Girl of the moment Cara has bagged (sorry, couldn’t resist) yet another campaign, this time for Mulberry. Take a look and tell us what you think.
Toulouse In Instagram Pictures Part 2 | Travel.
Following on from Part 1, here is Part 2 of Toulouse in Instagram pictures. Part 3 is here with lots of pictures of food. Here is our in-depth Toulouse Travel Guide. Hope you enjoy.
Moon Rock at the Cite de L’Espace. Rented from NASA.
Breakfast at the Citiz Hotel, a great four star hotel in a convenient, central area. I love hotel dressing gowns.
We had an amazing Lunch at La Chai Saint-Sauveur. Their veal was superb, followed by strawberry pie. pictures will be in the food special.
Next we went to the Terre de Pastel Museum & Spa. This is newly opened in Labege.
Sandrine Banessy, the owner of Terre Pastel shows us how the woad plant dyes things blue.
I then walked around the city with Esme.
Dinner at Le Py-R. With fellow travel writers. The food was superb.
Victor Hugo Marketplace.
More Marketplaces. There was a great variety of stuff.
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Have you ever been to Toulouse? Do you think you will visit?
Kate Moss For Versace
Kate Moss has stripped off and gone brunette for Versace. Doesn’t she look gorgeous?
What do you think of Kate’s latest campaign?
Iberica La Terraza | Restaurant Review
When Samuel Johnson made his often quoted remark about those who tire of London being tired of life he could have been talking about the restaurants in London. There is every nationality and cuisines in this great city. All of the different boroughs, offer unique and different experiences.
Iberica La Terraza has its own unique experience. A Spanish Tapas bar on a terrace in Cabot Square, in the heart of Canary Wharf. It is near a fountain and is just so beautiful. You almost feel like you are on holiday.
The menu has a great selection of food. Both hot and cold. If you are not in the mood for tapas you can have breakfast, or a salad. The menu offers something for everyone. Here is what we had. Which was a lot.
Half & Half, a selection of cured meat and cheeses: chorizo de pueblo, cecina de leon, Spanish cheese taster,
This was an amazing selection of meat and cheese. Very generous portions. Delicious. Some of the meat was even cured with Rosemary.
Smoked Cod with Roasted Red Peppers Salad.
This salty and smoky salad tasted great. Quite different.
Aubergine, Honey and Pinenuts.
I loved this dish. The aubergine was perfectly cooked with honey and pinenuts on top. The texture and taste was just perfect.
Meatballs with chilindron sauce.
These meatballs are ‘like grandma used to make’. Family food in Spain. The meatballs are pork and beef, with tomatoe, garlic and a hint of chilli. Great, honest food.
Baby squid sandwich.
Delicious for those who love seafood. Also a very generous portion. The bread was great too. The squid was fried and delicious.
Topside veal with roasted vegetable puree.
This was perfectly cooked with a yummy puree.
Tapas
Snow Crab Meat with mayonnaise and trout roe.
Baby Squid with Alioli.
Ensaladilla with tuna, egg, green olives and Piquillo.
Creamed cheese, sun blushed tomatoes, rocket and basil.
Green Asparagus, smoked salmon, quails egg and avruga.
The tapas were AMAZING. Just really good. It is hard to choose a favourite so I won’t. I loved them all. Definitely try a few.
Dessert.
Cream Catalana.
Double cream, cinnamon, vanilla and lemon.
Great puffy dessert. A bit like foam but with more consistency. Is light and tastes amazing.
La Tarta de la abuela. Chocolate, vanilla and biscuit.
Good chocolate tart. The crunch biscuit on top was a great touch. I, of course, also loved the chocolate. The entire mix of this dessert works well together.
To Drink
La Terraza Cocktail
Gin, cranberries and lime.
All of the cocktails are made in house and a lot of thought is put into them.
Agua de Valencia
Cava, vodka, gin and orange juice.
Another classic. The oranges are imported from Valencia to make the cocktail perfect. No shortcuts are taken. The original 1950s recipe was also sourced by Pedro Carvalho. You can taste the attention to detail and love that goes into the cocktails.
Sangria Cava
This amazing drink was packed with delicious juicy fresh fruit and was very refreshing. You could really taste all the different fruit flavours (Orange, strawberry, blackberry and mint) as they marinated into the cool cava. A truly special drink. The only way I can describe is that it was like sipping the sun. I can really do with another one of these right now!
Sangria White
Ditto. Both Sangria drinks were tasty and perfectly suited the mood. They also came in great jug glasses.
Berry Cavarinha
Blackberries, raspberries, lime sugar, chambord, cava.
La Terraza Cocktail
I loved this cocktail. What a great combination.
We were impressed by Iberica La Terraza. The food was great as was the atmosphere and the cocktails. Prices range from low to high so you can go and have some cocktails and food no matter what your budget is. In fact, the only problem I have with Iberica La terraza is the smoking. There were a few people smoking around us and as a non-smoker I don’t want to breathe in other peoples smoke. Only a few people were smoking though so I do recommend that you head down to Canary Wharf for an excellent Spanish experience. If the weather is ropey then don’t worry, the restaurant has heaters, blankets and a big umbrella.
Cabot Square London Borough of Tower Hamlets, E14 4QQ. Nearest Tube: Canary Wharf.
| 020 7636 8650 |
Domaine Vintur Cuvee Le Gentleman 2011 Wine Review
I am fussy about red wine. Some of it just tastes like acid and gives me a headache. So was Domaine Vintur Cuvee Le Gentleman 2011 (£14) drinkable? Yes, more than. It is a very good, full bodied red wine with a great taste and no bad aftertaste. It has a bit of spice and is well balanced. It has ripe, dark fruits and a good balancing of acidity,
This lightly oaked wine has full, fresh tastes of cherry and red fruit. It is a very fruity red wine. It has lots of flavour and does not have the acid-like aftertaste I feel some red wines have. It is also dominated by grenache.
My favourite thing about this wine is that it is not too heavy. It is just fresh and light and full of flavour. Worth every pound of the 14 it cost.
The wine is dedicated to all the cyclists who have climbed Mon Ventoux – one of the most famous final ascents in Tour de France history by the English owner of the estate Graham Shore.
What They Say.
Cuvée Le Gentleman 2011, Appellation AOC Ventoux
Our flagship red wine, made from grapes selected from the best and oldest vines. 70% Grenache, 15% Syrah, 10% Mourvèdre and 5% Carignan. Aged for 20 months before bottling with a light touch of oak.
The wine is complex. It has a round nose rich in woodland fruit, with a hint of oak. The palate is full and succulent, with fresh cherries and notes of the garrigue -Provençal herbs- and spice. Its tannins complement the length and balance of the sweet wild fruit and give a rounded full finish.
It is named to honour all the men who have ridden up Mont Ventoux by bike and to celebrate Bradley Wiggins’ Tour de France win in 2012. It is a wine to enjoy with meats, cheeses and on its own. Ready to drink now but with aging potential.
The Widow’s Guide To Sex & Dating Carole Radziwill | Book Review
The Widow’s Guide to Sex & Dating is not a guide. But if you thought it was then don’t be bothered, because, actually, it is a rather brilliant novel. Full of funny moments, great characters and wisdom filled ‘rules’ dotted throughout. Rule #29 says: A boy says, Have a good trip. A man says, Call me when you land. Wise words indeed.
Carole Radziwill has herself been widowed. She was married to ABC News producer Anthony Radziwill. He died of cancer after a five year battle at the obscenely young age of 40. Her book on the death of her husband, What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship and Love, became a New York Times bestseller.
Which leads us on to The Widow’s Guide to Sex & Dating. The novel follows Claire, wife and then widow of sex writer Charlie. When Charlie was alive Claire lived in his shadow, now he is dead and through the shock and grief she has to find herself again, and, possibly, love.
Claire is a brilliant character. Widowed at only 32, she is talented in her own right but sometimes finds it hard to blossom. Her group of friends are funny and have her best interests at heart. Claire struggles, she even has a second opinion therapist, but will she find her way and true love?
Finding out is fun. I loved this novel and found it hard to put it down. It is a must read. I cannot wait for the TV series that Radziwill has in development. TV is something that she should know about as she is also a cast member of The Real Housewives of New York City.
Brugal Rum Cocktails | Cocktails and Rum Review
Brugal Rum is the Caribbean and Spain’s No 1 selling rum. High praise indeed. It is 100% Dominican and has 80% of the market in the Dominican Republic. I received some bottles of the beautifully packaged rum; The Brugal Aňejo (RRP £20.29) and the Brugal Especial Extra Dry (RRP £20.27). I mean, look at it, if this bottle of rum was a model it would be Naomi Campbell. I love the rope detail. It just looks beautiful. But beauty alone does not make the world go around and taste is what really matters when it comes to rum. So let’s make some cocktails….
Brugal Especial Extra Dry with Lemonade. Delicious. Just a great mix. These two clear liquids work well together.
The Brugal Aňejo with Ginger Beer. Rum and Ginger Beer is one of my favourite drinks. It is just a classic exotic drink.
I decided to make my own cocktail called Fruity Brugal. The ingredients are Lemonade, orange juice, lime, lemon, sugar and Brugal Especial Extra Dry.
Put the rum in first. You need a shot of rum. Squeeze the lemon and lime in.
Add orange juice and then add lemonade.
Add a teaspoon of sugar and stir. Serve over ice.
Yummy.
I love rum and the amount of drinks you can make with it is vast.
Add your own cocktail recipes below.
Sponsored Post.
The Young Airhawk | Wine Review
The Young Airhawk is a very interesting wine. In fact it is different from most other wines I have tried. It is a dry wine. Very much so. It also makes you want more. It tastes expensive, fresh and crisp. It also has a running taste of oak, but not too much.
I loved how fruity it was. It has a great, notable taste of peach, some lemon tones, green fig and a unique taste of asparagus. Which I don’t think I have ever tried in a wine before. This is a great wine full of a lot of great different flavours. A unique mix that really works. Fans of dry wine will especially love it.
Although this wine is priced at £14.99 from Morrisons I do think it is worth it. It tastes much more expensive.
The Young Airhawk – This wine is made entirely from barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc. Bouquet: Layer of green figs, asparagus and minerality, very well integrated with wood. Fresh, crisp and zesty with creamy texture.
The Young Airhawk, a fresh, crisp and zesty wine with a creamy texture made entirely from barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc, pays tribute to Nederburg founder Johann Graue’s son, Arnold. Arnold Graue loved speed, action and adventure and showed his bravery from an early age by signing on as a trainee air gunner with the South African Air Force.
Like his father, Arnold was renowned for his winemaking prowess, winning many wine prizes, but sadly after hiring a light aircraft to celebrate a perfect spring day his life was tragically cut short in a fatal collision with another aircraft. The Young Airhawk Wooded Sauvignon Blanc captures the spirit of this professionally driven young man with a huge appetite for life.
The Young Airhawk is available from Morrisons for £14.99