Christmas is approaching and one of my favourite things about this time of year is all the festive teas that come out. I’ve been a fan of Whittard of Chelsea’s tea range since arriving in Manchester and their Christmas Tea is one I look forward to every year. Here, I will present a selection of teas from their range which will make wonderful Christmas presents or as a treat for yourself!*
Last time I went to the Courthouse for afternoon tea, I fully enjoyed my time there. The Courthouse has a rich history as a functioning courthouse; Alan Turing was trialled for gross indecency here. I, therefore, was very much looking forward to going back a year later to try out their main menu and seeing how much has changed in this hotel, restaurant and events space.*
I became aware of the Mexican holiday, Día de Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead after watching Disney’s film, Coco. It occurs on the 2nd November and is typically a day for family to get together and honour those who have passed on. As well as visiting graves and cleaning them, colourful decorations are added to the grave and throughout the holiday to represent the vitality of those lives. Specific food is eaten at this time of the year, as well as delicious food. I was looking forward to seeing how Wahaca chose to represent this holiday at their Day of the Dead supper club with Thomasina Miers.*
Refined sugars as a common buzzword, but do most of us really know what is meant by refined sugars? This post will go into the basics of refined sugars and an interview with Meg, founder of Raw Halo, a chocolate bar range free of refined sugars.
I’ve always loved chocolate, so for me it was a simple change to healthier chocolate – that’s where the inspiration for Raw Halo was born. Meg from Raw Halo
If you’ve been following me on my social media channels, you will know that I’ve recently been spamming various articles related to the recent report on climate change at the United Nations. For a while, we assumed that climate change was a problem for future generations, but the recent report has shown that the effects could be felt in as little as 5 years. There is a lot that can be done to try and help save our future, ranging from reducing travel (yes that means fewer holidays), reducing plastic use, recycling more, buying more sustainably etc.
Whilst you can argue that the government must be the one to make major changes, I’m optimistic that consumer power can have an effect if we all just DO SOMETHING. The rise in vegetarian and vegan options is certainly not something that was created via a top-down approach! If we want to continue to have any quality of life over the next few decades of our lives, drastic action is required by all, and we need it fast!
As this blog primarily focuses on food, I will be discussing some thoughts specifically related to this but will also touch on some of the other stuff.
I know what you are probably thinking. Christmas already, Elsa? I’m not one to celebrate the holidays early (or any holiday for that matter…), but I can also understand from the restaurant’s point of view, now is the time to start planning their Christmas offerings. With a lot of offices throwing parties and friends getting together, that’s a lot of parties to plan. If you want to guarantee a place you know you like, then I’m afraid that yes, now is the time to start thinking about that. Here, I will cover what the Corn Exchange in Manchester has to offer! *
