Category: Uncategorized

  • Racism or incompetence? Check your damn photos

    I was introduced to my first real journalism mistake within a few hours of starting my first day as a reporter. I was sat trying to learn my way around the computer system when one of my new colleagues remarked that it was nice to see how quiet the phones were today. This seemed an…

  • Talking gin with the master of mixing

    More than a decade ago Desmond Payne was sat at a bar in Japan. But he had a problem. Tonic in Japan tastes different and it was ruining his gin and tonic. “So I looked around me,” he says. “And I thought: ‘What are people drinking?’ Tea. Green tea mostly. “Does tea and gin work?…

  • Crystal Head Vodka’s new bottle is cool!

    I will start this out with a confession: I am a big fan of Crystal Head Vodka. The first time I saw one of their skull bottles I thought it was one of the coolest things I had seen. I then met the team behind it at ork events and they were, simply put, some…

  • Lessons from literature: Paddington Bear

    “Words, Caravaggio. They have power.” I loved Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient when I studied it at school. This snatched quote here is a perfect summary of how books and stories can contain lessons and meanings for us to take with us after reading. This is rarely more true than when you think about the…

  • How to respond to a libel threat

    Libel threats are very in vogue at the moment. The esteemed President of the United States is currently the focus of a book whose contents and reliability are being disputed by the upper echelons, which makes this sort of thing a hot news topic. With that said, I wanted to share this courtesy of the…

  • Waffles and truffles at Monty Bojangles

    The weather has taken a turn for the cold and wet recently. The best thing to do at this time of year is find a nice warm spot to curl up for some refreshments. This morning S and I headed out to Reigate in search of brunch. After wandering along the High Street in the…

  • Christmas 2017: The list

    Christmas is coming and you may be searching for gift inspiration – either for yourself or for someone else. Here are a few thoughts to help you along the way. FILMS Baby Driver – Great film and the best soundtrack of the year Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol II Fantastic Beasts & Where To Find…

  • Friday Zeitgeist: Lion King, Sam Smith, Hallowe’en, Kevin Spacey

    Welcome to my first Friday Zeitgeist. zeitgeist ˈzʌɪtɡʌɪst/ noun the defining spirit or mood of a particular period of history as shown by the ideas and beliefs of the time. This aims to capture the spirit and mood of the last week by looking at eight things people have been talking about. Why? Well tonight…

  • Buckle and Seam bring back the briefcase

    Are we allowed to make briefcases a thing again? I don’t mean briefcases in the 1980’s Wall Street style, but a dignified case in which the respectable gent might carry his personal belongings for the day. The renaissance has already begun. Sort of. Pulp Fiction kept the briefcase in the public eye and now they…

  • Tim Minchin’s 9 life lessons

    You have probably heard of Tim Minchin – the dreadlocked Australian comedian, actor, writer, musician and director is well-known for his musical comedy and composing of successful shows Matilda The Musical and Groundhog Day. He is also a little bit chatty and opinionated. In 2013 he gave a speech to graduating students at his alma…