Wednesday, September 11, 2024. After a two-hour drive from Camberley, we arrive at The Bell, Charlbury. While we wait for our room (Raven) in the barn to be ready, we have lunch in the dining room. After unpacking, we adjourn for coffee to the Charlbury Deli & Cafe, a community-owned business on Market Street, serving[…]

Following on from my first novel, ‘The Weak Against the Strong,’ ‘I Must Remember’ continues the travails of Mitch Galichin as he flees from the vory-v-zakone after exposing a human trafficking ring in Leningrad. The story oscillates between the Canadian backdrop and the stark contrasts of Siberia and tackles a timely and important issue: the[…]

Early on Sunday, May 1st, our group sets out from St. John’s in a private coach, first to Gander and then on to Farewell for the ferry to Fogo Island. We stop for a delicious boxed lunch at ‘Union East’ in Gander Airport. The restaurant is really unique, unlike any airport restaurant you have ever[…]

In late April 2022, we flew to St. John’s to join Bonnie Stern’s Book and Dinner Club tour. Throughout the tour, we dined in the best restaurants and met many really interesting people. Jill Curran, the owner of Maxxim Vacations, accompanied us on the tour and impressed us with her ability to cope seamlessly with[…]

Not far from Charleston Farmhouse, increasingly narrow lanes lead to Berwick Village and the 12th Century Church of St. Michael and All Angels. Inside are murals painted during the Second World War by Bloomsbury artists Duncan Grant, Vanessa Bell, and her son, Quentin. Before negotiating the twists, turns, and gigantic potholes of the narrow country[…]

The medieval village of Alfriston, close to the historic town of Lewes, lies in the valley of the River Cuckmere. It is well worth a visit – lots to see, great places to eat, and the local people are extremely friendly and helpful. It’s like stepping back in time.

In March 2022, Joe and I escaped the ravages of the Canadian winter for the milder climes of the UK. Whilst there, we headed to the medieval village of Alfriston, which lies in the valley of the River Cuckmere. Of historical importance in the village is ‘The Star Inn,’ which was our home-away-from home for[…]

  Our group  tour from February 27 to March 6, 2017, was led by friend and food writer, Bonnie Stern, and was an amazing whirlwind of visits to historical sites, hands-on cooking workshops and demonstrations, visits to food markets and food/wine operations, not to mention the delicious array of food served to us.     Caesarea[…]

The opening chapter of McLain’s fictionalised version of the unconventional life and loves of the pioneering aviator and racehorse trainer, Beryl Markham, epitomises the sense of impending doom that dogged Markham all her life.  In 1936, attempting to be the first woman to fly solo non-stop across the Atlantic from East to West, she struggles[…]