Nightjar Unveil Their New Summer Cocktails

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Kesh

Behind the fascinating black door with the gold bird lies one of The City’s best, hidden cocktail bars. I don’t use the term ‘best’ lightly here, coming from this part of London I have scaled the bars in the area and Nightjar is unlike any other. With a cocktail list which serves up cocktails of a bygone era and some of the most unique spirits on the market, Nightjar breaks the mould when it comes to an eye for detail and outstanding cocktails so it’s no wonder they have won World’s Best Bar on a number of occasions. It could be the exclusivity of the place, or the sexy speakeasy ambiance but here’s one thing for sure, their cocktails pretty much define what a cocktail should be. I can’t quite put it into words myself but just know this, when you visit Nightjar the possibilities are quite endless.

Just in time for Summer, Nightjar are offering up a series of creative cocktails which use unusual fruits and flavours to evoke tropical themes. Having launched mid-May, the new cocktails are the first to have launched under the direction of new bar manager, Martina Breznanova. We were lucky enough to bag an invite to the launch of the inventive new cocktail list and were blown away by the execution, the attention to detail and inventiveness. In true Nightjar fashion they’ve used a combination of unique flavours and challenging spirits and everything possible to drift you away into a tropical sensory Heaven. The new menu is made up of four main sections, interweaving history with innovation throughout. Pre-Prohibition, Prohibition and Postwar, all of which are filled with the groundbreaking reinventions of bygone cocktails, whilst the Signature section fully embodies Nightjar’s invention and creativity.

The Tiki style drinks which feature on the new menu focus on the more tropical and exotic flavours from around the world. We recommend;

The Lei Lani Volcano;

This Tiki style drink includes tropical ingredients such as banana bread beer and coconut blossom nectar served over peanut butter ice.

From the updated classics menu we chose

The Mayflower;

Originating from a bygone era, The Mayflower is a unique take on The Flowing Bowl (1892) which swaps out herbal Kummal for Mozart Dry chocolate spirit infused with dill pollen. This stunning cocktail is served with real dried roses.

From The Post War Era;

Cocktail a La Louisianne;

Evoking the true spirit of New Orleans, this cocktail pays homage to its musical roots and also the voodoo culture. Served in a cloud of patchouli and Palo Santo smoke, this cocktail is reminiscent of the intoxicating smells of rituals and ceremonies. Made with Johnnie Walker Gold | Mancino Rosso Amaranto | Benedictine | Orange Liqueur | Agnus Castus Berries | Nightjar Bitters | Absinthe.

So whether it’s to just satisfy your curiosity and experience some stunningly made drinks, or to soak up the ambience of this unique bar and admire the theatrics of each crafted creation, Nightjar is most certainly the bar for you.

Just to get an idea of what Nightjar are about, they have kindly offered up a recipe for Cocktail a La Louisianne for you to try yourself;

–       45ml Johnnie Walker Gold
–       30ml Mancino Rosso Amaranto
–       5ml Benedictine
–       5ml Grand Marnier
–       1 pinch Agnus Castus (Monk’s Pepper)
–       2 dashes Absinthe

Stir and serve in a cold coupette

Nightjar

129 City Road

London, EC1V 1JBT

0207 253 4101

www.barnightjar.com

Bookings: info@barnightjar.com

Live Music every night from 9pm

My Local Temple Time by Alex Bannard Bangkok Correspondent

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Margaret Graham

A bicycle ride to a local temple provides the perfect respite from modern day annoyances for Alex.

I have a friend who is a practicing Buddhist. It has helped her through some traumatic times and she shares the benefits, techniques and insights of shamatha with me and a few others in a weekly meditation class. I love it. I find the style of meditation too prescriptive sometimes, but to spend 2 hours every week consciously coming back to oneself, focusing on the breathe, the senses or emotions before allowing the mind some freedom to just be is simply liberating. I have yet to encounter one of those life changing insights and feel a long way from enlightenment but I really believe in the therapeutic benefits of meditation and mindfulness.

When we first met we agreed we would head off on our bikes to explore a local temple. Of course life takes over and the months went by and then suddenly opportunity presented itself and off we headed. We came out of our Moobaan and snuck through a little entrance, carrying our bikes along a mud path scattered with litter alongside an algae and no doubt mosquito-infested swamp with wooden and corrugated iron roofed shacks perched on its banks. I knew this was going to be fun.

You see living as we do in a gated community alongside other Farang and the more affluent of Thai society with housekeeper and driver assisting to our daily needs it is easy to forget the real side of Thailand. As we cycled along the path alongside the stinking Klong (canal) you cannot escape it. And I love that. It makes life here so much more real. Because for the vast majority in Thailand life is dirty, gritty and hard. Many people even in Bangkok live in small wooden huts some on stilts others alongside main roads, under over-passes, alongside the waterways. You cannot escape their lives as you pass: 3 generations hunched over noodle soup on wooden stools having their lunch with the TV blaring.

In other homes, women swing in their hammocks and nod or cheerfully say ‘Sawadee’ with bare-footed children scampering at their feet. Because that’s the other thing, the Thais are extremely friendly and very non judgemental. They are fascinated, especially the kids, to see 2 Farang on their bikes, teetering along the narrow path alongside the Klong. Seeing the waterway underneath swimming with plastic bottles and other rubbish it crossed my mind that we are only months away from what is being forecast as the wettest rainy season in decades. How many of these homes resting so precariously close to the water’s edge would be washed away in the floods? It is ironic, that the country is in the depths of drought and on the back of the hottest summer for years, and this monsoon season people’s livesare likely to be destroyed by the water they so badly desire.

As we came off the path and cycled along the back streets, the houses became more substantial, some were concrete rather than wood. There were even cars parked outside some and gardens. And it is obvious the pride people have in their homes keeping despite the poverty. We cycled through a Muslim area and passed the school which was based in the mosque. We cycled further along the Klong, carrying our bikes up the steps and over the bridges until we came to the temple complex.

Thai temples are ornate and spectacular and this was no exception. We walked clockwise around the complex – three times – bringing good luck. We ventured into the Ordination Hall where seven monks were leading some kind of devotion whilst worshippers ate their lunch, sitting on the floor feet tucked away from the saffron robed monks.

One of the monks approached us to say hello and tell us about a 3 day festival celebrating the re-gilding of the Buddha. He escorted us outside to see the actually Buddha which would be restored to its golden glory and then took us to the back corner of the complex where women were preparing food, eating and also loading wood into the kiln to keep a sauna going which the monks and nuns use daily.

It was fascinating: the monk’s openness and willingness to share insights into their daily lives and rituals; seeing the nuns in their white robes and shaved heads which previously I hadn’t seen; and being privy to the real sense of community within the temple’s complex. It was such a serene and calm place that my previous slightly frustrated mood evaporated eased. It was the kind of serenity and soul the popular tourist temples somehow fail to deliver. But then without a sea of selfie sticks and hoards of noisy tourists it is no wonder really.

We cycled home mostly through the back streets hoping the threatened downpour would evade us at least until we were close by. We emerged on a different approach to our moonbaan perhaps reflective of the different approach we would be embracing during the afternoon: one of gratitude, serenity and inner calm as so often a journey off the beaten track induces.

Breast Cancer: in the young, the pregnant and with family history

Posted on July 5, 2016 by Margaret Graham

On 17^th September, the UK’s leading annual event for anyone affected by breast cancer will take place. There will be information from a range of experts, including Frost Magazine’s medical consultant Dr Kathleen Thompson.

Registration: 10.00 am – coffee.

Morning session: diagnosis, management and treatment for young women

DIAGNOSIS : 10.30 Chairs introduction. Chairs: Mark Ho-Asjoe (St Thomas), Laura Johnson (Royal Marsden)

10.35 Breast cancer: the extent of the problem for young women: Bernard Rachet, reader in cancer epidemiology, London school of hygiene and tropical medicine

10.55 From diagnosis onwards: navigating the breast cancer system: Denise Flett, young women’s breast cancer clinical nurse specialist (CNS), Royal Marsden hospital

11.15 Reactions to diagnosis: getting the treatment you want: Kathleen Thompson, doctor, patient and author of From Both Ends of the Stethoscope 11.35 Panel 11.45 Short break + pastry

TREATMENT: 12.00 Surgical options for hereditary and non-hereditary breast cancer. Breast conservation in young women Hisham Hamed, consultant oncoplastic breast surgeon, honorary senior lecturer, Guys and St Thomas Trust

12.35 New options for the management of different breast cancer subtypes: Justin Stebbing, professor of oncology, Imperial college, London

Following lunch: pregnancy, trials and survivorship

2.15 Reserved (charity and sponsor, Philips)
2.35 Pregnancy and breast cancer: Alison Jones, breast cancer consultant, including for pregnancy and clinical trials, Leaders in Oncology Care

3.10 Living with and beyond breast cancer: Susannah Stanway, consultant, medical oncology, breast unit, Royal Marsden hospital; also acute oncology unit, Croydon university hospital

Venue: Royal Society of Medicine,1 Wimpole Street, London W1G 0AE

BOOK (Event Brite): http://tinyurl.com/h45xfbf

* 16th September. Separate CPD day for clinicians: rsm.ac.uk/breastcancerforum

The Salt Marsh by Clare Marsh

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Margaret Graham

As a bestselling author I am increasingly impressed by the standard of novels being published by Head of Zeus. I have not read one I have disliked or thought lacking in expertise or originality.

The Salt Marsh is another of this ilk . It is a ‘haunting thriller’, so says the blurb, set in the windswept marshes of Kent and Norfolk.

I can assure you that it is indeed haunting, it is also well written and evocative with a great sense tension and of place. Clare Carson has bags of empathy, and the characters live. There is pace and rhythm. So what more can I say?

The Salt Marsh tells of Sam, who can’t lay her father’s ghost to rest. Jim was an undercover agent living a double life, and Sam has left university to find out the truth about his work.

The story moves from the nightclubs of 80s Soho to the salt marshes and shingle spits of Norfolk and Kent. I remember both – the cigarette heavy gloom of the nightclubs, and the salt laden winds of the east coast. I can also remember the smugglers’ huts but never found any buried bones. It is here, in these two arenas that Jim’s secret past beckons her. So, will Sam walk away and pick up her own life? Or become an undercover operative herself and continue her father’s work in the shadows?

Read it and find out. Let me know your thoughts. frost@margaret-graham.com

The Salt Marsh, Head of Zeus, HB £18.99

Lucky Us by Amy Bloom

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Tracy Baines

When Eva’s mother abandons her on Iris’s front porch, the girls don’t seem to have much in common – except, they soon discover, a father. Thrown together with no mothers to care for them and a father who could not be considered a parent, Iris and Eva become one another’s family. Iris wants to be a movie star; Eva is her sidekick. Together, they journey across 1940s America from scandal in Hollywood to the jazz clubs and golden mansions of Long Island, stumbling, cheating and loving their way through a landscape of war, betrayals and big dreams.

Set in 1940s America, this is a thrilling and resonant novel about loyalty, ambition and the pleasures and perils of family. Iris has grit and the determination to escape her surroundings; she wants a different life and Eva soon becomes a part of, and important to, those new horizons. Bloom artfully covers such detail in so few words that it read like a huge sweeping novel rather than the slim volume it was. Clever and deft writing, sharp and witty by turns, the characters and their circumstances are finely observed and I cared about each one of them, willing them to overcome the obstacles that littered their paths.

Iris and Eva are full of guts and the determination to not only survive, but thrive. The book explores what is possible when we refuse to give up and are willing to be flexible and adapt to conquer life’s twists and turns. Something that resonates with the challenges we face at the moment.

A totally satisfying and superb read. I look forward to reading more of Amy Bloom’s writing now that I’ve found her.

www.grantabooks.com

Vida Glow Review

Posted on July 1, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

We all have our health hypocrisies. Mine used to be that I would only take prescription pills under dire circumstances, but was a sucker for any ‘natural’ health supplement. Luckily I saw the ridiculousness of my reasoning. I am still fussy about what I put in my body, but now I always do my research.

I had heard a lot about marine collagen supplements. Beauty writers and bloggers have been raving about them. Frost writer Keshini also tried some and was a fan. So I jumped at the chance to review Vida Glow. Vida Glow is a natural marine collagen supplement which comes in powder form of pure hydrolysed marine collagen. It is a hair, skin and nail supplement, with an array of benefits as collagen is the most abundant protein in the body and the second largest substance in the body behind water.

Their Beauty Blend is a vegetarian friendly all natural superfood blend, designed alongside nutritionists, to nourish hair, skin and nails from within. Vida Glow marine collagen is derived from the Scales of Deep Sea Red Snapper

Here is what they say:

With age, collagen breaks down in our bodies leading to wrinkles, sagging skin and lines. Outside factors as such smoking, toxins, poor diet, late nights, sun damage and harsh environments can add to the ageing process.

Your skin is incredibly important to your overall health. Skin is the largest organ in the human body, and is the most obvious indicator of your age and lifestyle.

Vida Glow works from within to rebuild and strengthen the collagen matrix below the skin’s surface. As we are subject to toxins, sun damage, poor diets and ageing, the multi layers which are linked together under the skin degenerate, resulting in fine lines, and wrinkles.

The collagen that is absorbed by taking Vida Glow, improves skin elasticity by increasing the density of fibroblasts, which are the cells responsible for rebuilding connective tissues. Vida Glow stimulates the body’s own natural collagen production by noticing the increased amount of collagen in the blood stream. Consumed daily it helps restore collagen production levels, giving you healthy and youthful looking skin.

Consuming Vida Glow on a daily basis results in firmer and more hydrated skin, giving you a radiant complexion, smoothing out fine lines and wrinkles.

Mostly when I review supplements I don’t notice a huge difference. Not so with Vida Glow. The pack comes with 30 servings. You can take 1-3 a day. I took 3 a day, deciding to go for the short but bigger dose. I was very impressed indeed. Immediately after taking it I got that feeling you get when you eat something really healthy. It was like I could feel the good it was doing for my body. I noticed a difference in my hair, nails and skin. It also made me feel healthier. I only took Vida Glow for 10 days, but I do think it works and I would definitely use it again. For the environmentalist: Vida Glow marine collagen is a fibrous protein extracted from the scales of Deep Sea Red Snapper, sustainably sourced from the Pacific Ocean waters of Australasia. Vida Glow is a 100% natural product.

I am definitely a fan. Frost Loves.

http://uk.vidaglow.co/pages/about

Vida Glow Marine Collagen is available here.

A rare day out with Mr P by Alex Bannard Bangkok Correspondent

Posted on June 30, 2016 by Catherine Balavage

With the children at school Alex and her husband have a chance to go tourist.

Mr P is on gardening leave. Which since we, the kids and I, have not even been here a year is a little alarming but we have been through worse so we’ll get through this. So before his new job takes him off again and in the spirit of making the best of things, we decided to explore beyond Bangkok. After all two month’s in one another’s company is a long time, so better we do these things before we are fed up with one another.

I had always wanted to go to Ayutthaya – the second of the two original ancient capitals of Siam and heralded as the Angkor Wat of Thailand. Thankfully Mr P agreed. We dropped the kids off at school and headed out of the city, noses in our iPhones clearing emails, returning messages and playing Candy Crush. Ok Candy Crush, that was just me. I like to make use of the exquisite privilege of being driven everywhere by using my time wisely. Gawd forbid we might strike up a convo and run out of things to chat about by mid morning.

We arrived at the Unesco World Heritage site early before the mini vans and tourist coaches but failed to secure the bikes we had dreamt of. Never mind. The site didn’t look that big and there’s nothing wrong with our legs. So off we set. Within minutes we had come across the famed Buddha in the tree roots. ‘Great,’ announces Mr P, ‘We can go home now.’ He’s not the best tourist. Sightseeing is not his bag. He once described Petra as ‘cr*p’. It was shaping up to be a long day and it was barely 9:15.

I want to say ‘and it did not disappoint’, except it did a little. Wat Maha That is stunning without question. And one can not help to marvel at the skill of the ancients who built the complex but it somehow just did not have the majesty and splendor of Angkor.

We wandered through the historical gardens and over the road to other ruined temples and buildings which were not open. I pondered on the irony of some of these ancient ruins amidst modern day Ayutthaya as many of them are. Again something different from Angkor – or it certainly was more than a decade ago when I visited it. In Angkor you feel like you have stumbled across something magical, in Ayutthaya it feels like the ruins are struggling to compete with the pace of modern living. Although I had to smile at all the bike helmets left on the wall of one ruin as chickens clucked in nearby pens and the drivers swung in hammocks hung between the trees.

We crossed the road briefly stumbling across the paths of elephants carrying a hoard of Chinese tourists around the periphery of the gardens. The mahouts did not take kindly to Mr P patting the elephant’s trunks, oblivious to this being our first ‘official’ elephant experience so far on our Thailand adventure. I suspect these are not the ethical elephants we dream about introducing the kids to at some point.

We discovered a modern temple where a recently renovated Buddha resides, one of the largest in Thailand and one the Queen herself has helped restore to its former glory. In the gardens surrounding the temple the bushes were shaped like elephants – probably more ethical to be honest than those up the road. The Ancient Palace and Wat Phra Si Samphet nearby were more impressive. A little off the beaten track, they had more charm somehow.

By now it was time for lunch and we settled on a quaint restaurant over looking the river where we both inhaled a Singha and enjoyed a delicious meal.

Afterwards we drove out to Wat Chaiwatthanaram over the river. I loved this set of ruins. Here there was a majesty and splendor as we explored the cloisters and the decapitated Buddhas that surround it. It was here that I took a quiet moment of solitude in front of the huge restored Buddhas that overlook the river surrounding this island of ancient temples, monasteries, palaces and statues destroyed by the Burmese in 1757. And here that I realized that none of it disappointed. I had arrived with expectations and they had disappointed. The temples and palaces, statues and stupas were all splendid and don’t deserve to be compared to Angkor which I fear in the intervening years since my first visit has possibly lost some of it’s magic as chain hotels creep into its being.

And I remembered why I love Thailand. I love places that are not completely touristy (it was midweek and still blissfully quiet) and still retain a rustic charm. I love that real life juxtaposes right next to stunning temples and glorious ruins, that everyday people, often on the brink of extreme poverty, live right next door to these fabulous and stunning spiritual reminders. I hope they find it as spiritually uplifting as I do.

Looking at the map of Ayutthaya I realized we barely scratched the surface of all the ruins. But I did the same in Angkor. Once can get a little templed out. It doesn’t mean the memories aren’t vivid and wonderful. And I have no doubt our memories of this day will be the same because in the end it did not disappoint. And we didn’t run out of conversation either.

Interesting, And Not Just For Children

Posted on June 28, 2016 by Margaret Graham

Should I re-think my snacks perhaps?

New research by Fruit Bowl, the brains and creators behind the leading brand in dried fruit snacks for kids, found that more than half (52%) of Britain’s four to 12-year-olds are often tired after school, with a quarter of parents reporting their child had difficulty concentrating when they got home from school but at the opposite end of the energy spectrum almost one in ten (9%) is “almost hyper” towards the end of the day, a survey of 1,000 parents has revealed.

The Fruit Bowl research suggests that fluctuating blood sugar levels are an important factor in these mood and motivation issues. Just over a third (34%) of parents reported their children “always” complained of being hungry when they got home and almost half (44%) said hunger was a problem.

There is good evidence to show that growing children are more reliant on snacks than adults to ensure steady energy levels.

Fruit and vegetables are the favourite snacks for restoring children’s energy levels, with almost a third (29%) of parents putting this healthy option at the top of their list, followed by biscuits or cake (12%) and a sandwich or toast (10%).

More than a quarter of parents report that their children can be fussy about fruit with one in five (22%) saying their offspring stick to one or two favourites and 5% saying it’s a struggle to get them to eat any fruit at all.

Dr Carrie Ruxton says: “Every parent knows how fussy children can be, and how difficult it can be to encourage them to try new flavours. Fruit-based snacks are a great way to encourage picky-eaters to try new flavours

“Fruit-based snacks, such as Fruit Bowl® School Bars, Fruit Flakes and Fruit Peelers for example are made from the juice and/or pulp of fruits and typically count as one portion of 5-A-DAY depending upon the product.”

Fruit Bowl® Fruit Peelers (RRP £1.50 for a pack of 4 individually wrapped 16g Peelers