London has finally started getting back into the New Year but it does seem everything has started rather slowly (myself included). Like nobody actually wanted the year to start, or that they weren’t sure what to do with it if it did. It, theoretically is a terrible time, with talks of the dreaded ‘double dip’ (which, I hear, is not a sherbert based sweet), some noise about unrest in the...

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On his last long visit to Bermuda in 1910 Mark Twain wrote “You can go to heaven if you want. I’d rather stay in Bermuda.” A century on Bermuda continues to win visitors’ hearts who find a beautiful Caribbean island with a wonderful climate, fantastic pink sand beaches, a vibrant culture and strong connections to Britain. The biggest change is that now holidaymakers can play at a choice of nine...

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Director Alexander Payne is a man who specialises in what I like to call deliciously dark delights. Although he has only brought us a small number of said delights in his as-yet short career, it’s more than fair to suggest he’s a success. After all, this is an auteur whose track record includes About Schmidt and Sideways; two rather excellent films that follow abnormally negative characters through fundamentally depressing situations. Realistically, these are...

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Last Thursday saw the first Chelsea tweet up take place at The Cadogan Arms. The night started off with champagne cocktails as we anticipated the delicious looking menu for the evening. For starter, I had the pickled Devon crab, blood orange, fennel and citrus vinaigrette, which I enjoyed thoroughly. And for main, I tried a gluten free Venison (no Wellington), which was accompanied by potato gratin and red wine jus....

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Trip to indulgence: Caramelized chicken and mandarin salad It is said, food can inspire, put one at ease and even elevate, or at least it has always been the case for me. When thinking of food that could bring such comfort, treats essentially made out chocolate, caramel and perhaps topped with a little dollop of cream for an extra sweet touch, would be the first to come to mind. A humble dish...

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“Sometimes we have to take care of things we’re frightened of. Sometimes we’re stuck with things we don’t like. How do you know you have what it takes?” Our New Girl – or We Need To Talk About Daniel, as I like to call it – is the new play by Irish playwright Nancy Harris (No Romance, The Kreutzer Sonata, Love In A Glass Jar). The comparison might be a little...

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Most of us girls from Los Angeles or New York are familiar with the “ballet meets fitness” craze. I have several girlfriends who swear by this exercise method and have become religious bar method advocates along with Madonna, Drew Barrymore and Demi Moore. Over the past few months I have received several emails asking me when ballet fitness was going to make it to London. Now, I can happily report that...

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The Leading Fair for Contemporary Ceramics, now in its eighth year! This is the opportunity to meet 78 leading makers from Britain and abroad, to see their works and buy the perfect one-off piece of art. An essential destination for collectors, enthusiasts, Sunday browsers, teachers and students alike to learn about this dynamic art form. New directions from established makers such as James & Tilla Waters, Eddie Curtis and John Higgins...

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Since catching the then, unbeknownst to the photographer, Home Secretary on film (off guard and sleeping) at Heathrow in 1959, Terry O’Neill has gone on to become one of the best known photographers in the UK. With Screen Sirens & Rock Rebels at Chelsea’s Proud gallery, O’Neill shows us some of the iconic pictures of a plethora of stars including Bowie, Bardot, The Rolling Stones, Audrey Hepburn and many more besides,...

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Bond, Bourne and Ethan Hunt can bash it up with the best of them but if you’re in need of a female agent, you’re pretty much been restricted to hiring Mrs Smith or Evelyn Salt up until now, and they’re the same person. Enter Mallory Kane (Gina Carano). Mallory is a multi-skilled destructive machine. She will snap your bones like tooth picks, drive your car like Sebastian Vettel and interrogate you like...

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What hasn’t Steve Spielberg done in his career? He’s given us bloodthirsty sharks, touching little alien chaps with glowing fingers, galavanting archaeologists in dusty hats, rampaging dinosaurs, brutally destructive wars, sprawling futuristic vistas, adventurous animated boy detectives… The list just goes on and on. What can this man possibly offer us that we haven’t had from him before? How about a bloated story concerning a horse. In particular, a horse that endures...

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A few months back I had the privilege of being introduced to Vicky Silverthorn. The title of her company “You Need a Vicky” explains it all. You need her! Even the most organised person probably has one area of their life that needs a little help. For me, this was my closet. After moving to London, and several moves after that, my wardrobe was in total and complete chaos. There was...

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If you want to discover the real Caribbean, where the beauty of the island is matched by the charm and friendliness of the people, then head to the tiny island of Nevis. Measuring just 36 square miles, the ’Queen of the Caribees’ is truly a gem with beautiful beaches and a dormant volcano cloaked in rainforest which is home to interesting flora and fauna, including colourful...

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Indulged over Christmas? You can improve your well being in 2012 and still not deny yourself a treat.  Instead of drinking a yoghurt drink to get your friendly bacteria every morning, now you can get it from chocolate. The bars are made from 53% Belgian chocolate and clinically proven* to be three times more effective at delivering your daily probiotics than a yoghurt drink, and at only 72 calories a bar...

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Taking the time to get all of your beauty treatments done can sometimes feel like a chore. Whether you don’t have time after work, or can’t get away from the kids, fitting it all in can be overwhelming. This is where Claire Aggarwal from “Perfect 10 Mobile Beauty” comes in. Claire will arrive at your house, even after-hours, and give you the perfect manicure, pedicure, wax, massage, or even facial! I’ve...

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One imagines that any director bold enough to run the perilous gauntlet of a Thatcher biopic would be well aware that they’re about to imbibe from a distinctly poisoned chalice. Indeed, director Phyllida Lloyd, the woman brave enough to have risen to the challenge, admitted just as much in the particularly lively Q&A that followed the film’s screening at BAFTA earlier this year. This was a question and answer session that included...

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New Year’s Eve in Dublin was the party I had imagined it to be. The centre of Dublin had been pedestrianised; there were live gigs taking place around Trinity College; and the streets of Temple Bar (the Leicester Square of Dublin) were buzzing. Eventually, we made it back to The Westbury where we were staying. The Westbury Hotel belongs to the Doyle Collection, a family of hotels which The Kensington Hotel...

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In an era of filmmaking predominantly defined by an often woefully misjudged “bigger is better” ethos, Michel Hazanavicius’ silent film The Artist, provides a refreshing and quite simply sensational reminder that our big budget cinematic expectations have become shamefully blurred. Enchanting, funny and stunning in both context and aesthetic, The Artist delivers all the essential elements that audiences have always sought, time immemorial. Written and directed by Hazanavicius, the film follows exuberant...

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There has been a gap in the market for a super high-end kids club in the Kensington and Chelsea area for a long time, and Purple Dragon has finally filled it. This week, I finally had my tour of the club and spent the day playing there with Mini-AG. Purple Dragon was originally located in Battersea and moved in September to the Grosvenor Waterside development in Chelsea. The 13,000 sq ft...

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On Saturday night my friends and I enjoyed our Christmas dinner at The Windsor Castle, which is located on Campden Hill Road. I hadn’t been to this pub for a couple of years and as soon as I’d walked in, I wondered why I hadn’t been back in so long. It is the perfect winter pub; perhaps because it feels Dickensian with its very low inside doors which are technically oblong...

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