Available for download now – its free but they insist you register – is the second issue of The Cocktail Lovers Magazine.

The contents include:
Spotlight on spirited females in the drinks industry
The team from Callooh Callay add East End swagger to West End style
Tasting the best cocktails Berlin has to offer
London bars with birds eye views
Rebekkah Dooley talks to Tomas Estes, the tequila ambassador
Detox or Retox?
Plus 25 reasons we’re loving this season

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

The 22nd edition of coolcucumber tv is now ready and waiting at www.coolcucumber.tv.

This edition features a visit to Forman’s magnificent new place in the shadow of the Olympic Stadium – it’s new because the stadium now stands where Forman’s used to be. Lance Forman talks about smoked salmon, graffiti and East London. From the heart of the city to the depths of the countryside – the Lords of the Manor Hotel in Gloucestershire.

Gérard Bassett, OBE, the best sommelier in the world, introduces another of his favourite wines.

Venturing further into the country, there is a visit to the Pipe and Glass, a beautiful pub in a beautiful part of Yorkshire.

Returning to London, there is a chat with Greg Place, General Manager of the new Hilton at Heathrow’s Terminal 5, about his career, and life in the hospitality business.

And finally, in keeping with the record-breaking spirit of the Olympics, Darren Matson – Guinness World Record holder – demonstrates amazing skill with smoked salmon, while chef Michael Smith prepares a simple but beautiful salmon starter.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

2011 The Great British Bake Off the extraordinaire Holly Bell has created an alternative Christmas Cake that we all still have time to make!! Here is a little festive film of her creating the masterpiece.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

The perfect gift for Christmas? On The Menu: Seasonal Recipes for a Culinary Life by James Mackenzie.

This is a comprehensive reference guide and inspirational collection of 74 recipes with step-by-step instructions, showing you everything, from how to make the more challenging dishes, such as beer braised oxtails with deep fried oyster fritter, to how to make a simple but perfect chocolate brownie.

Jason Lowe’s exquisite photography effortlessly captures the remarkable food and this beautiful unspoilt part of the world.

With a foreword by the BBC’s Nigel Barden, the book perfectly captures James Mackenzie’s remarkable take on food at The Pipe and Glass Inn.

James Mackenzie is one of England’s brightest young chefs who uses his uniquely imaginative approach to produce an outstanding take on British food. Quality local and seasonal produce is at the heart of his cooking. James is the proprietor and head chef of the Michelin Starred Pipe and Glass Inn, which he and his wife Kate have owned since 2006. Having quickly established a reputation for unrivalled quality in the area, they have transformed the 17th century inn into a world-class Michelin-Starred destination. In their first year the Pipe and Glass Inn won the Yorkshire Life “Dining Pub Of The Year Award” and, in 2007, won the same publication’s “Restaurant Of The Year” title. Further recognition came for the Mackenzies in 2008, being named as the “Best Newcomer” in The Northern Hospitality Awards, entering the list of “40 Best Restaurants Outside London” at The London Restaurant Awards, also being voted into “The Top 30 Gastro Pubs in the UK” by PubChef Magazine and, finally, being awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand. In 2009, the Pipe and Glass Inn won Enjoy England’s “Taste Of England” honour as well as retaining its Michelin Bib Gourmand. The ultimate accolade became reality when, in January 2010, the Pipe and Glass Inn achieved Michelin Star status, one of only ten pubs in the UK ever to gain this much coveted position.

ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY HERE by Sunday 18th December to ensure delivery in the UK before Christmas. Or Order From Amazon.co.uk for £21.00.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

A quick podcast featuring Charles Metcalf offering up his wisdom in regards to “winter warming wines” and the “perfect drop for your festive menus”.

Winter is here and for many wine lovers that means red wine season.

But while it may be a given that a red wine is the perfect drop for those heart-warming winter meals, knowing which variety of red to choose can be a minefield, considering the vast array of wines from around the world now available in Britain.

With Christmas approaching, many of us will be entertaining friends and family around the table in the next few weeks, so making sure you’ve got the right type of wine on hand for both unexpected guests and planned parties is paramount at this time of year.

Because when it comes to matching your food to your wine, whether pre-Christmas or on the big day itself, a little knowledge can mean the difference between a good meal and a great one. So which red will go best with your Christmas turkey, a hearty casserole or the traditional Boxing Day cold cuts?

Wine expert Charles Metcalfe knows exactly how to help you figure out how to match the perfect vin rouge to your festive menus, whether canapés or cordon bleu.

Charles has a particular interest in Loire Reds, which are lighter in style than other reds ensuring the festive flavours aren’t overpowered. He joins us with his top tips on buying and enjoying red wine this winter.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

The way to a perfect stress-free Christmas dinner is just a click away thanks to the new free and must see Christmas cookery website which has been launched by Ashburton Cookery School.

The “The Perfect Christmas Dinner” website has been designed by one of the UK’s leading cookery schools to take the stress out of cooking for what can be one of the most pressurised family meals of the year.

Ashburton Cookery School’s professional chef tutors have included 26 video recipes covering every component of the traditional Christmas meal. Either watch a video or print off a favourite recipe for free. The site offers essential tips and expert advice from everything on how to cook perfect crispy roast potatoes to creating the most succulent turkey. Cook canapés with confidence and dazzle your family and friends with perfect puddings and decadent mince pies.

The website simplifies the meal into separate sections and gives advice on meal planning and delicious recipe ideas to master the classic Christmas meal with all the trimmings.

It is an essential culinary tool to have at your fingertips according to the Chef Director for Ashburton Cookery School Darrin Hosegrove: “ The website is very simple to use and it will bring Ashburton Cookery School renowned training to you in your very own kitchen. It will guide you through the difficulties of cooking for large groups of people, using tips and helpful hints based on the broad wealth of experience from our talented chefs at the cookery school.”

Further details on the Cook The Perfect Christmas Dinner can be found at the dedicated website www.perfectChristmasDinner.co.uk

For more information about Christmas cookery courses or the full range of courses available at Ashburton Cookery School then please visit: www.ashburtoncookeryschool.co.uk

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

Annabel Langbein The Free Range Cook is now on sale in the UK and contains all the recipes you’ll need to cook up a scrumptious feast this Christmas – as well as make a great gift for yourself or the foodies in your life!

To give you a taste of what’s inside there are free samples available of nine of the delicious recipes, including:

• Sesame and Oregano Lavosh – the perfect nibble for pre-Christmas parties
• a special-occasion scallop salad with citrus chilli dressing
• succulent pork belly cooked in milk (a fun alternative to turkey)
• the oh-so-impressive frozen Strawberry Cloud Cake
• a devastatingly decadent Chocolate and Cranberry Slice – a sublime finish to your Christmas feast

To download these recipes simply click this link: http://www.annabel-langbein.com/freerangetaster/uk

And once you’ve cooked them you could win a kitchenware hamper worth £135 simply by uploading a photo to their website. The photo with the most votes wins so get your friends on board via Facebook, Twitter and email.

And who is Annabel Langbein? Well, she is The Free Range Cook and hosts a 13-part TV series filmed at her holiday cabin on the shores of Lake Wanaka, at the foot of New Zealand’s spectacular Southern Alps. Her cookbook Annabel Langbein’s The Free Range Cook is now available from Amazon for £13.60.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

The influential cruise news and reviews website, Cruise Critic, has announced its 2011 Editor’s Picks Awards with accolades for the best wining and dining at sea.

The awards which celebrate excellence in cruise travel are selected by a panel of international cruise journalists. This year, the 2011 categories have a distinct gastro flavour with awards for, among others, “Best Dining,” “Best Alternative Restaurant,” “Best Buffet,” “Best Wine List” and “Best Bar”, as well as an award for “Best for Healthy Eating”.

Awards were widely distributed among the cruise lines offering itineraries for U.K. travellers, but Oceania collected top honours for “Best Dining”. The award citation stated “Not only does Oceania’s superb alternative dining come at no supplement, but it’s consistently excellent. The restaurants actually look like upmarket shoreside bistros and extra touches like an olive oil menu here and a proper cheese trolley there simply add to this class act. Better still, there’s no compromise on the outstanding cuisine in the elegant main dining room on each ship.”

Oceania was also judged to have the Best Buffet, a subject close to many a cruiser’s heart: “Oceania has successfully created a gourmet marketplace in Marina’s Terrace Café, as opposed to the canteen style into which many lines fall. Hot and cold tapas, pizzas from the oven, giant paellas, grilled-to-order meats and fish and decadently rich breakfasts on the sunny aft deck make this a place to linger over a meal at any time of day.”

Meanwhile, Cunard took home three top awards including “Best Alternative Restaurant” for The Verandah on its newest ship, Queen Elizabeth: “Cunard’s nostalgic venture back the Golden Age of cruising, when The Verandah on the original Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary was the most stylish restaurant at sea, has paid off in spades. The sumptuous cream-and-gold décor aside, chef Jean-Marie Zimmerman’s classic French dishes are exquisite.”

Another British favourite P&O Cruises took top honours in two categories including “Best Cruise Ship Bar” which was was awarded to The Glass House on the Azura: “Jolly Olly Smith’s exuberance and passion for wine are apparent throughout Azura’s stylish The Glass House, a bar/wine-pairing grill for which the TV presenter has tracked down unusual but affordable wines to taste by the glass, accompanied by irreverent but informative descriptions. The knowledgeable bartenders make this a fun place to hang out, chat and learn about the wines.”

Finally Celebrity Cruises Solstice-class ships were given the accolades of “Best for Wine Lovers” as well as “Best for Healthy Eating”. Commenting on cruise line’s wine offering, Cruise Critic said: “The enormous wine tower gracing one end of the light and airy main dining rooms on Celebrity’s four Solstice-class ships is a sure sign that this is a line that takes its wine seriously. As well as the extensive wine list, there’s a huge range of wines by the glass and regular on-board tastings.” And regarding Celebrity’s healthy eating option, comments included: “Celebrity’s focus on offering a wide range of healthy dishes in formal restaurants and more casual venues like the AquaSpa Café makes it easier to stay on a wellness track, even when faced with the usual cruise temptations.”

Talking about the Cruise Critic U.K. Awards for 2011, Carolyn Spencer Brown said, “The U.K. cruise industry continues to grow year-on-year, despite the tough economy, due in part to the exceptional standard of service and hospitality provided by the cruise lines that keep customers coming back time and time again. That’s something the industry as a whole can be proud of. With these awards, however, we aim to honour the cruise lines that deserve credit in specific areas, where we believe they truly excel, such as dining or onboard activities.”
The annual Cruise Critic U.K. Editors’ Picks Awards complement the Cruisers’ Choice Awards, which are announced in the spring and highlight the cruise ships which receive the highest ratings from reviews posted on Cruise Critic.

For the full list of winners, as well as information on why each award was given to a particular line, ship or port, please go to: http://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/news.cfm?ID=4660

There are 25 different categories embracing a wide variety of cruises, ships and onboard features and attractions available to U.K. travellers.

• Best for Dining: Oceania Cruises
• Best Alternative Restaurant: Cunard – Verandah Restaurant (Queen Elizabeth)
• Best Buffet: Oceania Cruises — Marina
• Best for Wine-Lovers: Celebrity Cruises — Solstice-Class Ships see Celebrity Eclipse and On the Celebrity Eclipse: The Cellar Masters Lounge
• Best Cruise Ship Bar: P&O Cruises — The Glass House (Azura)

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

Great British Chefs, a digital business championing the best chefs across Britain (www.greatbritishchefs.com/the-app), has today launched the Feastive app, a new iPhone and iPad app aimed at bringing a touch of culinary glamour to Christmas and New Year celebrations with the help of 12 of the best chefs in the country, including Marcus Wareing, Tom Aikens and Simon Rogan.

The app puts 60 recipes – ranging from brilliantly simple through to haute cuisine – in the palm of your hand, encouraging food-lovers to attempt anything from a single ‘feastive’ dish to a full five course menu featuring the lost art of canapé and petit four. The app also offers novice users a range of how-to videos on difficult sections of recipes and features a voice control function so users don’t have to get their iPhones and iPads sticky.

The Feastive app, which follows the success of the Great British Chefs app earlier this year, features some of the most dynamic British chefs offering their take on a seasonal meal. The app delivers recipes ranging from Roasted venison, wild mushroom pie and creamed parsnips to Coconut Pistachio Snowballs, while Vineet Bhatia, one of the newest additions to the collective, offers an alternative to the traditional roast in the form of an Grilled lamb rack, cinnamon lamb jus Apricot-walnut cous cous Blue cheese-lamb tikki.

Matthew Fort, strategic advisor to Great British Chefs, comments: ‘If you can’t celebrate at this time of year, when can you? There’s no need to celebrate Christmas the way you did last year and the year before that, not when there’s inspiration, help and advice from some of the country’s finest chefs at the touch of a button and the scroll of a finger on the Feastive App. It’s a feast for the eyes, for the brain, and above all for the tummy.’

Marcus Wareing comments: ‘The restaurant goes mad around this time of year. Everyone wants to enjoy good food and good company and that is the reason I do what I do so I am thrilled to share even more of my favourite recipes on the new Feastive App from Great British Chefs. With step-by-step recipe instructions and ‘how to’ films on complex sections it fills me with great pleasure knowing that people of all cooking abilities will be recreating my dishes in the comfort of their own homes – making Christmas time even more memorable for friends and family.”

The Feastive app features 12 of the UK’s best chefs with a free upgrade to 23 chefs and 110 recipes for free from 1 December.

The brand new app includes multiple features to make sure that the cooking experience is enjoyable and stress free:

Easy-to-use, intuitive navigation and search facility so people can find the recipes for them whether searching by ingredient, course or chef . Making the cooking process easier, the voice control function allows cooks to cook without even touching their iPad or iPhone . Access to three menus made up of 5 courses (canapés, starters, mains, desserts and petit fours) from each chef including the full step by step recipes . A series of ‘How To’ films for particularly tricky stages of recipes . Shopping list function meaning cooks can collect together a list of produce they will need and view them by aisle or by recipe . Full information on all the chefs including a profile video with links to where they cook and a cookbook list linking directly to Amazon . The new app will be compatible with iPhone (iOS 3.2 or later), iPad and iPad2. Using stunning photography, the iPad and iPhone apps have been carefully designed to make usability and functionality of an equally high standard on both Apple devices.

The Great British Chefs Festive app is available for £1.99.

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK

VeggieVision “Your Healthy Vegetarian Lifestyle Internet TV Station’ is running a competition to win an ‘exclusive’ private charter hot air balloon ride!

You will experience a superb adventure as we drift quietly along in one of the oldest forms of air travel. After your balloon flight, we will celebrate with traditional champagne toast made popular after the first hot air balloon voyage.

You enjoy real value with our hot air balloon trips – besides the flight itself, you’ll get:
• champagne
• informative tour of the flight terrain
• a flight certificate signed by the pilot
• transport back to the launch site
• lots of help and advice with preparations and planning
• local parking managed for you
• free insurance

To enter head on over to VeggieVisionTV and answer a simple question…

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The Foodie List - Foodie stuff from around the UK