Happy Hour

I think I may have invented a new cocktail.

Double Moskovskaya vodka + shot of Calpol + cube of ice + twist of flamed orange.

I'm calling it a 'cBeebies'.

Remember: please drink responshiblzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Thank You For The Days

Just back from a wonderful weekend away; a birthday treat from my excellent wife Solveig (in conjunction with the as-per-usual top-notch babysitting services provided by mum & dad, for which much thanks are due).

Having nipped off early on Friday afternoon and taken the appropriate exit off the M4 (indeed, we had to Turn After Reading*), we headed for the picturesque Goring-on-Thames in which nestles The Miller Of Mansfield, as recommended on Mr & Mrs Smith. Really nice little 'boutique' pub hotel with a fantastic restaurant (do try the shin of beef, it was as melty as it gets) as well as a snug bar with a log fire and a decent selection of gins. We realised when we arrived that we had somehow forgotten how to relax; indeed, it took a while for us to stop wondering where on earth the kids were. But unwind we did and with some walks along the (thin end of the) Thames and a trip up to Bicester on the Saturday, it was a properly brilliant break from the Smoke.

Due to good planning, we also squeezed in an extra treat on the way back, in the form of a visit to Heston Blumenthal's pub in Bray, the Hind's Head (in fact, as we were a bit early, we went looking for the Fat Duck, but somehow never found it!) and what a treat it was. We were tempted by the Sunday roast, but both decided on pies, having been advised by a few people that they were worth the journey. We did start with a Scotch (quail's) egg each, though, and these were splendid - by turns crispy, meaty and perfectly soft:

For our mains we had Shepherds Pie (with lamb leg, breast and sweetbreads topped with mustard mash) and Spinach & Mushroom Pie (served with a Jerusalem artichoke sauce). They were both outstanding and tasted as good as they look:

After a full weekend of indulgence, we simply couldn't face dessert, so we'll just have to go back and try the rest of the menu at some point. Right, dear?

Anyway, what a brilliant weekend - almost enough to make me forget that next year is THAT ONE :)

* I'm truly sorry, I really am

All That Jazz

Our team Christmas lunch this year was at Ronnie Scott's jazz club, where you can enjoy an afternoon of food and wine accompanied by sets from three different performers (credit to Dei, our editor, for this inspired idea!) We heard a piano trio, then a great tenor saxophonist and finally a female vocalist, who really whipped the audience up into a festive frenzy, especially with her versions of classic Christmas numbers done in the musical style of the audience's choosing (the dub reggae 'Silent Night' was hilarious). It was a pretty tremendous way to spend an afternoon.

However, part of the deal is that everyone joins in for a big number at the end on kazoos (nicely laid out with the cutlery at each place setting). This was great fun, but even better was when they asked for volunteers to come up for a jam on the famous Ronnie Scott's stage, which has been graced by innumerable all-star names from the music world, past and present.

I didn't need asking twice, but I did let Jeremy go first for a microphone level test; old habits die hard. What's that? Is there a recording of this spectacular event? I thought you'd never ask:

And massive thanks to Alex for his off-the-cuff iPhone camerawork :)

PubStop

Brilliant idea; no more KFC rip-offs or oily £8.49 3-item Granada breakfasts:

PubStop

Or you could not bother actually going anywhere for your summer holiday and spend two weeks in your local :) Still, we shall be using this next time we venture North...

Change 25

Today's change was difficult to put my finger on, as I had a stinking hangover due to excessive Chianti intake and a late-night SingStar marathon (thanks, Katie & Paul!).

So maybe I'll leave it at that :)

USBeer

New great thing #1,238,656:

Can your flash drive do this?
*burp*
Pardon.

Meet And Two Pints

I went to my first ever Lewisham Bloggers Meetup last Friday night, handily enough held at our excellent local, The Honor Oak.

I had no idea what to expect; the internet all-too-easily removes any kind of geographical points of reference, What could we possibly all have in common other than sticking our random and seemingly unrelated thoughts up online once a day/week/roughly-whenever-the-hell-they-feel-like-it? It stemmed from the London Bloggers idea which I joined a while back, soon after which a couple of people made contact via the comments on fork handles...

...fast forward to Friday night at The Honor Oak, everyone was very welcoming, absolutely engrossing and a great pity I couldn't stay for longer than a couple of beers. Still, if they'll have me back, I'd very much like to continue some of the conversations I had with Andrew, Henry, Neil and Robert (who was responsible for organising the evening -> *applause*) and also meet those who I missed when they arrived later on!

Yep, count me in for the next one. Now, what on earth was that thing about underground waterways??

One For The Rails?

The ever-reliable Going Underground comes up trumps again with this Tube map 'mashup' on LastRounds.

LastRounds Tube Map
It tells you the times of the first/last Underground service from each station, as well as the staggering distance from the local hostelries. So you can order that final pint of Stocks Old Horizontal, safe in the knowledge that you can still catch the last tube home. Genius (and minicab drivers are going to hate it :)

Where's Your Head At

(I have to credit Alex for this so Alex, here is your credit. Thank you, Alex.)

Right, this might just be one of the most beautiful things in the world:

Heineken have teamed up with Krups to make the BeerTender, a sleek looking home beer tap with refillable kegs for your brew of choice (including Amstel). Not to be outdone, Philips have partnered with Inbev (home to Grolsch) and produced much the same thing in PerfectDraft. In the UK, we will have to be satisfied with the slightly inferior DraughtKeg which is to be released this summer. But anyone fancy a trip to Holland? I can see one of these in my soon-to-be shed.

Skál!!

Yeah We Love You RB

I have recently discovered the wonderful Blackwood 's Vintage Dry Gin, available (exclusively?) at Oddbins which describes it thus:

"Blackwood's flavour is fresh, with delicate citrus and herbal notes. Meadowsweet and Sea Pink add a floral undertone to the earthier elements of juniper and angelica root and bring a subtle sea-green colour to this exceptional gin."

And it really does taste fantastically like the sea (no, not in a fishy way, what do you think I am, mad?)

Anyway, whilst enjoying a small libation of the aforementioned botanical spirit (with a splash of Fever-Tree Tonic Water) I was reminded of that other famous Blackwood - Richard!

Far from only being famous for examining his poo on television, being a third-rate Will Smith and declaring himself bankrupt, he is also the cousin of Junior who had a hit with 'Mama Used To Say' in 1982. And here is the promo video which obviously then went on to inspire the 1988 fantasy horror film, Paperhouse [Are you sure? - Movie Ed.]. Enjoy...