The wonderful thing about Tiger Bills, is that Tiger Bills is a wonderful thing

The newly opened Tiger Bills, or as I affectionately call it Tigger, up in Consett in County Durham was the perfect location for a chilled out lady-like bloggers’ tea party on a warm summer evening.

Settling into the cavernous restaurant, I realised Tigger is deceptively like a Tardis; SO much bigger and interesting on the inside than the outside.

The atmosphere was pleasantly buzzing with a mix of families and groups of friends enjoying mid-week festivities.

Seated on the plump cushioned seats, I took the opportunity to size up the menu and was delighted to indulge in a non-alcoholic honey-based cocktail, which was the perfect aperitif for the feast that awaited us.

And what a feast it was! Tigger specialises in authentic Thai and American food options – the perfect east meets west neighbourhood dining experience.

In fact, so keen Tigger is to ensure that their Thai food is authentic they recruit specialist Thai chefs and ensure they have local accommodation. What a wonderful way to ensure authenticity and boost the local economy.

Tigger’s menu offers a huge variety. From burgers, steaks and fajitas to curries, stir fries and noodle dishes there really is something for everyone.

To start we feasted on a huge selection that included the most amazing prawn toast I’ve come across in years (prawn toast really is excellent if done properly), spring rolls, and sweet potato fries – all of which were cooked to perfection and pleasantly presented.

It was difficult to contain the grazing pace as we indulged in these delicious nibbley treats – the perfect accompaniment to girly chat and putting the world to rights.

Almost replete I insisted on a petite-sized main portion of Pad Thai. However Tigger, being such a generous beast, served me my meal in a bowl as big as my head. Nevertheless it was an authentic dish and thankfully there is the option to take left-overs home in essential doggie bags.

Tigger really is a perfect venue for a fun evening for family and friends alike. The service is attentive and friendly, the food is presented beautifully and the venue is perfectly relaxed and atmospheric.

And if you’re lucky you may even meet the restaurant’s friendly mascot. Who, obviously, looks a bit like Tigger.

It’s worth a visit; after all Tigger is the only one!

Check out Tiger Bills on Facebook and Twitter or visit their website.

A boost for my bare skin

Bare skin beauty is what I’m after.

I’m acquiring an increasingly aged look thanks to months of accumulated stress and leaning, perhaps a bit too heavily, on vices like smoking, drinking, and far too many late nights.

It doesn’t help either that I’m hurtling towards 40 with increasing speed.

I’ve noticed my skin is dry and sensitive. More worryingly for me, full-on bags have developed under my eyes complete with deepening wrinkles and general crinkles.

Now I understand to achieve desperately clear skin requires a certain amount of healthy living, and to my self-confessed credit I drink gallons of water a day and always get at least six hours sleep a night, even if that means missing the alarm.

But nonetheless, I was keen to review some beauty products, aptly named Bare Skin Beauty.

Luxurious, natural and organic skin food, this product is formulated perfectly for the natural beauty gourmand.

The citrus green clay cleanser is made with marine and botanical extracts and designed to decongest the skin and withdraw even the deepest impurities.

Goodness, this exactly what is required here! And certainly after using for a few days while relaxing in a hot bath my skin does feel unblocked, calmer and, dare I say, a little bit radiant. Quite a feat.

I’m addicted to facial moisturiser so I was keen to try out the antioxidant firming face cream that promises to deliver a powerful boost of vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids to my face. It smells beautiful and has a lovely cooling zing; my poor dehydrated skin really benefited from this lovely cream, restoring a little calm and relaxation.

Equally, the illuminating eye serum was a godsend. Anxious about the appearance of my wrinkly and puffy eyes, this lightweight balm is blended to soothe and nourish the delicate eye area. After two weeks of use I have started to notice the dreadful puffiness and dark circles are abating somewhat.

The organic peppermint water worked perfectly in my everyday emergency situation where I need to wake up quickly. A quick spritz is all that is needed for a refreshing mental AND beauty boost.

Bare Skin Beauty claims you’ll feel happy on the inside and look fabulous on the outside.

I agree wholeheartedly.

Visit the Bare Skin Beauty website.

The Plough: a public service announcement

I feel that this perhaps isn’t so much a review as a public-service announcement.

The Plough, an exclusive boutique hotel and restaurant, offering a perfectly prepared dining experience in the most luxuriously relaxed surroundings is a not-to-be-missed experience.

Established for years, the Plough has been there all along nestling in the heart of the historic Northumbrian market town of Alnwick. Perhaps you’ve just forgotten about it or haven’t come across it yet; but it’s there patiently awaiting your arrival.

And what a lovely reception we received upon our arrival. Running late, as ever, I turned up for a Mother’s Day lunch with my parents and son a disgraceful 20 minutes late.

We were escorted by the Michael, the manager, and made comfortable in the upstairs dining area. With my tardiness guilt assuaging rapidly, we settled down in the contemporary upstairs dining area which is tastefully decorated and simply charming.

Large windows offer plenty of light, while fixed to the ceiling is chandelier style lights, and the walls are home to a gleaming display of wine bottles and ornate clocks.

The Mother’s Day menu offered a selection of local fish and meats from Northumberland’s farmlands. A great wine list and a good range of beers are also available.

To start with, I opted for oak smoked salmon with lemon and caper berries. I can eat capers by the spoonful straight out of the jar, so this was a seventh heaven delight for me, and the salmon was excellent quality.

My son and father both chose sautéed fresh chicken livers, smoked bacon with toasted running fox artisan bread. As a pescetarian this doesn’t float my boat, but I was assured it was delicious and both plates were certainly swiftly cleared.

The twice baked Doddingtons Admiral Collingwood cheese soufflé tempted my mum, and a delicious treat it was too.

My son can never resist lamb and was thrilled to find herb crusted loin of spring lamb with roasted garlic and rosemary jus available as a main. Beautifully presented, my boy was super happy with this culinary delight.

The rest of us selected grilled fillet of sea bass, warm salad of new potatoes, roasted fennel with a lobster butter sauce. The sea bass, the skin of which crisped to a crunchy delight, was set upon crushed new potatoes and a tasty lobster sauce.

This meal was one of the best I’ve had for a long time. My only trouble was finishing it as the portions are healthily generous.

Replete, we decided to share two desserts between the four of us and the homemade banoffee pie with vanilla pod Doddingtons ice cream and the homemade melt in the middle chocolate fondue with raspberry coulis made the grade.

Both deliciously sweet they were the perfect round-up to an enjoyable Mother’s Day feast.

For a family dining experience that you’ll all enjoy, a great night out with friends, or an intimate dinner for two, The Plough offers the perfect setting and boasts beautiful food that is locally sourced, homemade and reasonably priced. What more can you ask for?

Get there now!

Stay up-to-date with special offers and events with The Plough on Twitter and on Facebook.

A year of sparkle

It doesn’t seem possible but it’s a whole year since I set up We Are Sparkle with my business partner Nicola Little. That’s 12 months. That’s 52 weeks. A whole 365 days!

We were so excited about We Are Sparkle back in March 2013. And we still are.

We Are Sparkle is our communications company and is driven by our shared ethical outlook, a desire to connect, and a clear creative edge.

We genuinely care about what we do and above all, we are about connecting our clients with the right audiences and generating the results that they want.

We have very complementary yet different skills (Nicola talks, I write, we both think).

And that’s why we decided to set up We Are Sparkle. We want to work with like-minded business rather than just take on work for the sake of it. We want to be seen as being a bit different and as girls making a difference – we’re very ‘sparkly’ full of ideas and energy and really care about what we do.

Over the last year we’ve grown the business steadily and have been lucky enough to bring on board some really lovely and interesting clients.

During this time we have recognised that we work really well together and importantly for us have a shared set of values – we care and want to help decent businesses that we believe in do well by helping them to connect and communicate.

We only work with like-minded businesses that share our values.

It’s astonishing how quickly time passes when you’re having fun! Here’s to the next year of sparkles.

An African adventure

Travelling ‘free-style’ (to me that means having no definite plans or places to stay) has always held fascinating appeal to my, until now, suppressed sense of adventure. So when my mum and I booked flights to Malaga in Spain with a vague idea of hitting Morocco in Africa I was certain this would prove to be a sure-fire and exciting way to fulfil this ambition.

It would also be, I thought, a good way to tick off a couple of my other long-standing bucket list desires – seeing Gibraltar and visiting Casablanca.

One plane, three buses, one taxi, and a ferry
Upon arrival at Malaga airport I was immediately struck by how cold it was. Being February this shouldn’t have come as a shock but, nevertheless, I was expecting it to be a little toastier than England. Fuelled by the desire for warmth and sunshine, we decided to continue heading south and aimed to reach Tangiers in Africa before sunset.

It was exceptionally easy to navigate the Spanish transport system. Within minutes we had boarded a local bus and were heading for Marbella where we transferred onto an Algeciras-bound coach. One further bus ride, with a taxi journey squeezed in between, saw us safely arrive in Tarifa, a town located on the southernmost coast of Spain and just a mere few miles from Morocco.

The main advantage of traveling by road, apart from the fact it is unbelievably cheap, is that it’s a great way to admire the scenery. Stretches of markedly quiet roads snake around the unmistakable charm of the Mediterranean Sea, which is beautifully lined with mountains and cliffs all scattered with curious-looking Spanish structures.

So content I became (and just a little bit smug that events were proceeding so smoothly) I succumbed to accidental sleep during the final leg of the bus journey and missed the views of Gibraltar. I expect it looks like an impressive grey flinty rock but, for now at least, that first-hand sight remains on my ‘to-do’ list.

Undeterred, the next step of the adventure was getting to Morocco and, luckily, from Tarifa it’s not a difficult task. Speedy Tangier-bound ferries leave the Port Of Tarifa regularly and the short journey is spent in relative comfort gliding over the choppy Gibraltar Straits.

Tangerine world
While Tangier offers lovely unspoiled beaches, February certainly doesn’t offer sun-basking weather so it was the city streets that we eagerly headed for. After finding one of the loveliest hotels along the seafront, we set about exploring the city, which is home to a bustling vibrant medina, and plenty of cafés and restaurants.

The medina is a pleasant place to get the feel of local ambience and, remarkably, we did not get pestered by the locals – who are known as Tangerines – so we had the opportunity to browse the shops selling food, souvenirs, clothes and other goods at a pleasurable and leisurely pace.

Playing in Casa
Proceeding south via a surprisingly comfortable five-hour train journey, we reached Casablanca. Fuelled with a romantic ideal to find a Bogart-style gin joint we swiftly checked into the first hotel located by the city’s Casa Voyageurs station and headed out to explore the surrounding area by dusk.

What a mistake to make! In hindsight, it’s abundantly clear that my research and planning skills need serious work as our excited roaming on the Casablanca streets near and around the train station yielded us a serious shortage of cafés or restaurants, let alone gin joints.

The one establishment claiming to be a restaurant we did venture into soon saw us ushered out with the claim that food was not served or available. Beaten, for this day, we reverted to dull food and sweet Moroccan wine savoured in the hotel lobby.

While Casablanca certainly is the industrial and economic heart of Morocco, I found it to be less than endearing. The traffic congestion made crossing the French-inspired boulevards into what felt like at times a life or death situations, and the pollution was eye-wateringly overwhelming.

Its unassuming and maze-like medina is fascinating but I personally found it mildly threatening after an interlude with a persistent local who insisted on advising us on the surrounding sights then demanded dirhams for his unasked trouble.

It must be noted though, I am naïve: two lone European women wandering the streets of Casablanca is bound to draw attention – indeed WE were the tourist attraction.

However, the awe-inspiring Hassan II Mosque more than made up for this minor hassle and we settled by the edge of the Atlantic to take in its ethereal beauty as the sun went down for another day.

One noticeable difference in both cities, I found, is the way people (well, the men) know how to enjoy the moment. Relaxing in cafes watching the world go by, drinking coffee, smoking, and chatting – it’s certainly a pleasant way to spend time.

No place like home
With our time in Africa drawing to a close all that was left to do was to return to Spain in time for the flight home to Newcastle. An easy feat I confidently assumed given the inbound smooth experience. How wrong I was.

Adverse weather conditions saw all ferries from Tangier to Tarifa cancelled and a Spanish taxi driver strike threated to thwart a timely arrival back to Malaga. However, after frantic discussions in broken English and Arabic and some quick thinking, negotiations, and a small trek by foot on a busy motorway we were soon at our final destination.

Exhausted and ready to return to normality I have never been so happy to board an EasyJet plane. While I enjoyed every moment of my Spanish / African adventure, I have to say coming home can be as nice as discovering somewhere new.

As a certain Dorothy once said “there’s no place like home”.

With thanks to my dear mum.

BMWi3 rode and reviewed

After attending the launch event for the BMWi3 back in the autumn, I was super excited to get my hands on the real deal and road test the latest electric car to hit the market.

BMWi3, the German car manufacturing company’s first fully-electric and multiple award-winning car, has just been released for sale in the UK. It starts at £25,380 when factoring in the government’s £5,000 grant for electric vehicles.

Undoubtedly, the BMWi3 is a striking and interestingly-designed car. Boxy and upright, its unusually large front doors and flip open rear-opening back doors make it truly unique.

BMWi3 is definitely male; handsome, strong and sturdy. And boy, does he grab attention! Countless people stopped me to ask about it, pedestrians gawped from the kerbs, while other drivers frequently slowed down to take a good gander.

The interior is suitably funky, mixing a high-tech look with natural materials all made from renewable resources; a rather delightful and thoughtful combination.

And it feels big. Very spacious indeed thanks to the omission of door pillars, a super flat floor and raised seating position, which I’ve discovered is also drolly known as the ‘semi-command’ position. There’s plenty of head and leg room and the seats offer support and comfort. This all means that a family can comfortably fit into it and it can also hold a serious amount of shopping too.

As expected, the BMWi3 is jam-packed with an endless array of super-clever technical treats. Daunting for me I’ll admit, but undoubtedly handy stuff. And if it really does prove too tricky, the in-house BMW Genius team are on stand-by to show you the way.

Among others, it comes equipped with blue tooth, a digital radio, sat nav, and three driving mode options (comfort, eco pro, and eco pro+) to set its responses to your intended trip and driving style.

It’s not dull to drive – it definitely burns rubber. It darts off like a silent rocket, faster than the BMW’s sporty M3, and its battery regenerative system slows the car rather fiercely when you lift off the accelerator. And while its handling was a little choppy at times, overall it was a splendid ride.

The BMWi3’s range is similar to other electric cars, around 80 to 100 miles, so the pesky range anxiety did rear its head. I got down to just one mile before finding a charging point. While it was a rather fretful experience it highlighted to me that my planning ahead skills desperately need honing.

I joyfully note, however, that it comes complete with a mains power lead so charging overnight at home is a welcome option.

The BMW i3 is definitely one of my favourite electric cars available to date. It’s good looking, luxurious, practical and lovely to drive. And while progress on range obviously needs to continue I would go so far as to say I’ve experienced electric car nirvana.

For more information about the BMWi3 tweet Andygclark or visit www.lloydnewcastlebmw.co.uk

I’m all over the BMWi3

In the company of Renault Zoe – a girl’s world review

As an electric vehicle aficionado I jumped at the chance to take Renault Zoe, the latest addition to the French car manufacturer’s lekky car collection, for a four-day jaunt.

Of course, I want to talk about Zoe’s appearance first. And why not, as it’s certainly a head-turning, pretty-looking motor effortlessly bucking the trend of the aesthetically-challenged electric cars of the past.

Its exterior design is sleek and futuristic; sweeping squinty headlights and a cute rounded nose complete with an over-sized Renault badge doubling as the charging point adorn the front, while its beautiful backside is perfectly complemented with a large round bumper and small brake lights set at the outer edges.

Upon further inspection, I discovered that the hidden rear door handles pleasingly bear the thumb print of Zoe’s designer Jean Sémériva. Nice touch, Renault.

The Zoe’s interior doesn’t disappoint either. The dash is well laid-out and its touch-screen system is super-sleek with clear and easy-to-use menus. And while the use of some cheap-feeling plastics here and there was disappointing, the overall feel was undoubtedly ultra-modern.

It’s clever too: the dash display area informs how economically you’re driving. The digital readout glows green for eco-driving, blue if you’re a bit heavy on the metal and violet if you’re consuming a lot more power than necessary. Another smart touch is the ability to warm up the car’s interior remotely, perfect for frosty mornings.

Any electric car is not good for long distance treks, and the Zoe is no different. The gearless, automatic design is especially built for city driving and its range falls short of 100 miles. As most of my initial impressions of the Zoe were mainly gathered on long stretches of more rural roads rather than city streets, I did experience a few bouts of range anxiety.

Somewhat naively, I was expecting to be able plug the Zoe into the mains and easily charge her overnight. This was not the case. To my chagrin, I was restricted to using public charging points leading to a mad-capped quest to charge the Zoe as her power speedily drained away.

Two attempts to charge up Zoe in the market town of Morpeth, Northumberland failed me due to unexplained technical glitches. Eventually I was led, thanks to the handy Charge Your Car iPhone app, to a lovely Northumbrian cheese farm where a charger was thankfully was in order. While this presented me with a good excuse to sit in a warm café while the Zoe rebooted, it did mean that I lost nearly a whole working afternoon; not a practical or convenient arrangement for most.

To be fair, however, it should be noted that a home wall charger is included in the purchase price.

Clearly with its limited range, the Zoe is not going to be the average motorist’s first car. As a second urban run around it’s ideal. Available from an acceptable £13,650 and with the addition of the £5,000 government grant it’s affordable, has bags of character, drives pretty well and, in my opinion, is one of the more attractive electric vehicles on the market.

To enquire about Renault Zoe tweet @WORGC or visit www.drivebenfield.com

Daisy Green scoops national award

I was privileged to be at the PEA (People & Environment Achievement) Awards last week to keep Suzanne Whelan company while she collected an award for Daisy Green Magazine!

The ceremony took place at the Patagonia Store in Covent Garden, London, on Tuesday 26 November. They celebrate the practical and positive steps being taken by individuals and businesses to address the climate change challenge and working to create a secure future.

So I really was over the moon to witness Daisy Green scoop the PEA-ple’s Favourite Award, which recognises the highest voted for eco and ethical business delivering the best environmental practice and products in the eyes of the general public.

Suzanne Whelan, Daisy Green director, said: “I am thrilled and proud that the magazine has been recognised in these awards, especially as we were in the finals with nine other excellent businesses most of which have been featured and championed in the magazine.”

The evening’s host was Phaldut Sharma – AJ from Eastenders! – who added to the great atmosphere with his very enjoyable style of presenting.

The PEA Awards had 13 Award Categories overall, with the full list of all winners now online at www.peaawards.co.uk

You can also read more here.

Greening your travel

Travelling is often an unavoidable expense of life and doing business. We all need to get about whether it’s getting to work, doing the shopping or running your kids’ social lives.

However, there are a number of ways that you can reduce this– and save yourself a bit of cash too.

Always try and optimise your route – plan out your journey so you can take the quickest route and minimise the risk of getting lost and therefore using more fuel than necessary!

Consider the kind of vehicle you drive. Older models are less efficient in terms of fuel consumption so optimise fuel consumption by driving at a sensible speed, checking your tyre pressure, removing any unnecessary weight, changing gear at the correct time, and so on.

If you’re planning to change cars you could consider purchasing a hybrid model, which combine a petrol engine with a battery so are relatively fuel efficient. Electric cars will save you money on fuel, are tax free, and are immune to congestion charges. Charge your Car is available to all owners and drivers of electric vehicles, and members can access any charging points across the UK.

The Plug-in Car Grant offers a grant of 25 per cent towards the cost of an electric or hybrid vehicle, up to a maximum of £5,000 eligible for a range of cars.

Consider if it’s really necessary to drive; could you walk, cycle, take public transport or use the telephone?

If you need to use your car to commute see how the National Car Sharing Scheme to find people who make the same journey as you and are willing to share the costs.

Although this is business-focused, you may also wish to listen in on this radio interview I took part in a little while ago on green business travel.

A trip to Dordogne

It’s been a while since I last posted on here. Suffice to say it was a long and difficult summer involving a name change (no I didn’t get married), a home move and also a lovely trip to the Dordogne.

My review was initially published on the fabulous Daisy Green website, but I could resist posting it here too as a way to get back into the blogging habit.

Here it is:

The Dordogne region of south-west France is said to be one of the most beautiful and popular destinations in the country and it’s not difficult to understand why. Flying into Brive-la-Gaillarde treated me to a scenic feast of green forests, rolling hills, glinting ponds, beautiful villages, and ancient chateaus.

Brive is the central city for the region of Limousin in Southern France and has plenty to offer for everyone. As well as a pleasant array of shops and cafés to while away a few hours in, being medieval it also has plenty of architectural beauty adorned with slate roofs and sandstone facades to admire.

It is also home to the most delightful Denoix House, a family-run distillery founded in 1839. A tour with the charming owner revealed the secrets behind the traditional distillery craft that produces beautiful quality liqueurs using herbs, nuts and other fruits. In particular, their signature liqueur distilled from the local walnuts, is well worth a sample as is their purple mustard, which should be savoured with cold meats and cheese.

The Dordogne is well known to be the gastronomic heart of France. While the town of Brive hosts a market twice a week offering the produce of local smallholdings – everything from fruit, vegetables, honey and preserves. The local land also yields delightful delicacies like truffles, walnuts, chestnuts and wild mushrooms. Our tours through the winding forest flanked lanes in the area it became evident this is serious business for many local foragers.

A short distance south west lies the eighth century village of Collages de Rouge, which is probably the most hauntingly gorgeous villages I have ever had the privilege to visit. Entirely built with red sandstone, the village is entirely unaffected by modern trappings like overhead electric wirings and street lighting. It rightly has the status as one of the most beautiful villages of France.

Local proprietors Brigitte and Pascal Monteil offer the most generous hospitality in the beautiful fifteenth century Jeanne Maison d’ Hote. The quaint and luxurious hotel boasts a Rapunzel-esque tower where my room for the night was located right at the top.

An evening spent under the stars in their charming cottage garden with my exceptional hosts was delightful. Their previous restaurant ownership in Paris shone through both with the exceptional home cooked meal that was placed before me and their charming company and conversation.

The region of Limousin is littered with interesting medieval villages all unique and all offering a rich tapestry of fascinating history.

In the village of Curemonte follow the footsteps of French author Collette who found refuge here during World War II. The village boasts a rather unusual combination of three castles with round and square towers and turrets alongside noble houses and a twelfth century Romanesque church. The region is obviously proud of its links with Collette, who is considered to be France’s best natural writer, and a visit to Les Jardins de Colette reveal more of her interesting life, interests and personality. The attraction, which is situated close to luxury hotel the Château de Castel Novel, where she once lived, includes six unique gardens each centred on an era of her life and each having inspired her books.

Equally fascinating is the village of Aubazine where Coco Chanel spent her teen years living in the village’s abbey after her mother died and her father abandoned the family. It was here she learned sewing skills and, according to local legend, took inspiration from the patterned church windows for the Chanel world-famous brand.

Of course the region is also a haven for outdoor activities. The Gimel-Les-Cascades, a succession of three waterfalls falls created by the River Montane falling down a 450 feet ravine, offers a particularly enjoyable walking route. Even better, a gastronomically-sound wining and dining treat awaits at the charming Hostellerie de la Vallée. Overlooking the waterfalls, this two-star Michelin restaurant specialises in authentic French cuisine, beautiful local wine (I had Mille et Une Pierres 2001), along with breathtakingly beautiful panoramic views.

Equally, the dramatic Dordogne Gorges is a must-see. The morning I visited, the gorges were shrouded with a magical mystical mist but I am assured they offer sweeping scenery of some of France’s most picturesque countryside. Certainly I was privileged to follow the peaceful Vallee de la Dordogne, its edges home to a pleasant scattering of restored water mills and cosy holiday retreats. Les Flots Bleus restaurant, situated by the riverside, offered a stylish venue to enjoy a perfect summer lunch and of course plenty of delicious French wine.

Cycling is also a pursuit enjoyed in this region, its terrain offering something from novices to whizzes alike. Correze Cycling Holidays offers luxurious eco-friendly accommodation, lovely home-cooked meals and expert advice and tours on cycling in the area. Run by Sam and James Parry, who traded busy city life in Britain for living the dream in rural Dordogne in 2008, offer a most welcome stay for guests. Their enthusiasm for France and cycling is infectious and to my delight their pet dogs Henri (see picture below) and Dotty are wonderfully affectionate and entertaining.

Lovely Henri dog was very entertaining and affectionate.

My visit to Dordogne was loaded with scenic and foodie delights and offered welcome relaxing respite from the bustle of everyday life. I can’t wait to return!

Thank you for the kind hospitality of Régine Chassagne of Limousin Tourism.