Creator of the social media phenomenon and bestselling book, Tired and Tested, Sophie McCartney’s foray into fiction is explosive. Mother Hens is a chick lit black comedy about recently-divorced Cara Carmichael. She escapes to Ibiza with...
The taste of Scotland: Dean Banks at the Pompadour and Dulse

When chef, Dean Banks, opened his first restaurant, Haar, in St. Andrews in 2019, one of the first bookings came from the cast of the hit TV drama, Succession. Filming in Dundee at the time,...
Mum’s Gone To Edinburgh: Glenlockhart Cottage

We stayed in Glenlockhart Cottage in November 2021. I must apologise for taking so long to write about this gorgeous accommodation. I wonder if I secretly didn’t want to share this gem, in case...
Staying at The Old Dairy, Cambridge Country Cottages

2022 was the year we searched the internet for romantic retreats, barn conversions and country cottages. We booked short breaks in beautiful self-catering accommodation on the outskirts of York, the coast near Whitby and...
Kerrycroy: self-catering accommodation in Perthshire, Scotland

Last summer I had a yearning to travel after being constrained by the first lockdown. As soon as we could, we made plans to go to Scotland. We have great friends, Marion and Henry,...
Ayscoughfee Hall Cafe has the recipe for success

If you live in Spalding, or visit as a tourist, you’re bound to make a beeline for Ayscoughfee Hall. It dates from the mid-15th century and is a Grade I listed building. Whilst the...
Book Review: Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

An American actress and a European prince. The world’s media going crazy for a fairytale romance featuring Hollywood and royalty. Sound familiar? We’ve just experienced the frenzy around the marriage of Meghan Markle and...
Duke House, a beautiful bolthole in the centre of Cambridge

I remember my first overnight stay in Cambridge in 1981. I was lying in a small single bed in a hotel room near the river Cam, staring at the ceiling, listening to my mum...