Win Dark Shadows Blu-Ray Triple Play DVD

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Warner Bros. Pictures is proud to announce the release of Dark Shadows on DVD and Blu-Ray October 15th 2012; along with the Dark Shadows Blog App! And Frost Magazine has teamed up with them to give one of our lucky readers a Dark Shadows Blu-Ray Triple Play.

Just follow Frost on twitter or subscribe to our newsletter for a chance to win. If you tweet then be sure to mention us and say: “I want to win a Dark Shadows Blu-Ray Triple Play with @Frostmag”. Good luck.

 

From the incredible mind of Tim Burton comes the hit film Dark Shadows, based on the classic US television series!  Barnabas Collins has been trapped for two centuries by an evil witch (Eva Green) who just happens to be an ex lover.  Barnabas now has to struggle with the ever changing 1970s and save his family’s business!  With an all star cast that includes Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jonny Lee Miller and more, Dark Shadows will be sure to whet your appetite for fun.

 


 

Winner will be decided by 30-10-2012. The winner must be located in the United Kingdom.

 

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Christmas in Kingston

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HISTORIC KINGSTON OFFERS FANTASTIC FESTIVITIES FOR CHRISTMAS

The historic town of Kingston upon Thames will be alive with festive activities and events this Christmas kicking off with a Tudor-style market, which pops up in the town’s Market Place from 7th November to 24th December.

Christmas light switch on

On 15th November Cinderella and Santa Claus himself will be switching on the Christmas lights at 6pm with activities for all the family to enjoy from 3pm. The Rose Theatre’s Christmas production this year is Cinderella. Shoppers can meet characters from the show, see a live ice carving of Cinderella’s Glass Slipper and have a photo taken in a giant Cinderella themed snow globe. There will also be the chance to see real reindeer, choirs and brass bands plus a street dance show for all the family at the Rose Theatre called “Locked In”.

Santa Claus

Children can visit Santa for free in his grotto in Bentalls, with the option to receive a Christmas Present for £2.95. Check bentalls.co.uk for opening times.  They can also post their letter to Santa in special letter boxes in the Eden Walk shopping centre.  Santa will answer every letter, with the best three winning a prize, closing date for entries is 7th December.

Kingston Spotlight – competition for performers

A wide selection of Kingston performers ranging from musicians to mime acts, poets to acrobats and dancers to clowns will be performing in Kingston’s town centre over the festive season adding a bit of sparkle to the town’s shopping experience.  Each Thursday evening and over the weekend (starting on 17th November), these acts will compete to be named Talent of the Week. Members of the public can vote for their Talent of the Week in Kingston’s spotlight competition, throughout the Spotlight period.

Christmas pocket guide

Shoppers can pick up their Christmas Pocket Guide on the Christmas lights switch on night and from local businesses. The guide offers lots of information on Christmas in Kingston as well as the chance to win Free Parking in the town for a year, six months or a month at the NCP Cattle Market. Also up for grabs is a Christmas break at the historic small hotel Chase Lodge with tickets to see Cinderalla at Rose Theatre. Other prizes on offer include: £100 worth of Bentalls voucher, a Hotel Chocolat Hamper worth £50, a two course meal for two at Pizza Express, and a Tartan Travel Rug courtesy of the Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

Arts, crafts and carols

Shoppers will have plenty of opportunities to buy different Christmas gifts.  In the town’s Market House, Kingston Artist Open Studios (KAOS) will be selling the work of local artists, sculptors, ceramicists and crafts people from 26th November – 8th December. Fusion Arts, another Kingston based collaboration of artists, will be selling their wares in Market House from 11th December – 21st December and on 22nd December visitors can shop at the Thames Market, an arts and crafts market.

The Royal Kingston Craft Fair operated by Eden Crafts will pop up on All Saints Lawn from the 15th November to 24th December offering a great range of unusual and unique Christmas gifts.

On 23rd December the Freshly Made Market comes to town. Freshly Made is a collective of urban artists, musicians and jewellery makers who will be selling underground urban products. In addition, Kingston’s daily Ancient Market offers a wide choice of gifts for more information visit: www.kingstonfirst.co.uk/touristinfo

All Saints Church will be holding Christmas concerts and carol services on 2nd, 8th, 18th, 22nd, 24th.  December.

Variety of shops

Kingston’s town centre is just 25 minutes from central London and easily accessible for locals and visitors. The town’s shops will be open every night until 9pm from 3rd December and Christmas shoppers will find something for all tastes and budgets, within a very compact area, a good proportion of which is pedestrianised.  The shopping experience ranges from designer brands and high street fashion in large retail areas such as the Eden Walk Shopping Centre and the Bentall Centre, to independent boutiques that appeal to those in search of special and unique gifts.

Old London Road, which is having its Christmas party on 1st December, is the place to go for unusual purchases and is marked by Kingston’s famous falling over phone boxes (officially named ‘Out of Order’ by artist David Mach). Here shoppers can rummage through antique and vintage items at the Kingston Antiques Centre, or hunt for stylish accessories and up-cycled furnishings at 37 London Road, recently featured on BBC2’s “Mary Queen of Shops”.  Friends and relatives of music lovers will be spoilt for choice at Hands Music in the town’s Market Place which offers instruments, music, accessories and more, while nearby Banquet Records on Eden Street is ideal for muso’s seeking new and cutting edge releases.

Parking in Kingston

Visitors to Chessington World of Adventures can take advantage of a free park and ride running from the theme park to Kingston from 10th November to the 5th January.  Also from 3rd December there is also free parking in the Bentall Centre from Monday to Friday and in John Lewis every night both from 6pm.

Accommodation in Kingston

Shoppers can enjoy a night’s stay at boutique property Chase Lodge Hotel, from just £125 per night, for two people on a bed & breakfast basis. To book call 0208 943 1862 or consult www.chaselodgehotel.com. A former magistrates house, Chase Lodge has 12 rooms, all unique and with free Wi-Fi.

The White Hart Hotel offers luxury accommodation at an affordable price. Double and Twin rooms start from around £120. To book call 020 8977 1786 or consult www.whiteharthoteluk.co.uk.

The Food Hospital’s Fibre Challenge Success

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The Food Hospital Fibre Challenge app has had over 60,000 downloads to date following the return of the new series of The Food Hospital on Channel 4 last month. The application available on iPhone and Android devices has got the nation reaching for the fruit bowl and monitoring their toilet habits on a daily basis.

The Fibre Challenge application encourages viewers to record their bowel movements and increase the amount of fibre in their diet for 21 days. Participants are challenged to eat an extra five grams of dietary fibre every day in the first stage, and an extra ten grams per day in the second stage. Each day, they should record how many bowel movements they have had and the stool type using the Bristol Stool Form Scale. At the end of the challenge, participants hope to see a noticeable improvement in bowel health. The anonymous data will be added to the national results, with the overall findings published on The Food Hospital website.

The Food Hospital Fibre Challenge app has been devised by specialist dietitians and is a mass participation initiative to assess the effect of fibre on the nation’s bowel health. Most people don’t eat enough fibre. The recommended minimum daily intake of dietary fibre is 18 grams, but few get anywhere near that. Increasing the amount of fibre in your diet is believed to provide short-term health benefits and help prevent serious disease.

Alongside the app and as part of the new series, each week volunteers who have previously participated in The Fibre Challenge will have their results analysed to help viewers gain a better understanding to whether a high fibre diet significantly improves short-term bowel health. Fifty volunteers took part in The Fibre Challenge earlier this summer and for 21 days, they ate extra dietary fibre and sent information about their bowel movements anonymously to an expert team for analysis.

In a recent study, British Medical Journal reported that dietary fibre can potentially reduce bowel cancer risk by up to 20%. Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer: one person dies every half an hour from the disease, often because of late diagnosis.

The Food Hospital Fibre Challenge app has been devised by betty, the production company behind the series, in consultation with Channel 4 and specialist dietitians. Betty’s executive producer Neil Smith says, “betty has a track record for creating innovative content that captures the imagination. Our challenge was to translate this into a digital form, so we’re thrilled that it’s been so enthusiastically embraced. It’s engaging content with the potential to save lives”.

Deborah Alsina, Chief Executive of Bowel Cancer UK says: ‘We are delighted the Fibre Challenge app has been so popular as it is an important early step to improving bowel health. It is well known that simple changes to your diet and lifestyle, such as increasing your intake of fibre can make you feel better and help stack the odds against bowel cancer. Therefore the makers of The Food Hospital are to be commended for bringing this into the mainstream. We now need to keep momentum and continue to raise awareness and encourage action around this important public health issue.’

Lizzy Keene, Senior Producer for Factual at Channel 4, adds “We are delighted with the success of the app and to have reached over 60,000 downloads already. Our aim was to encourage people to talk openly about their bowel habits and visit their GP with any concerns. Bowel cancer can be successfully treated if it’s caught early enough and we wanted to break down the ‘poo taboo’ in a fun but informative way.”

Celebrity Cookbooks Popular at Christmas, But Remain Unwrapped

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OCADO, has revealed that despite stocking up on the latest celebrity cookbooks ahead of the Christmas season, one in ten Brits admit to never even opening them, with almost half (41%) of us only pulling them off the shelf when they need to make ‘something special’.

Even though half of the population say that they own at least four cookbooks, research from the online grocer reveals that busy lifestyles mean Brits don’t have the time to rustle up a meal from scratch, let alone break the spine on their mountain of cookbooks, with five per cent of those quizzed claiming that they don’t spend any time at all cooking each day.

However it seems as though the humble recipe book is not dead, with Ocado predicting that cookbooks are set to be a staple stocking filler this festive season, including the new titles from Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson and Heston Blumenthal.

Meanwhile, Ocado have also reported that sales of celebrity cookbooks have risen by 250% this year alone. Mouth-watering reads are also beginning to eclipse must-read erotica with the diet cookbook from The Hairy Chefs arousing more interest than 50 Shades of Grey, pushing sensationalist author E.L James off her throne on number one bestsellers lists.

Despite half of Brits showcasing exotic cookbooks on their shelves, findings reveal that the meals most regularly cooked are traditional classics like Spaghetti Bolognaise (60%), meat & two veg style roast dinners (54%) and sausage and mash (48%), with only a handful of Brits regularly taking on more exotic dishes such as Thai curry (16%) or Paella (10%).

Over a quarter of British foodies admit to tuning into at least two food programmes a week, with Masterchef (56%) and Great British Bake Off (34%) being firm favourites in the nation’s homes. However, despite immersing themselves in celebrity cook books and TV shows, when quizzed how long they spend preparing and cooking grub, a staggering 78 per cent said they managed to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner in less than 30 minutes.

Jason Gissing, Ocado co-founder states: “We know that Brits love to buy all of the latest celebrity cookery books and enjoy watching recipes being created on TV, but many of us just don’t have the time to recreate delicious meals for ourselves. At Ocado you can browse recipes from some of the UK’s top chefs, shop for ‘must have’ cookery books and order ingredients for delivery straight to your door. Plus Ocado offers everyday products alongside rarer, hard to find ingredients, making it quick and easy to buy everything you need all in one place, so you can spend your time creating your own delicious masterpiece.

Christmas customers also can make their life even easier by shopping for their family gifts and festive fare in one simple click – forget the queues and the festive rush!”

For further information on Ocado’s own selection of tasty recipes and ingredients, visit www.ocado.com/webshop/recipes/.

Liz Earle 5-piece Weekend Away Skincare Treats For Breast Cancer

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Liz Earle 5-piece Weekend Away Skincare Treats

QVC Price: £21.19

Created especially for QVC in support of Breast Cancer Care, this limited edition kit from Liz Earle will be available during QVC’s live three hour spectacular – ‘Be Aware, Show You Care’. The kit comes in a green bag and contains everything you need for a weekend away – the iconic Cleanse and Polish (30ml) with muslin cloth, Instant Boost Skin Tonic (50ml), Skin Repair Moisturiser (15ml), Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask (15ml), a pot of Superbalm (in a bespoke pink shimmer version) and a sample of the brand new fragrance Botanical Essence Number 15 (2ml).

Tune in on Wednesday 17th October from 6pm to snap up this fantastic collection while supporting thousands of British women and men living with breast cancer at the same time

Online at: www.qvcuk.com

Direct orders: 0800 50 40 30

Spotlight Fashion Models Launch

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Spotlight Fashion Models Launches their Brand with a Charity Event and a Catwalk Show in Aid of the Terrence Higgins Trust.

On the 22nd of September 2012, just after London Fashion Week SS13, Spotlight Fashion Models, a recently formed fashion agency, launched their brand holding a private, glamorous, charity event at the Kensington Roof Gardens.

The profits made on the night were given in aid of the Terrence Higgins Trust, a British charity aiming to reduce the spread of HIV and promoting good sexual health.

Shakeel Rabbaney, Laura Moore, Sola Cash and April Banbury were the designers showcased on the occasion. Nomy Khan, director of Spotlight Fashion Models, wore a trendy-chic black suit with silver accessories and a tiny white fashion silk scarf.

Ms Pily Mirazi, founder of the company, went for a very classy and stylish, long red dress with sparkling, crystal stones nicely shaping her chest area. Manpreet Singh Flyinglion, at Di Gran Moda, designed Pili Mirazi’s dress.

The event was, hosted by Heaven Afrika (former model and Big Brother 2011 participant), which, despite her 8 months pregnancy, energetically kept the guests entertained through the night during the catwalk show first and later in between live performances.

Diet and delicious Skinnie Minnie Cupcakes by Serendipity Cottage were served on the night.
Spotted in attendance – above numerous fashionable guests like Melo, the finest UK Johnny Depp lookalike – Sara McLean (winner of Miss Edinburgh 2010 and former Miss Scotland 2011 runner-up) together with Shievonne Robinson (ex playboy bunny), both former Big Brother 2012 contestants and, super sexy footballer Rimmel Daniel, working the catwalk in underwear. Well, who could ask for anything more?

Spotlight Fashion Models, said Mr Khan and Ms Mirazi, are now planning even more successful future fashion events to promote new fashion designers.

More info of the company available at: www.spotlightfashionmodels.com

Written by Paola Berta
Photography by Guido Vera


 

Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar | Restaurant Review – Part 1: The Bar

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The bar at Gillrays

Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar is situated in a five star hotel, the London Marriott. Which is in turn located in the former seat of London’s government, County Hall, just across Westminster bridge from the Houses of Parliament. Walking up to the hotel to get to the restaurant, one’s breath is taken away by just how beautiful it is. It is so full of class and elegance that you almost feel it is from a different era.

The hotel itself is beautiful. The stuff dreams are made of and as we walk into the restaurant our first view is of a gorgeous English Gin bar, with riverside views of the Southbank. The bar is based on 18th-century social and political caricaturist James Gillray.

The Perfect Martini

 

We talk to Carlos, the bar room manager. Carlos is friendly, passionate and knowledgeable. It’s clear that no expense has been spared and a huge amount of effort has been put into every last detail. Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar has 35 English gins, and it will soon be ‘over forty’. Only the very best make it onto the menu. The bar looks wonderful, almost like some fantastic chemistry cocktail laboratory.  Everything has been done to an exact science to ensure perfect quality and it comes across in the taste of the cocktails

The menu is fascinating and separated into eras, Georgian, Victorian, Edwardian, contemporary and modern Britain. Each era has its own brilliant Gillray caricature. Although the specialty is Gin there is a huge range of many different cocktails. A full menu can be found here

I ask Carlos for a recommendation and have the St James Martini, something I already had my eye on. It comes in the most perfect glass, looks great and tastes divine. If you love martini’s, make sure you try one.

My colleague has a ‘First Kiss’, made up of Hendrick’s gin with peppermint, lemongrass tea tincture, shaken with lime juice, sugar and fresh pineapple. The result is a delicious, refined and refreshing. One of the best cocktails he has ever had.

The ‘First Kiss’ cocktail

The cocktails were fairly expensive. Most of them are around £10.

However this a real experience. It is something unique that you will remember and it fully justifies the cost. Anyone who loves cocktails must try it, and everyone else should go at least once for the experience.

Having finished off our cocktails we head off to the restaurant area behind the bar. You will be able to  read a full review of the restaurant part of Gillray’s Steakhouse & Bar very shortly.

Part 2 here

 

 

 

Apple Could Trump Microsoft Surface Tablet with iPad Mini Launch on 23rd October

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Rumours are swirling around the launch of Apples iPad Mini. It had been thought that invitations would go out on the 10th October in preparation for an October 17th launch.

But the 10th has come and gone without a word from Apple leaving many confused. It has been speculated that Apples recent production problems may force them to push the iPad Mini launch back after Christmas. However tech site AllThingsD is now claiming its sources are telling them the iPad Mini will be launched on Oct. 23.

That would be just three days before the scheduled date for Microsoft’s Surface Tablet launch and more importantly Windows 8. The new Windows 8 operating system is designed to work on computers, tablets and phones. The launch is extremely important for Microsoft, as it tries to catch up with the popular IOS and Android operating systems.

The timing of the iPad launch on the 23rd, if it is true, could trump the Surface tablet and disrupt Microsoft’s plans. With the inevitable hype around any Apple product, the Surface tablet and Windows 8 could risk being lost in the storm.

In contrast to the iPhone 5 details about the new iPad Mini have been hard to come by prior to launch. Sources suggest a 7.85-inch liquid-crystal display and a lightning connector. A location for the launch remains a mystery but AllThingsD predicts its will be Apple’s Town Hall Auditorium.