Archive For The “Food & Travel Guides” Category

Herbs Spices & Flavourings by Tom Stobart – review

Herbs Spices & Flavourings by Tom Stobart – review

Herbs Spices & Flavourings is another winner from Grub Street – the publisher celebrated for its books for the serious food lover and those who appreciate quality culinary literature. First published in 1970, Tom Stobart’s award-winning Herbs Spices & Flavourings is considered by many to be the authoritative work on tastes and flavours and where…

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Grapes & Wines by Oz Clarke – review

Grapes & Wines by Oz Clarke – review

First published as Oz Clarke’s Encyclopaedia of Grapes, Oz Clarke’s new Grapes & Wines, with Margaret Rand, is revised and updated to present the wine lover with the best information on a comprehensive selection of grapes and the wines associated with them. Oz Clarke has become a household name. He oft graces our TV screens…

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Korea – Lonely Planet – review

Korea – Lonely Planet – review

I know for sure that not many of you, my dear readers, have visited Korea. It’s a land less explored by tourists than its near neighbours China and Japan, but it has so much to offer the traveller. Korean history is rich and turbulent, its food unique and its culture proud. Lonely Planet presents a…

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The History of Wine in 100 Bottles by Oz Clarke – review

The History of Wine in 100 Bottles by Oz Clarke – review

Oz Clarke is always entertaining in a roguish kind of way. He has graced our TV screens and our airways for several decades and his books are a paper representation of his wine adventures. This is a man who has indeed enjoyed wine and that joie de vivre comes through in this book. Oz leads…

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Good Hotel Guide 2022

Good Hotel Guide 2022

Great Britain and Ireland is the leading independent guide to hotels in Great Britain, Ireland, Continental Europe and the Caribbean. The Guide was first published in 1978. It has been published each October since then. It is written for the reader seeking impartial advice on finding a good place to stay. Hotels cannot buy their…

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Feast Your Eyes on Food

Feast Your Eyes on Food

A Food Encyclopedia of More Than 1,000 Delicious Things to Eat This large-format book is fully illustrated with delightful watercolours of, as it says in the subtitle, more than 1000 food items. It’s not a recipe book but rather a sumptuous compendium of ingredients and dishes. Feast Your Eyes on Food would be a welcome…

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Great London Pubs – Liquid History

Great London Pubs – Liquid History

An illustrated guide to London’s best pubs by John Warland London is a wonderful city. Perhaps I am somewhat biased as I am a Londoner. Ask any tourist of drinking age where they would most like to go, and the list is predictable: The Tower of London, Harrods and a pub. London pubs are steeped…

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Do Not Alight Here

Do Not Alight Here

Walking London’s Lost Underground and Railway Stations On your journey into London, whether dulled by the daily trudge into work or thrilled by the once-a-year expedition,  you’ll stare from the train window at the confusion of tracks, bridges, tunnels and platforms, and once in a while you might just wonder, “How did it all get…

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A Field Guide to Cheese: How to Select, Enjoy, and Pair the World’s Best Cheeses

A Field Guide to Cheese: How to Select, Enjoy, and Pair the World’s Best Cheeses

A Field Guide to Cheese is a veritable compendium of some of the most celebrated cheeses from around the world and a fully illustrated cheese reference book for cheese lovers. The guide starts with a history of cheese. It’s a long one, starting at 5000BC. There is information on milk-giving animals such as sheep, goats,…

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Discovering the Orient

Discovering the Orient

Chinatown in Soho London throngs with tourists and locals every day of the week. This isn’t, however, the first Chinatown in London. The original Chinese area was in the East end of the capital in Limehouse. That run-down neighbourhood suffered severe bombing during the Second World War, forcing many Chinese to find another home. The…

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The Lake District with Marco Polo

The Lake District with Marco Polo

Holidays in the UK are becoming more popular. The shrinking pound has perhaps encouraged people to look at what England has to offer. The Lake District is beautiful, mostly tranquil, and perfect for outdoor pursuits. Those who have already visited will return year after year. It must have something special! Marco Polo Guides has a…

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The Good Hotel Guide 2019

The Good Hotel Guide 2019

The Good Hotel Guide 2019 is the leading independent guide to hotels in Great Britain and Ireland. It enjoys that position as it is written for those looking for impartial advice on finding a great hotel in which to stay for a holiday, a short break or for a special occasion. This well-respected guide has…

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Wine Folly: Magnum Edition: The Master Guide

Wine Folly: Magnum Edition: The Master Guide

It seems a long way off, but the gift-buying season will soon be here. What do we give to family and friends? is the question on so many lips. Wine Folly: Magnum Edition: The Master Guide could be the solution for any lover of good wine, and those who would want to learn more. Wine…

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Gin: The Essential Guide

Gin: The Essential Guide

Gin: The Essential Guide for Gin Aficionados offers a wealth of information. Gin is one of the world’s best-loved spirits. It has a rich history – made in medieval monasteries it was thought to protect against the plague. The science had come from the Arab world with their elevated knowledge of medicine. Gin’s botanicals were…

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Marco Polo Vienna Guide

Marco Polo Vienna Guide

It’s summer and it’s been a hot one. Europe, and indeed much of the globe, has sizzled in high temperatures, and those pavements tire the traveller on city breaks. But Marco Polo Vienna Guide assists with advice and travel support. This Marco Polo Vienna pocket-sized guide and don’t-leave-home-without-it travel companion is full of indispensable Insider…

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The Bartender’s Book

The Bartender’s Book

This is a little gem of bartending support. The Bartender’s Book, or to give it its full and impressive title The Bartender’s Book: The Essential Guide for Mixologists, by Dave Broom, is something of a barman’s/woman’s almanac. The cover gives a sense of the early 20th century, when cocktails became fashionable. The book offers excellent…

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Carl Goes London Islands

Carl Goes London Islands

Carl Goes London Islands is one of a series of alternative travel guide books, and a collection with which I am rather taken. These books cover a selection of destinations and have plain soft binding with just the title on a simple coloured field. They would stand out on the bookshop travel shelves, although I…

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Good Beer Guide – Belgium – book review

Good Beer Guide – Belgium – book review

Beer has changed its image over the last decade. It was once the chosen beverage of older folks who had their favourite brew and they stuck to it. Then there were the beer anoraks who viewed with professional disdain anything that was widely popular with the general public or not brewed in a barn. Good…

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Amsterdam Marco Polo Pocket Travel Guide 2018 – book review

Amsterdam Marco Polo Pocket Travel Guide 2018 – book review

I am a fan of these comprehensive little guides. I took this one on a test run to Amsterdam and it proved to be worth the money. It’s more than a book with a map at the back. Amsterdam Marco Polo Pocket Travel Guide 2018 is a travel aid …and fun, too! I am a…

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Japan – Marco Polo Pocket Travel Guide 2018 – guidebook review

Japan – Marco Polo Pocket Travel Guide 2018 – guidebook review

Japan is a country like no other. Ask people where in the world they would dream of visiting and they will likely mention Japan. It is a heady cocktail of tradition and modernity, and it’s easy to feel out of one’s depth. But there is help, and in a very convenient size and format. A…

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