00

The Presentation Box with Glass and Bottle of Strawberry Gin is also available from Amazon with a RRP of £40.00.

Happy Christmas.

Further details from www.ginpuertodeindias.com

When it comes to stocking fillers, Chocolate is a sure-fire hit in our household and I am not ashamed to admit that in such cases our mantra is, the bigger the better.

So, a huge bar of Toblerone with a personalised message limited only by the size of the packaging, makes this something demonstrating a little more thought than my usual efforts.

I chose to put my wife’s name on the packet with the unintended consequence that I cannot now claim ignorance as to whom the said chocolate belongs, when accidentally coming across the chocolate wherever she has hidden it.

I am also thinking that this is a neat and welcome Secret Santa gift guaranteed to please and easily wrapped.

So at home and in the office it’s a definite winner

You’re welcome.

Happy Christmas.

For more information: Prezzybox.com

Bucket: 107 Westbourne Grove, Bayswater, London. W2 4UW

You would expect a restaurant featuring fish to be be able to excel at cooking fish and spoiler alert, Bucket Restaurant does so exceptionally well, but the sheer breadth of the menu at Buckets posed quite a problem when coming to write this review.

However, when faced with such a conundrum I like to concentrate on the small things, the things that are so often overlooked and for this I have devised a series of tests. Entering Bucket on a cold wet November evening is a welcomingly surreal experience. Greeted warmly by staff the restaurant has a beach bar theme, which works well with tables arranged to accommodate 4 people so that you are aware of others but not to the point of overhearing their conversation. Longer tables accommodate bigger parties of diners.

Each table has a sprig of Rosemary placed on each napkin, whilst a whole lemon sits on a small board waiting to be cut in half and spritzed over the fish.  Copper cutlery and night lights seated in glass jars filled with fine gravel. Everything subtly suggests a fish bar on a Mediterranean beach. Due to a problem with the trains my friend was 30 minutes late, but I was assured that this was no problem. I ordered a gin and tonic whilst I waited and it arrived in a glass filled with ice with the tonic served separately. Test 1 passed with flying colours.

I must have looked hungry (or perhaps I was looking hungrily at the food being enjoyed by the other diners) as Nara, our Columbian waitress asked if I would like some bread and butter. Warm tasty Sourdough bread duly arrived with a smear of the most perfectly salted butter that I think I have ever tasted. Tests 2 Hospitality and Test 3 Bread and butter both passed with distinction.

The problem with a restaurant that specialises in one thing, in this case, sustainable fish, is that it precludes groups that may include vegetarians. Bucket offers several vegetarian options but if they were concentrating on fish just how good was this likely to be? Time to set another test. My starter of Artichoke Hummus (£7.25) was something that I had never heard of or indeed conceived of and it was a revelation. This was no sop to vegetarians; this was a homage to the artichoke where artichoke crisps contrasted with the unctuous hummus and the flavour brought out by the Dukkha. The Malden Oysters (£4.00 each) served ice cold with a tangy accompaniment of red wine and shallot sauce were fresh and as salty as you would expect and so loudly proclaimed as being so completely delicious, that people at the next table would have been well within their rights to complain about the noise.

Chalk Stream Trout Tartare

A plate of Chalk Stream Trout Tartare (£10.25) with pickled apple, Kohl Rabi, Cucumber and Dill followed and was so fresh tasting with all the flavours so finely balanced and complimenting each other.

The wine list is varied and wines have been carefully selected to bring out the best of the fish. We chose a bottle of Castano Macabeo 2018 (£26.00), a light and fruity organic white wine, which went perfectly with our food but didn’t break the bank. The wine list features wines ranging from £23.00 up to £90.00 the latter for those special occasions or when you wish to treat yourself.A good test of a wine list is when the cheaper wines taste good rather than adequate and the Castano certainly did that.  Nara, could not have been more helpful knowing exactly when to clear plates, so as not to interrupt the flow of conversation, whilst being friendly and efficient. A gift not given to all, but one that makes such a difference to a meal.

Goan Sea Bass with an onion Bhaji

Our mains consisted of Goan Sea Bass from the “Specials” menu that is changed according to what is fresh on the day, Served with an onion bhaji and a myriad of fresh herbs and spices.  We declared this truly delicious, mouth tingling but not overpowering. No clinging sauces but perfectly pan cooked whole fish where the white, tender meat was accompanied by a delightful combination of chillies and spices making the dish absolutely perfect.

Meditteranean Mezze

As the vegetarian starter may just have been a flash in the pan (all puns intended) we also went for the seasonal vegetable Mezze which was so generous that it could easily have been shared by three or four people. Aubergine, Baby Sweet Corn, Halloumi Cheese and Peppers, simply griddled (think beach barbeque) and served with a punchy green sauce consisting of herbs including mint and dill in a thin olive oil adding piquancy. Sometimes, simplicity is all that is called for if the ingredients are allowed to speak for themselves and a good Chef understands this. Mack Barnstable is such a chef.

The Mezze includes two side plates and I was persuaded by my companion to have the Fries (£4.50 when not served with the Mezze) these were good, but given everything else on the menu I should not have listened to her.Where I did score highly was the creamy Polenta (£4.50 when not served with the Mezze), which was light and incredibly delicious and all I will say, is that this will make you forget every other Polenta that you have ever eaten. I could have had nothing but this for a starter and a main and considered myself well fed. By now my friend and I were professing ourselves full. ‘Just coffee,’ we said to each other, and then the pudding menu arrived with desserts range from £4.50 to £9.00.

Don Pedro

We agreed to share the Don Pedro (£9, 00), which is a super light, Whisky and whipped Vanilla Ice Cream scattered with Pecan nuts lending this desert an almost Zabaglione consistency with a contrasting crunch.We were no longer surprised that this was a finely judged dessert, well balanced earthy whisky flavours and yet so light.The whole menu is designed to be shared, but with food so finely cooked it is hard to watch your friends digging into a dish that you have selected or perhaps that is just me? We couldn’t help but notice several lone diners who presumably lived in the neighbourhood and who felt comfortable enough to drop in and enjoy a meal. This has to be due to the ethos created at Bucket by Mack Barnstable, the new Head Chef who has created the new Autumn menu.

Mack works closely with his fish suppliers to deliver interesting blackboard specials and guest oysters on a daily-changing basis. Little surprise then that Mack Barnstable grew up near the South West Coast and has an affinity with fish, formed when he was pulling in Mackerel off the Cob in Lyme Regis and working on an Oyster Farm in Australia.  It is possible to eat well and relatively cheaply at Bucket, but with food this tasty why would you?

If I lived in the area, I would go to Buckets simply for the bread and butter, oh and the Artichoke Hummus, the Polenta and the Chalk Stream Trout Tartare.  Actually, if I lived in the area, I would simply take up residence.

View the full menu @ https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5ae32324a2772cce555e6fac/t/5d9

336d9fb48423f80f6a2f9/1569928923122/bucket_website_menus_oct19.pdf

Bucket is located at 107 Westbourne Grove, Notting Hill, London, W2 4UW

www.bucketrestaurant.com   Instagram: @bucketlondon  Facebook: bucketlondon