A short hop from Sydney to Prosperie and now based in Airlie Beach Queensland in the most beautiful setting overlooking turquoise blue waters and palm trees. We stayed in the MirageWhitsundays which was ideal. A series of private apartments overlooking Tropical beaches with all the amenities of home. We had a beach front spacious apartment with a…
Quay
I think the highlight of our trip to Sydney will remain to be our incredible lunch at Quay.The executive chef here is Peter Gilmore and since he has been at the helm the restaurant has remained, for the last five years, listed amongst the top 50 Restaurants in the world. Peter Gilmore is from Sydney and…
Botanical Gardens
Sun shining we spent some of the morning at the The Royal Botanic Gardens. In the centre of the city and a beautiful stroll on a sunny morning. Enjoying an iced coffee and the infamous Banana Bread which is prevelant all over Australia we also observed the extrodinary wildlife considered by most locals to be…
Sydney
It is an epic journey to reach this great continent but what a great city welcomed us. The weather on arrival was not dissimilar to the London drizzle we are used to so that was a little disappointing and did determine what we got up to for the first couple of days. We were staying…
Paris at Christmas
We seem to be travelling the globe in the footsteps of our very fortunate and ambitious daughters who study and work overseas. This time it was to attend a graduation ceremony and Paris was looking spectacular in the December sunshine. The nation was cheerful and very welcoming and we had a wonderful few days in…
Dalloway Terrace
I was feeling distinctly not in a Christmas mood or spirit until I experienced the wonderful winter wonderland that Dalloway Terrace have created in this pocket of Bloomsbury. I love this area having spent years at the British Museum and the Bloomsbury set linger with constant reminders such as Dalloway which was named after a character…
Christmas London
London embraces the Christmas spirit and despite the crowds is buzzing with atmosphere and a feast for the eyes. Retailers excel themselves with spectacular displays and an outstanding collection of great gift ideas and products. I have been enjoying a glut of retail window shopping to inspire some original gifts for family and friends this…
#Cook for Syria
What a fantastic evening we all enjoyed last night! This was an inspired event which was initiated by Clerkenwellboy (award winning instagrammer) and Serena Guen of Suitcase Magazine in partnership with Next Generation London (this is UNICEF’s young professional fundraising group). The aim of the evening was to provide humanitarian aid to children affected by the crisis of Syria….
The Ivy Cafe Wimbledon Village
The chaos of Wimbledon Tennis is now over and an element of tranquility in Wimbledon Village resumed. On June 11th in the heart of the village The Ivy Cafe opened its doors and what a very welcome addition this is. I love this venue. Inside and out it has been carefully considered and designed in…
Rooftop Film Club
June in London and not exactly the warm summer evenings we look forward to at this time of year. Despite this Immie and I ventured to Peckham to discover the Rooftop Film Club situated on the roof of the Bussey Building in Rye Lane South East London. What a great concept. The ground was carpeted…
Anthony Stern
I recently visited The Club at The Ivy and was impressed with the collection of British Contemporary Artists and amongst these was some of the work of Anthony Stern. I worked for Anthony for some time and I was reminded that his glass works were displayed in this great establishment. Anthony has an interesting and loyal…
Reiko Hashimoto
Reiko Hashimoto has just completed a series of Sushi Masterclasses at her cookery school Hashi .To introduce us to a taster of some of her other fantastic classes we were invited to The Loft at The Club at The Ivy. On the agenda were Gyoza (a shallow fried dumpling which is effectively first steamed and then allowed to…
theenglishcontessa.com 