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How to win at travelling for work

I’ve always had the mixed fortune to travel as part of my work. Fortunate because I get to experience new cultures and places, unfortunate because that trip can sometimes be to a dead-end UK town to try and sell X, Y or Z or – even worse – when I’ve flown longhaul to somewhere supremely exciting like China, solo and haven’t had any daylight hours, or the confidence to venture out alone.

I look back on younger me who, aged 21 travelled solo to China, Kazahstan and Bangladesh and squeezed in a little adventure (I’m including getting completely lost in Almaty, Kazakstan when I decided to walk to the conference centre with a map in one language and signs in another AND arriving way too early at Chittagong airport, Bangladesh and being instructed to sit behind the fully armed guards as it hadn’t opened for the day yet, as adventures, by the way!) and wish I’d been a little more adventurous.

If you have this mixed fortune, hopefully the below tips will help. If you have any more hit us up on instagram!

Maximise your down time

If you are travelling for work, you are likely on a tight schedule – try to carve out sometime to explore, preferably in the daytime (if you are in meetings 9am – 6pm, this is tough!). Ask to fly out a day early / later on your client’s bill (an extra hotel night isn’t too much of an ask) or just bolt on a few days on your dime – my first trip to NYC was for work and I moved from my client-paid fancy room to a low cost, basic one for 3 nights of heavenly *I’m in a movie, look at the steam coming from that grate* exploring! My client also gave me some great local intel as they were happy I was exploring their hometown.

Research is King

I’m an over researcher; multiple windows open, cross referencing second hand guide books kind of traveller. Especially if you are going to a non-obvious tourist destination, you’re going to have to get stuck in. For less obvious destinations, find the local tourist board site and send them an email for ideas, ask your hotel for recommendations and check whether local airlines have a blog. Even if this info isn’t in a language you speak, online translation tools will work well. Instagram (or the local equivalent social media) is often a great source of info, look up the location as a hashtag or stories in the place you are visiting. You might be able to find a local ‘influencer’ who can give you some ideas.

Understand traditions and culture

This one is especially important for the female traveller, I’m afraid, especially when it comes to clothing and where is appropriate for you to go solo. In many countries it is advisable / required to dress modestly. Pick up a Time Out Guide / Lonely Planet for their helpful ‘culture’ sections. Search online for expat chatboards as these will be questions that comes up alot. If you have a female contact in the country you are visiting, reach out to them for advice on what to wear and tell them where you are planning to visit, to see if they have any advice. At the very least, take trousers and some long sleeve, t-shirt neck items and a light scarf.

Pack essentials in your hand luggage

This tip comes from our girl, Rachel who says “My main tip for traveling with work is to make sure you have spare clothes in your hand luggage because the one time you pack everything in hold, is the one time your luggage won’t reach your destination! Always carry an extra day outfit and an evening outfit in your hand luggage, and make sure all your technology is on your person or in hand luggage (mobile, laptop, tablet, cables, chargers, camera). This way you’re ready for every eventuality.”

Don’t courier items ahead, take them with you

Similar to Rachel’s point above, I don’t trust sending things in advance for events and meetings. You’re asking for them to get stuck in customs and also international couriering can be extortionate. Use this as an opportunity to ask your clients for an upgrade for your flight, as you often get extra baggage allowance – sneaky, eh?

Be adventurous, with a safety net

If you are travelling solo, in the vast majority of places you will be safe when you go out to explore. If you have researched your destination in advance, sense check your plans with someone on the ground before heading out. Pay for data on the days you go exploring so, if you get yourself into an area where you don’t feel safe, you can get a cab. Explore what apps people use – eg. uber, deliveroo equivalent so you are covered and also, acting like a local and also a local language app, if you don’t speak it.

Not to sound too much like your mum, head out in the morning with water and appropriate clothing and aim to complete your adventure in daylight. Take a battery pack, fully charged and your maps / books but try not to have them out at all times – you don’t want to look like a lost solo traveller but the confident, prepared explorer that you are.

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What to do in London over the bank holiday weekend

Here at #TeamCoco we are a little a bit over excited that it’s the spring bank holiday weekend, meaning that spring is finally here (with a whole lot of April showers), but we’re rolling with it, and it’s a three-day weekend! The early May bank holiday always brings a variety of exciting activities to London, so we’ve listed our top picks for you to enjoy if you’re in the city this weekend!

Kerb does Alchemy: The brilliant Southbank Asian street food festival is back and lucky for us, it falls right over the bank holiday weekend, from 3 – 7 May. Transforming the SE1 concrete into a rambunctious raft of heat and spice. This year they are packing in the flavour with a 29-strong fleet of traders cooking up dishes from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, as part of Southbank’s South Asian Alchemy Festival 2018.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiOtDi_legP/?hl=en&taken-by=southbankcentre

Arcadia festival: To celebrate the tenth anniversary, the spectacular Arcadia is landing in London. For those of you who haven’t seen Arcadia at Glastonbury, Boomtown, or the likes, this is now your chance. The 50 tonne Arcadia Spider is one of the world’s most iconic festival stages. Arcadia London is an immersive festival, fusing monumental spectacle, high octane performance and thunderous bass into a spellbinding sensory experience. Explore the festival as sun soaked bass rumbles across three stages, barbecues sizzle, and cocktails flow. Groove Armada and Norman Jay are amongst the talent playing Saturday, and on Sunday, Noisia and Rudimental close the party. Best thing is, tickets are still available. Grab yours here.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhoPnt2hg3G/?hl=en&taken-by=arcadia

Picasso at Tate Modern: We would seriously recommend spending some of your Bank Holiday going to see the incredible Love, Fame and Tragedy exhibition at Tate Modern. 1932 was an intensely creative period in the life of the 20th century’s most influential artist. This is the first ever solo Pablo Picasso exhibition at Tate Modern. It will bring you face-to-face with more than 100 paintings, sculptures and drawings, mixed with family photographs and rare glimpses into his personal life. This exhibition is complex and rich, and gave us an insight into Picasso’s life that we had never seen before. Book ahead as it sure gets busy! If you can’t go over bank holiday weekend, the exhibition is on until 9 September 2018.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bhy7NtNFYd1/?hl=en&taken-by=tate

Skylight returns to London: After two incredible seasons of fun that saw over 60,000 people enjoy some of the best views, tasty cocktails, wine, beer and fun – Skylight is back for summer in the same spot in Tobacco Docks, and coincidentally reopens today! We think it is only polite that we pop in for at least one cocktail…especially as word on the street is that the watermelon mojitos and skylight sangrias are something else!

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiSlrDRApqm/?hl=en&taken-by=skylight_london

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5 Ways to Live More Sustainably

The painful facts are now difficult to avoid: we have more CO2 in our air than ever before, rising seas are threatening to engulf the world’s islands and low-lying coasts, the day on which humanity’s consumption for the year outstrips the world’s capacity to regenerate resources that year is getting earlier and scientists are realising that more and more droughts and floods are down to human action. Such horror brings apathy and makes us feel that we can do nothing to help without extreme changes to the lifestyle we enjoy. But there are some simple things we can all do to live more sustainable lives. Rachael Lindsay gives us her top 5 tips…

Cut down on meat and dairy

Avoiding meat and dairy products is one of the biggest ways to reduce your environmental impact on the planet. While meat and dairy provide just 18% of calories and 37% of protein, it uses the vast majority – 83% – of farmland and produces 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions. Studies show that even the very lowest impact meat and dairy products still cause much more environmental harm than the least sustainable vegetable and cereal growing.

For inspiration on how to go vegan without missing out on the good stuff in life, check out my story: https://houseofcoco.net/why-i-went-vegan-without-looking-back/.

Fly less

This is quite simply one of the most effective things you can do to live more sustainably. Air travel is one of the more environmentally damaging activities we can undertake so just a few flights fewer and you are making a huge difference to the planet. Take advantage of the gorgeous nature and heritage in the British Isles, take the Eurostar to Paris to explore France or the ferry to Dublin to experience Ireland: there are plenty of great travel options that don’t require a flight.

One campaign is looking for signatures for those who want to pledge not to fly at all in 2020, quite a challenge if you are a frequent flyer like me, but something we should all start thinking about.

For more information, visit flightfree.co.uk.

Shop second-hand

A study commissioned by Oxfam has revealed some shocking facts about fast fashion. Each item of clothing you buy could travel 21748 miles – from a cotton field in the U.S, to production units in Bangladesh, to the shipment of the product to Germany and finally to the customer. Throwaway fashion is undeniably putting increasing pressure on our planet and its people – it’s unsustainable.

Oxfam has launched a #SecondhandSeptember campaign to encourage us to try their second-hand clothes shops instead of supporting fast fashion. It is very simple: pledge to only buy second-hand clothes for this month and feel the glow of knowing you are doing something amazing for the planet.

For more information, visit oxfamapps.org/secondhandseptember/.

Furnish your home with a sustainable lifestyle brand

Home furnishings can have just as negative an impact on the environment as fast fashion particularly if you constantly update your home with the latest trend.

The second-best thing to second-hand is choosing a brand that uses sustainably sourced materials which are good quality and long-lasting. This brings us to Vênoor and its fantastic homeware. Not only do they produce and sell gorgeous sofas, tables, chairs and home accessories but they use workshops with high ethical working standards, use sustainable timber and metal, and plant a tree for every order made.

For more information, visit venoor.com.

Ditch single-use plastics

Think about your use of single-use razors, forks, cups, bags, and food storage containers, particularly those made in plastic. Packaging is a major source of disposable plastic so bring your own containers and bags (cloth or canvas is best). If your supermarket doesn’t sell food in bulk, make the request or find a better market. This is something that we have all got on board with amazingly in the past 12 months meaning figures have shown that far fewer plastic bags have been used per person and there are far more alternatives to single-use plastic than there used to be.

For more information, visit plasticfreechallenge.org.

BONUS: Ditch electronics responsibly

Given the technological advancements in today’s world, it is inevitable for electronics to break down or get replaced. Instead of tossing these gadgets in the trash, consider recycling them responsibly. E-waste, or electronic waste, is becoming one of the biggest pollutants of the planet, and these appliances contain harmful chemicals that may wreak havoc on land, water, and air. They also contain precious metals such as gold, silver, and steel, and the best way to reuse them instead of mining the earth for more is proper e-waste recycling. Here is a handy guide for more information on the topic.

Cover photo credit: @theplanetd.

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September Food and Drink News

Welcome to the month where things begin to change both weather-wise and on the food front. Some of us still cling to long lazy summer days and others are ready to embrace the fast-approaching autumnal season. We start to see less salads and more hearty dishes on restaurant menus. With a new season on the horizon it brings lots of exciting food and drink launches.

Food News

HECK – Pork Italia Sausages, Posh Chicken Nuggets, and Flexitarian Burgers & Sausages

HECK has done it again, they’ve launched even more sausages and burgers to their already bustling array of meaty and veggie goodness. This time, they have added chicken nuggets into the HECK family alongside some new flexi additions. New products include chicken, minted pea & spinach burgers, chicken, red pepper & feta burgers, posh piri piri chicken nuggets, posh chicken Italia nuggets, pork Italia sausages, and a few different chipolatas. Prices vary between £2 – £3, available from the end of September from Tesco, and HECK

Nush Foods – Dairy Free Mango and Passionfruit Yog and Dairy Free Chocolate Fudge Pots

Nush has launched their Dairy Free Mango & Passionfruit Yogs along with their Dairy Free Almond Milk Chocolate Fudge Chocolate Pots. The choc pots are made with delicious almond milk, sweetened with fruit rather than nasty sugars, mixed with quality Belgian chocolate powder and lots of live cultures. The mango and passionfruit dairy free yogs are made with almond milk, are free from refined sugar, and are packed with live cultures. Priced at £2.99 (350g mango & passionfruit yog), and £3.00 (2 x 75g choc pots), from Ocado, visit Nush Foods

Crabtree & Evelyn – Small Batch Olive Oil from the Greece Collection

Crabtree & Evelyn has just launched the brand’s Exploration series – Greece, which includes this amazing small batch olive oil. Cold extracted by a family-run olive mill in Kefalonia, using certified organic farming techniques. It offers a rich, distinctive flavour perfect for dipping bread into or drizzling over a Greek salad. Priced at £22.50 (500ml), from Crabtree & Evelyn

H. Forman & Son, Smoked Salmon and Smoked Salmon Pâté

The news from H. Forman & Son is that you can now buy their delicious London Cure Smoked Salmon and Oak Smoked Salmon Pâté at Waitrose. So, next time you are doing your weekly shop or you nip into Waitrose you can pick up some outstanding quality smoked salmon whilst in store. Priced at £6 (100g Salmon) and £4 (225g pâté), from Waitrose. Visit H. Forman & Son to find out more.

Moving Mountains – Fish Fillet

The Moving Mountains® Plant-Based Fish Fillet is 100% free of microplastics and mercury and has 10g of protein and 4.5g of fibre per 100g. It has a succulent, flaky texture and is coated in golden, crunchy panko breadcrumbs and it can be enjoyed as a direct swap for the traditional variety. Priced at £4 from Ocado

Feast Your Eyes on Food – Book Launch

This brand new book has been written by Laura Gladwin and Zoe Barker. A unique food encyclopedia stacked with over 1,000 delicious things to eat from across the world. This is a great book for the whole family to read to find out about the history of certain foods. Discover how cheese is made and find out what it is about onions that make you cry as well as a host of other surprising facts you didn’t know about food, from pasta and cakes to fruits and vegetables. Priced at £20, from Magic Cat Publishing, available at Waterstones and all good bookshops.

Drink Update

Rapscallion Soda

Specialist soft drink company and Scottish trailblazers Rapscallion Soda are on a mission to get people across the UK drinking better. The Glasgow-based brewers who use fresh, natural ingredients to create delicious low-calorie soft drinks have launched their first subscription service. Now the whole household can replace aspartame-filled diet drinks with sodas made from raw, vitamin rich ingredients every day. Available in a number of flavours including C_01 Ginga Ninja, C_02 Burnt Lemon, C_03 Dry Lime, S_01 Rhubarb, S_02 Strawberry, and S_03 Cranachan. Prices vary between subscription services, available from Rapscallion Soda

Tanqueray – Holistay Kit and Cocktail Porter

You can discover Tanqueray’s different flavours in this collection from around the world. The Holistay Kit contains three Tanquerary minis including Blackcurrant Royale, Flor de Sevilla, and Rangpur Lime. The box surprises you with all the required bontanicals and dried fruits ready to make a selection of cocktails at home. Also, there are two Tanqueray balloon glasses within the Cocktail Porter box, two bottles of Double Dutch Premium Tonic, and a Tanqueray Gin Passport, which offers cocktail recipes and a QR code to access specific DJ curated playlists. Priced at £32.95, from Cocktail Porter

Bacardi Spiced – Apple & Ginger Cocktail

Bacardi Spiced is a delicious vanilla, woody and honey flavoured rum with a lasting spicy finish of cinnamon and nutmeg. This cocktail is an autumnal dream, which also gives a black pepper and fudgy feel to it, perfect for late September into October.

To make this cocktail you will need 50ml BACARDI Spiced Rum, 50ml apple juice, 50ml ginger ale, 2 dashes Angostura Bitters (optional) and 1 lime wedge. Firstly chill a highball glass with ice, secondly build all your ingredients into the cold glass. Finally squeeze your lime wedge and add the Angostura Bitters (if using), stir, and garnish with the lime wedge. Enjoy! Priced at £19.50 (100cl), from Asda and all high street supermarkets.

Aber Falls – Welsh Whisky

Aber Falls Single Malt Welsh Whisky was released just a few weeks ago, you don’t want to miss out! This is a rich and full-bodied whisky, crafted with passion in North Wales. Aber Falls is an amber gold distilled spirit with an aroma of vanilla and toffee, candied citrus fruits, fig, sultana, and a hit of cloves. It gives the drinker sweet sherry notes with forest fruit flavours, dark chocolate, nuts, creamy malt, and espresso coffee. Simply divine! Priced at £26 (70cl), available from Aber Falls Distillery, order your bottle now.

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Snacks That Give Back

How’s lockdown going for you? Hungry? Like, all the time? Yup, me too. Snacking? I’ve never done it so much in my life. It’s as if my sole purpose of being at home is to eat. I’ve gone through the chocolate digestives (dark chocolate, of course) and binge-watching Friends again caused me to buy mini muffins – and of course they’re all gone now. So I’m in need of new snacks…and I’m thinking that you might be too?

There’s heaps to choose from – savoury; sweet; crips; cookies… The list goes on. But a combination of being bombarded with pleas to support small businesses and the desire to good in such a rubbish time has led to me to change the snacks I add to my next shopping basket. So let’s feel good as we eat our rationed goods and choose snacks that give back.

Howdah Snacks

Snacks is in the name of the brand so I think we’re onto a good one. Howdah Snacks is an independent brand and not only do they come in a variety of moreish mixes and flavours, the snacks really do give back. One bag gets a child one free school lunch, through the company’s partnership with charity Akshaya Patra. So far, they’ve been able to secure over 80,000 free school lunches for children who lack the means to get themselves fed. Full tummies equal motivated minds and with the children being able to concentrate more in school, less drop out in favour of child labour. The Masala Dippers and the Bombay Mix are my personal favourites but the Onion Bhaji bag and the Bakarwadi went down a treat too.

Order online on their website or purchase from Amazon, Harvey Nichols and QVC.

Tony’s Chocolonely

You’re probably familiar with the colourfully-wrapped slabs of chocolate that are Tony’s Chocolonely. These super-sized bars always remind me of Willy Wonka’s candy from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – anyone else? – and I always get a tad extra excited when ripping off the paper. Sadly there’s no golden ticket hiding in any of these bars – for the purchaser. But there is a golden ticket of sorts for those working in the chocolate supply chain. The brand’s ethos is to make chocolate 100 per cent slave-free; to eradicate slavery in West African cocoa farms and to ensure farmers don’t have to live in poverty. So it’s all about giving back as you snack. My fave flavours that I’m stocking on my self-isolated shelves at the moment? Dark Milk Pretzel Toffee, for sure. Milk Chocolate Honey Nougat is also pretty spectacular.

Order online on their website or purchase from Sainsbury’s or Waitrose supermarkets.

Tilda Rice

I know rice is harder to find than gold dust right now but Tilda is another brand that is trying to help the community, one bag of rice at a time. The rice brand has partnered with the United Nations World Food Programme to bring back the ‘Helping Mums Together’ campaign. It’s only applicable to the Pure Basmati Rice packs and yes, plain rice is not a popular choice of snack, but add some fried egg or some veggies and boom – that sounds like a tasty snack to me! Anyways, every specially-marked pack of Tilda Pure Basmati Rice will fund an equivalent of one nutrition-filled meal to a new or expectant mother – or a young child in Bangladesh to help fight malnutrition and low birth weight. Every month, the World Food Programme helps over 225,000 women and children at 34 nutrition centres in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh – so feel good as you cook that rice, knowing that you’re giving back with your snack.

Find the special bags of Tilda Pure Basmati at all major retailing supermarktes.

Ben & Jerry’s

We’re all a fan of the ice cream, right? But doesn’t it make you feel better to know that each time you parted with £4.95 for your tub of Half Baked (a top flavour of mine, in case you cared to know) you were supporting a company that is dedicated to helping and protecting refugees, fair trade, farmers’ rights and the climate? Now unlike the snacks above, you won’t be giving something back per tub you purchase but you would be overall supporting a company that is invested in helping so many different causes. You can also hit up Ben and Jerry’s website to find out more on how you can get involved if you want to be more proactive. I’m eating Caramel Chew Chew as I scroll through the site myself…

You know you can find Ben and Jerry’s at all major retailing supermarkets, as well as at many restaurants too – via delivery.

Human Food

Human Food will have your kitchen cupboards stocked with vegan, organic nutrition bars. Here’s me trying to get a healthy balance of the good snacks as well as the more indulgent ones. The brand is committed to helping those less fortunate and has partnered with FareShare to donate 10,000 bars in the fight against food waste. NHS workers, listen up: Human Food is also offering a 50% discount to health workers and emergency service staff for the foreseeable future. Choose from a traffic light style selection: ‘Red’ with organic goji berries; ‘Yellow’ with organic turmeric and ‘Green’ with organic spirulina.

Available to order online from Human Food’s website.

MadeGood

Similar to Human Food and Ben and Jerry’s, purchasing a box of these granola bars won’t equal a free snack for someone else but MadeGood is a snack brand that is 100 per cent committed to supporting organic farmers. It odes this because creating snacks that are healthy to eat and gentle on the earth is at the core of the brand’s values. The granola bars are all organic, have a source of fruit or vegetables inside and are free of the most common allergens too. An independent brand, maybe giving back as you snack is next for MadeGood?

Find these good snacks at Asda and Amazon

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#CocoFood: Mini Food & Drink Round-Up

There is much food news to share from restaurant openings and bakeries winning awards, to inventive ice cream launches, tasty biscuits, tequila cocktails, Star Wars gin, and even a Great British Bakeoff contestant joining forces with a famous rice brand in the name of Charity!

#TeamCoco love the forthcoming season as it’s filled with brighter days, longer nights, and looking at this mini food & drink round-up there’s so much to enjoy food and drink-wise around the UK.

Halo Top Sticks

Halo Top Creamery is thrilled to announce the launch of a brand-new range of snackable ice cream sticks containing just 80-100 calories and 7-10 grams of sugar. The sticks will give fans the same Halo Top® they know and love – only now with 100% more stick.

Halo Top’s newest product will be sold in multi-packs of three and will launch in four flagship flavours, including a brand-new Halo Top® flavour, Strawberry Cheesecake, plus the original Sea Salt Caramel, Peanut Butter Swirl, and Birthday Cake. Each of the new sticks are a source of protein and perfectly portioned for snacking and sharing.

BREAKING NEWS……. For just two days on April 11 and 12, Halo Top will take over one of central London’s most iconic landmarks and turn it into an ice cream wonder, transforming it into a beautiful (and functioning!) freezer. The frozen telephone box will be placed in Russell Square, and filled with Halo Top sticks, giving thousands of fans the chance to get the first exclusive taste for free.

Priced at £5 per box of 3, available from Tesco

Biscuits and Prosecco

Recent studies by world-renowned biscuit brand Elizabeth Shaw have found that Brits would prefer a glass of Prosecco, over tea with their biccies.

There seems to be nothing Brits love more than dunking biccies in a brew. While it comes as no surprise, tea and coffee reign supreme as the nation’s favourite drink for dunking, new research reveals we prefer to pair our favourite tipple with our biscuits. In fact, 1 in 20 women say the perfect combination is a glass of prosecco and a biscuit, while men, increasingly, like to pair their biccie with a beer.

Londoners have crowned themselves as the UK’s biscuit connoisseurs, followed by those who live in York and Leeds. 68% of London’s biscuit lovers believe they can identify every distinct taste and texture combination.

Elizabeth Shaw have over 130 years’ experience transforming the perfect taste and texture combinations into luxuriously tempting confectionery. To celebrate being the UK’s taste and textures combinations experts, they’re launching their very first experiential sampling tour – The Elizabeth Shaw Combinations Tour. The tour is travelling across the UK, inviting the public to sample some of their favourite products, showcasing how Elizabeth Shaw expertly bring together the perfect taste and texture combinations.

You can keep up to date with the tour via Elizabeth Shaw social media channels on Insta, FB and Twitter. To find out more about Elizabeth Shaw visit ElizabethShaw.co.uk

Patrón Tequila Spring Cocktails

In 1939, the first Margarita was claimed to have been made at Tail O’The Cock in Los Angeles and has since come to be one of the most admired cocktails on the menu. Fifty years later in 1989, Patrón Tequila was born, introducing the world to ultra-premium tequila and transforming tequila cocktail culture.

#TeamCoco are loving the Patrón Tequila Golden Hour Margarita created by Natalie Jacob of New York City, US with pineapple and turmeric. We think this cocktail sounds perfect for those fun evenings out with friends, and isn’t turmeric seriously healthy too – win win!

If you are a tequila over then voting for the ‘2019 Margarita Of The Year’ competition is open until 25th April, simply head over to MargaritaOfTheYear.com, or just hashtag your fave margarita cocktail on Insta and Twitter to vote.

The Original Stormtrooper Gin Set

How truly sick are these stormtrooper gin bottles, we are turning all geeky here at #TeamCoco HQ in support of these beaut bottles.

A set of standout classic gins that strike the perfect balance of London Dry Gin, and Sloe Gin. Crafted in West London by an award-wining Micro Distillery, each gin delivers the individual character of specialist botanicals for a smooth, balanced taste.

Priced at £49.99 (2 x 25cl bottles), available from ThumbsUp.com

Homebaked, Liverpool

Homebaked is a community bakery in Anfield, Liverpool (opposite Liverpool Football Club), which recently won 10 medals (one gold, six silver and three bronze) in this year’s British Pie Awards. That’s a serious amount of awards at the industry’s leading awards ceremony.
The bakery is renowned for its savoury pastries and varieties include the ‘Shankly’ pie made with steak, bacon, mushroom and onion, and the ‘Scouse’ pie containing a beef stew and the ‘Blue’ flavoured with steak and cheese.

So, if you’re looking for a pie fix then you surely need to visit Liverpool for these magnificent pies. For more info check out Homebaked.org.uk.

Harry’s Bar, London

The world-famous Harry’s Bar in London has recently launched its Piccolli Dolci menu just in time for Mother’s Day. It’s an Italian take on traditional afternoon tea, made up of five miniature desserts served with a choice of tea or a glass of bubbles. Desserts include: Gelato Cannolini, Chocolate & Pistachio Sundae, Salted Caramel Tiramisu, Peach Doughnut, and Harry’s Toadstool (Mascarpone cream, fresh raspberry, and chocolate brownie). Delish!

Set in glamourous 1950s style surroundings just off Oxford Street, Harry’s Bar offers Italian favourites from dusk until dawn, serving a slice of the ‘Dolce Vita’ in the heart of the West End.
Available now, at Harrys-Bar.co.uk the Piccoli Dolci menu is priced from £18 per person and served daily between 3pm and 6pm.

ERST Restaurant, Manchester

The team behind Manchester’s Trove are pleased to announce the launch of Erst wine bar and restaurant. The restaurant will serve simple, delicious food from the grill and will boast one of Manchester’s most inspired selections of craft beers and natural wines.

The newest addition to the thriving Ancoats area of Manchester, Co-owners Will Sutton, Patrick Withington, Katy Saide and Marcus Saide chose the name ‘Erst’ as reference to time “formerly” or “long ago” leading into the choices of wine, beer and use of fire for cooking.
The wine list showcases vintages selected from small producers from around the world, who care for the fruit and the land it’s grown on, using organic and often biodynamic practices. From the grill comes naturally leavened flatbreads made in house served with whipped lardo, grilled whole mackerel, monk’s beard and wild garlic aioli. The Bar menu includes smoked almonds, wild fennel saucisson, along with anchovy za’atar and Bergamot – perfect with a glass of crisp Augustiner lager.

To find out more visit erst-mcr.co.uk

Bakeoff star Ruby Bhogal

Bake Off star Ruby Bhogal has created a very special recipe working with the United Nation’s World Food Programme and Tilda to ‘Help Mums Together’.

Ruby’s ‘Mama B’s Chicken Biryani’ is inspired by her own mother, her cooking inspiration and the person she thanks for igniting her desire to cook from a young age. The recipe uses limited-edition packs of Tilda Pure Basmati rice – of which every pack sold here in the UK will donate a nutrition-boosting meal to expectant mothers in Bangladesh to help fight malnutrition.

Visit Tilda.com and search for Recipes to find out how to make your very own Mama B’s Chicken Biryani dish.

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Come Up, Slow Down: Chilled Luxe Adventures in Gstaad

After my late-twenties epiphany that struggling up the corporate ladder wasn’t working for me, I took a step back from logical employment choices (and having any savings) and started working part-time at a vintage-style travel poster gallery. Being in Pimlico, London the destinations on these posters were, let’s say, a little out of reach for free-spirited me but one of the places depicted took me away in daydreams of faux fur coats, 70s fondues and martinis, shaken not stirred: the famous mountain town of Gstaad. When the opportunity came up to travel to this place of dreams, how could I have said no? Experience “Chilled Luxe Adventures in Gstaad” firsthand.

Arriving in Gstaad is like being transported to a theme park. Not least as you will have likely arrived via one of the most scenic train routes you’ll ever take – the town is incredibly easy to access by train from both Geneva and Zurich. Just a few hours winding around mountains or Lake Geneva will transport you to the crisp air of the town, surrounded by impossibly beautiful people. After all, since the iconic Gstaad Palace hotel was built in 1913, the town has welcomed A list of celebrity visitors such as Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Roger Moore and made the excellent Dame Julie Andrews an honorary citizen in 2014.

Chilled Luxe in Gstaad

Exploring Luxury and Art: The Alpina Gstaad Experience

There’s no doubt that this is a place to treat yourself, the area’s slogan is ‘Come Up, Slow Down’ so what else do you need? But there’s much more here than the perfect, shiny veneer would have you believe. The hotels are one of the main draws and the newest hotel in town, The Alpina Gstaad (thealpinagstaad.ch), is the one to aim for. Being picked up in a Tesla from the station fulfilled many of my Tony Stark dreams and pulling into the covered entrance to the hotel past a revamped ice cream van piqued my interest that there was more going on here than first meets the eye. And this is the foodie issue isn’t it, so what’s that ice cream van all about…

The Alpina Gstaad was the first hotel to be built in Gstaad for a century and overcoming local opposition to the hotel took 13 years alone so you’d expect the final result to be spectacular and you wouldn’t be wrong. While the bedrooms have uniquely Swiss touches, with wood panelling, decorative cowbells and scherenschnitte (paper cutting art) the hotel is a mesmerising mix of luxury charm and the eclectic private art collection. The collection here ranges from Margate’s finest Tracey Emin to work by The Bruce High-Quality Foundation presiding over the common spaces. Unlike the often cold shared spaces in other luxury properties, The Alpina Gstaad begs you to explore and get cosy.

Much of the art and the icecream van mentioned earlier is the influence of one of the owner’s sons Nachson Mimran, one of the founders of To (to.org) a platform that collaborates with artists and non-for-profits on projects like creating replicas of the icecream van, named ‘Shadowman’, as community centres in refugee camps in Bangladesh and Uganda. Sure, so it’s not a functioning ice cream van, hungry readers, but so much more.

Indulgence and Wellness: Culinary Delights and Serenity at The Alpina Gstaad

If you did nothing but eat in Gstaad, I wouldn’t judge you one bit. The Alpina Gstaad with their incredible in-house restaurants is the perfect place to let go and indulge. On our first evening, we dug into their World Championship Fondue blend (yes friends, there is a Fondue World Championship) with boiled potatoes and hunks of bread in the hotel’s traditional Swiss Stubli. Surrounded by the carved wood panels, red and white tablecloths and traditional Swiss music you can experience the true mountain experience without having to put your skiwear back on to waddle back to your chalet. The hotel is also home to an outpost of cult New York Japanese restaurant MEGU where fresh platters of sashimi and sparkling sake help you to repent for your cheese-based sins – and signature fine dining at Sommet, under the care of Michelin-starred chef Martin Göschel.

It’s no wonder with these treats available that The Alpina Gstaad balances out this luxe gluttony with their breathtaking The Six Senses Spa which offers not only wellness treatments but technologically advanced fitness programmes which can be personalised to your needs – if you must go on a five-‘ ‘Cleanse and Detox’ programme, this would be the place to do it.

Peeling yourself away from the hotel, depending on the season, you’ll find 200km of excellent ski slopes or green and inviting hiking and camping sites. Whatever the weather, a mountain lodge restaurant like Berghaus Wasserngrat (wasserngrat.ch) will provide all the Instagrammable sights you’ll need, including a huge wheel of locally made meringues and cream. Once fuelled there’s more to explore in this seemingly cosy town: a walk with a local guide will uncover tales of the secret army training base part of P-26, when the cows come down from the mountains decorated with flowers and how there are six different types of bell toll, all with different meanings.

Adventure and Culture: Excursions and Unique Attractions near Gstaad

For thrill-seekers in the warmer months, head up to Glacier 3000 (glacier3000.ch) for the world’s highest bobsleigh track, the ‘Alpine Coaster’ which takes you on a 1 km descent through a loop, ten curves, six waves, three jumps and two bridges and the only suspension bridge in the world that goes between two peaks, the ‘Peak Walk by Tissot’. Around the town of Gstaad are a number of weird and wonderful sights to help you work off all that indulgence. If you hire a car a scenic 1-hour drive will take you to Chaplin’s World (chaplinsworld.com) in Corsier-sur-Vevey, a museum in Charlie’s Manoir complete with set recreations from some of his most famous films.

Alternatively, if you like your entertainment a bit more macabre, head for the gothic Chateau St Germain in cheesy Gruyères which houses the HR Giger Museum (hrgigermuseum.com) filled with art from Giger’s various creative projects including the film Alien. Don’t miss a drink in the astonishing bar under the vertebra of an alien civilisation following the arches of the castle ceiling. Yes, that’s a thing.

What you need to know:

Thanks to Switzerland’s excellent train system, it’s easy to get to Gstaad from any of the country’s international airports. I chose to cross the country by flying into Zurich and out of Geneva.

Be sure to stay for a night or two in Zurich at the cosy, city centre Hotel Continental Zurich – MGallery by Sofitel (continental-zurich.hotels-zurich.org) which is the perfect location to dash to from the train station and dump your bag and go and explore. Rooms here start from £200 a night and include a sumptuous breakfast buffet. Check out our guide to Zurich over at houseofcoco.net

Rooms at The Alpina Gstaad (thealpinagstaad.ch) start at £674 per room in double-use occupancy including breakfast, daily credit of £80 per person and day for food and beverage consumption in our 3 restaurants (Sommet, Megu & Swiss Stübli), free access to pools, saunas, steam baths and relaxation areas at the Six Senses Spa, parking as well as service charge, all taxes and VAT.

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