by | October 26, 2012

Sponsored Post: Green Boar Organic Fairtrade Green Tea

the green tea from South East China

My father in law and I share more than simply the love of his first born.  We are both green tea addicts.  So, when Green Boar approached me requesting that I review their tea, I asked His father to taste test the tea with me.

Green Boar tea in Great Grandma Doris’ china

I’ll come back to the taste.   Initially, I was simply intrigued by the story behind the brand.  Henry Virgin, founder of Green Boar, was living in China, teaching English in a small, highly polluted factory town in Guangdong Province near Guangzhou when he first realised his passion for tea.  Enjoying the ‘Gong Fu’ style in various teahouses, Henry was bowled over by the incredible flavours of the green and white teas, Taiwanese high-mountain oolongs, oolongs from Wuyishan and puerh from Yunnan Province.

When Henry returned to the UK, he was bitterly disappointed not to be able to find tea made in the Gong Fu style, even in London’s Chinatown. He immediately tried to remedy this by researching tea farms in South East China and eventually, when he was satisfied with the quality, the Green Boar was born.

Adamant that his green tea would be organic, fair trade and delivered in the most environmentally friendly manner possible, Henry wanted everyone to have the luxury of excellent green tea in a convenient tea bag.  A superior taste was not enough; he wanted to be sure that his tea would stand out in a crowded market place as ethical as well as utterly delicious.

Father in law agrees.  The taste is indeed superior and we are both now Green Boar converts.

Green Boar tea

COMPETITION:  5 lucky readers of my blog will win a box of 25 Green Boar Green Tea bags. All you have to do is sign up to my blog (top right of homepage),  follow me on Twitter and RT my Instagram photo of my cup of Green Boar tea on Friday 9th November.  The lucky winners will be selected randomly on Saturday 10th November 2012.

www.greenboar.com is available from Planet Organic (currently on offer) £2.29 and you can read more about Henry’s life in China here.

This is a sponsored post.

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by | October 25, 2012

The Orchard: Natasha Abraham’s Movable Feast

The Canteen at The Orchard, w11

A religious reader of Sunday Telegraph’s Stella magazine, I recently read an interview with Ruth Rodgers (of River Café fame).  Ruth recommended The recently-opened Orchard, founded by a previous River Café chef, Natasha Abraham. Googling frantically didn’t shed much light on it.  Determined to find out more, I dug deep and managed to find an email address for Natasha.  As it turned out, it was worth every bit of effort.

If anyone wonders why I don’t invite my parents to be my plus-one, just for the record, I do.  I regularly try to entice them to join me on my jaunts.  I suppose the answer is that they are more discerning than the majority of my friends but, nevertheless, I am determined not to give up.  More than anything, they’re pretty good company!

honeyed carrots and smoked chicken at The Orchard

It was my birthday on Monday so they could hardly refuse when I suggested we headed to Kensington Park Road, W11 to eat at Natasha’s Orchard. Opening only last month, it is set up as a canteen providing a seasonal set lunch as a moveable feast.  The idea is that you pick up your breakfast or lunch (or both) as you pass by.

Her premises are clean, light, airy and attractive and the food is set out for you to choose from. The ribollita soup caught my eye (I love all those beans!) while the Smalls and their elders opted for the smoked chicken with parsley and watercress served with honeyed carrots and celeriac mash.  The food is served in white boxes, which suits the majority of the lunchers as they are en route to home or office.

Natasha Abraham’s food in a box

We were blown away by just how delicious Natasha’s food is.  It looks divine and tastes even better.  The quantities are large (you couldn’t possibly be hungry) but we felt it would be rude not to taste her tantalising desserts: blackberry crumble and carrot cake.  Both served with real custard or cream (one of Lord Y’s sins) on the side.

blackberry crumble at The Orchard

Chatting to Natasha I immediately understood that The Orchard has been born out of her devotion to food.  Only 23 years old, she spent three years at River Café before setting up her business venture.  Falling asleep each night reading a cookbook, she springs out of bed at 5am to make lunch for the lucky w11-ers and is determined that The Orchard will be the go-to lunch option for her food-loving neighbourhood.   Personally, I would travel for a lunch like that.  And, next time I feel too lazy to make a dessert – instead of dashing to Ottolenghi for a tart – I will knock on Natasha’s door.

The Orchard, Kensington Park Rd

The Orchard 116 Kensington Park Road   Lunchbox:  £6.20  Dessert: £2.50-£4.

Follow Natasha on Twitter: @natattheorchard for her daily changing menu. 

Call 07401425354 to find out more about The Orchard at Home.

 

 

 

 

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by | October 24, 2012

A Mauritian pop up at Harrods’ Urban Retreat

a snap shot of Maradiva Villas Resort & Spa at Harrods’ Urban Retreat

It may be dismal and grey outside but a few rays of Mauritian sunshine have found their way into our autumnal London. Maradiva Villas Resort, one of the most amazing spas in the world, has – for one month only – popped up at Urban Retreat, 5th Floor Harrods.  And, lucky, lucky me, because I was booked in there for an Ananda deep tissue oil massage last Sunday morning.

For this limited period, the Ayurveda treatments are being carried out by two deliciously warm Mauritian girls, dispatched from the hotel’s spa.  Focusing on harmonious mind and body (while not too impressed with a cold and unfriendly London), Anisha, my therapist, met me at the super-salon’s reception to guide me to the allocated treatment room.

 

And a traditional foot-cleansing ritual was carried out before I was allowed to lie down on the bed.

the foot cleansing ritual

Anisha explained that she would be using a concoction of lime and ginger oils as well as a basil-related herb as these would detoxify my body while reducing any inflammation.

 

hand-blessed concoction of lime and ginger oils

And then followed a full-body, deep tissue massage to die for.  Any aches I had from running, lap-top crouching and high heel wearing were being eradicated as she worked through my body.

 

Because I was on route to lunch at nearby Colbert, I asked Anisha not to use oil on my face.  However, she did wash the oil off her hands so that she could at least apply pressure to certain points on my face.

The drizzle hardly touched me as I drifted down Sloane Street.  Feeling calm, centred and blissfully relaxed, I had temporarily been transported to heavenly Mauritius.

 

I had an Ananda Blissful Oil Massage (60 mins £85) at Urban Retreat, Harrods: call 020 7893 8333 to book an appointment before the girls leave for Mauritius on 5th November 2012.

 

 

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by | October 23, 2012

Clever Corbin gets Colbert so right

Colbert at Sloane Square

Back in 1996, to celebrate my 25th birthday, a special family dinner was held at Le Caprice.  Having been acquired 15 years earlier by Chris Corbin and Jeremy King, the formidable duo (aka Rex Restaurant Associates) had already proven themselves as restaurant-preneurs by restoring famous eateries to their former glory.  The dining experience clearly made a huge impression on me as I still remember the meal, buzzy atmosphere and elegant yet timeless interior.

chicken liver parfait at Colbert

Fast-forward to 2012 and the Corbin-King team can now boast numerous restaurant successes, including The Wolseley which is probably my favourite all-day-brasserie in the city.

So, hearing of the very recent opening of Colbert, at Sloane Square, I felt it would be perfectly fitting to celebrate my 41 years in Corbin and King’s latest venture.  And even more fitting when I worked out that this classic French brasserie is situated where Oriel, an old haunt with school friends, used to be. In fact, the story goes that Earl Cadogan (the landlord of this site) had a terrible meal at Oriel therefore refusing to renew their lease.  And in stepped Rex.

kids activities provided by Colbert

Justifying that the experience could serve as part of the Smalls’ French education, I booked a table for Sunday lunch.  And the menu is full of perfect French vocabulary:  all day omelette, croque everything, fromages, caviar and les tartes.

mousse aux deux chocolats at Colbert

We all shared the chicken liver parfait with brioche and sauternes jelly and a plate of smoked salmon (£12.75) to start.  Then the Smalls shared a veal schnitzel (£19.75) while He had one to himself and I fell for a wild mushroom and jersualem artichoke salad (£12). Accompanied by French (of course) beans and chips, there was hardly room for dessert.  Until He spotted the Mousse aux Deux Chocolats (£6.75) and insisted that it should arrive with four spoons.

not much left!

All this would have been exciting enough for any fan of Rex Restaurants.  So imagine my excitement when Chris Corbin wandered over to chat to us.  I was bowled over by his honesty and humble manner.  He is elegant, polite, amusing and curiously looks a little like Prince Charles.

Corbin & King – GQ Men of the Year receiving entrepreneur award Sept ’12 ( PA)

We complimented him on our fabulous meal and the stunning interior of what will be the new Sloane hangout.  He casually answered:  ‘It’s early days and I don’t want to over-promise nor over-hype; we just want to get it right.  Every meal needs to be spot on.’

The Rex team-at-large is famously attentive to detail and Colbert seems to be no exception.  30 years since they first got it right and the dream team has gone and done it again.

Colbert 020 7730 2804

Opening Hours: Mon-Sun 8am-11pm (Sat -11.30pm) (Sun -10.30pm)

 

 

 

 

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