52 New Things - Week Twenty Three

I'm a big fan of cheese. I would have it with most meals if I could, but it hasn't always been that way. When I was a kid I would only eat the mildest cheddar cheese available. Even though over the years I've moved towards stronger cheese, cheddar has a special place in my heart. Therefore it seemed only fitting that I went to visit the birth place of cheddar, Cheddar in Somerset. Stuart and I jumped in the car to begin our uneventful 2 1/2 hour drive. Finally we reached the outskirts of Cheddar, and as we approached the small village we were busy glancing at all the tea rooms lining the road when we realised it had become very bumpy. We put this down to old streets but finally we had to pull over, just in case there was something wrong with the car, and, yep, we had a flat tire!

Now, neither Stuart or I had ever changed a tire before, so we didn't know if this whole thing would ruin the day, but after reading the car manual, a bit of teamwork and a couple of helpful locals our spare tire was safely popped on. We were a little behind schedule but luckily we wouldn't have to go to a garage or get the RAC out! 

We continued through Cheddar and parked at the top of the village. There was quite a lot we wanted to fit in and our first stop was the Cheddar Caves. There are a few caves around Cheddar and we headed to Gough's Cave. This cave, or system of caves has an awful lot of history in it. There is a cave drawing of a mammoth, thought to be around 13,000 years old and the remains of 'Cheddar Man' Britain's oldest complete human skeleton was found there. And that's just human history. The geolocial history dates much further back.

It is full of stalagmite and stalactites, and as you head deeper into the cave you are greeted by even more spectacular formations. 

The highlight for me was the cave named St Paul's Cathedral. My photos don't do it justice and it's difficult to describe but when you walk into the chamber it is easy to image how Richard Cox Gough, who discovered the chamber back in the late 1800's, felt. It's very dramatic, yet serene at the same time. Carved out through thousands of years erosion the whole place is a geologists dream, with beautiful colours lining the walls.  

The tickets we brought for Gough's cave also included entrance to other attractions including an open top bus tour, a look out tower and Cox's cave. However I really wanted to walk to the top of the Gorge to check out the view. Luckily the tickets are valid for 10 years (!) which meant we didn't have to rush through everything and could take time to enjoy our cheese picnic.

We brought some of the cave matured cheddar from the gift shop at Gough's cave. This is cheddar that has been matured in Gough's cave for up to a year, and to compliment it we went for some garlic cheddar. The garlic cheddar was lovely but I wasn't blown away by the cave matured cheddar, it was okay but had a bit of a bitter after taste. In fact, later on in the day we popped into another shop, the Original Cheddar Shop, to pick up some cheese to take home, and I much preferred their cheddar. I think there must be some stiff rivalry between cheese sellers in Cheddar as the shop keeper was quick to tell us that they've been selling cheese the longest and are the original cheddar shop in the area. They do not mature their cheddar in Gough's cave but have their own cave they use.  Obviously tourists (like myself) like the stamp of trying a cheese that's been stored in a cave I've just visited but if you do visit do try the Original Cheddar Shop, I found it to be much richer, strong but not bitter and a little creamy.

After our picnic of cheese, pickle and pork pies it was time to start our trek up the Gorge. There are two sides to the Gorge. The one with the lookout tower included on your cave ticket or the National Trust side. We decided to go the National Trust way. I am a fair weather exerciser and this was the first nice day we've had this year, so it was my first time really exerting myself and, dear lord, I was knackered. Later in May I am going to try and attempt to walk up Mount Snowdon so this was a small warm up, and I have so much work to do in the next few weeks! It didn't take us too long to get to the top but I was exhausted, however the view made up for all the hard work.

Once at the top, we decided to take the long way down, walking along the top of the Gorge and then, once we reached the bottom, following the main road back to our car. This was a more leisurely walk compared to the hike up the hill and I really enjoyed myself. It was lovely to see blue skies, feel the air on my skin and take in the fresh breeze. The way down was a little muddy, but that just gave me a chance to test out my new hiking boots. 

Once we reached the road there was still quite a distance to walk to return to the car, but with lots to see. We saw some of the famous Cheddar wild goats, some with kids, as well as people out with their climbing gear scaling the limestone walls. Finally we arrived back at the car. As we knew it would take us longer to get home with our spare tire we decided to wander round the town before heading off and grab some tea. After a very British day out the only way to end it was with fish and chips (or sausage and chips for me!).

I really enjoyed Cheddar and will be heading back, both to try out the attractions still left on our tickets, and also to see if I can get up that damn hill quicker!

52 New Things - Week Twenty Two

It's been a pretty grim, cold, rainy week so to add a bit of excitement to the weekend I decided I should head to Portsmouth to see my friend George and play a game or two of Bingo!

First stop though was cake. Originally George and I had discussed a cake crawl of the best tea rooms Portsmouth & Southsea had to offer. The first location we went to was crazy busy. We decided that the queue would be gone by the time we finished a game of Pitch and Put but we were wrong, it was just as long. So we headed to our second destination only to be disappointed by the range of cakes on offer. Finally we found ourselves in a tea room on Southsea Green and settled on a monster slice of Red Velvet cake (me) and Reeces Pieces cake (George). In hindsight, a cake crawl isn't the best idea we've ever had, it was quite lucky we didn't have cake in the first two locations as after one slice of cake and we were both stuffed, any more and we would have had to been rolled to bingo.

So full of tea and cake we headed to George's to prepare ourselves for the evening ahead by drinking more tea. Our destination for the evening was to be Crown Bingo in Cosham. 

Now, as 'Playing Bingo' was on my list on '52 New Things' it goes without saying I have never played bingo before so I didn't know what to expect. I was imagining teams of hen do's mixed with little old ladies in a damp derelict hall. I was pretty wrong. The hall we went to was huge! It used to be a theatre and tables were set up where the dress circle would have been as well as in the stalls area. It was clean, bright and really busy, but not with hen do's.

We arrived at 7 pm and the first game started at 7.30 pm so after signing in, purchasing our books and dobbers (the pens for ticking off our numbers) we headed to the bar/canteen to get some dinner to set us up for a busy night. The food totally lived up to my expectations. I wanted cheap yellow food and that is exactly what we got. Even though they had a fully stocked bar I stuck to a soft drink as I didn't want booze to hinder my chance of winning big.

And then before I knew it the games had started. At first, even though George said she told me the layout, I couldn't figure out the play slips. The numbers were coming thick and fast and I couldn't keep up. After one or two games though I suddenly realised there was some logic to the way the slips were laid out, and from then I started to enjoy myself. It was different to what I was expecting though. I suddenly realised why there were no hen do's - this game needs concentration and quiet. When the numbers were being called no one dared to speak, unless of course you had a line or full house. As soon as someone called out a win the whole hall would start to murmur. 

After a few rounds there would be a 10-15 minute break, a chance to nip to the bar, or toilet, or just have a gossip. But then it would all start again. There were some great prizes on offer. Most games had a jackpot of £400, and there were a few linked games where you could win up to £2500! These were some pretty high stakes, and that could explain why the hall was so busy. As we were coming to the end of the night I finally won something. I had two lines which gave me a prize of £30. That was probably more than I spent on the evening so, all in all, pretty darn good. I did enjoy the evening and would totally go again. Perhaps not every week, but I might check in once every 6 months to see if I can better my £30 win.

52 New Things - Week Twenty One

It's no secret that I don't cook much, but recently I've started to try and help out in the kitchen a bit more. I've realised that if I stick some music on whilst I'm cooking it's not all that daunting, and actually a little fun. To keep me in the spirit I decided that the new thing for week twenty one should be 'Attend a cooking class'.

I googled to see where I could go and in the end I picked a class with L'atelier des Chefs and headed to their venue/shop near St Paul's Cathedral. 

I picked this class for one reason alone; it was the cheapest I could find. They have different length classes on offer but to start off nice and simple I went for the 30 minute street food class for £15. As it was so reasonably priced it meant chef extraordinaire, Stuart, could join. For quite a while now Stuart has been trying to perfect his own curry, to help him along I decided we should try out the Chicken Jalfrezi class.

I guess Monday evening in February isn't their busiest time as there was only three of us in the class. This was great however, because I think normally they make the dishes in one big pot, but as they was only a few of us we got to make our own. We started by washing our hands, popping on some attractive plastic aprons and chopping the ingredients.

We had onions, garlic, ginger, chilli, plum tomatoes Stuart had to crush with his manly hands and some coriander. Next I massaged some spices into the chicken and then it was time to cook. It was all really simple and I don't know why cooking has always been something I've avoided. Once the chicken and spices were cooked in was a case of adding the ingredients we'd chopped up and stirring.

The chef/teacher was great. She had a lot of patience, answered all our questions, and explained exactly why we were doing things, and how it would affect the taste. As we got to cook our own separate curries, Stuart added a little chilli, I add a bit more and the other guy taking the class added even more. We were like our own three bears. And to be sure, mine was the one Goldilocks would have picked. It was perfect. Nice and tomato-ey, with just enough kick to enjoy but not blow your tastebuds out of your head.

This class was 30 minutes, but I think we probably went over that slightly, and then the best part, we got to stay in the shop/kitchen/bar and eat our creations. You can get drinks there so I even brought a beer to compliment my curry. This meant it was like an evening out; you might do the cooking but you can enjoy your meal without having to worry about the dishes!

I really enjoyed this class. The recipe was simple enough for me to definitely want to try at home, and I would certainly try another one of the classes. I think for now I'll stick to the 30 minute street food classes, but you never know, in a years time I might be a cooking junkie and want to take the two hour, three course meal class they offer!

52 New Things - Week Twenty

I've lived in London all my adult life, and whilst I've visited lots of the landmarks on offer, there are a few places I've yet to go to. One of them is the British Library. As an avid reader with delusions that one day I might sit down and write something of my own I feel this is a little bit of a crime. Therefore I had to add a visit to the British Library onto my 52 New Things. 

I jumped on the train into Central, had a quick look at Platform 9 3/4 at St Pancras and then made my way along to the library. I was greeted by a sculpture by Paolozzi of Newton (based on an etching by William Blake). It's a pretty imposing piece of art and nice way to let you know where you are. It was a bright and sunny Saturday morning so the place was quite busy. Lots and lots of people sat on laptops in the halls, perhaps composing the next great masterpiece.

To mark the 150th anniversary of the first publication the library is running an Alice in Wonderland exhibition. I headed there first, and although the exhibition is quite small there are some real delights to check out including Lewis Carroll's original manuscript, beautiful illustrations and a few Alice related trinkets. What I found most interesting was how the story has continued to inspire throughout the generations. It's a story most of us have heard or seen in one way or another and the love for it doesn't seem to be dying down.

After Wonderland I headed into the permanent 'Treasures of the British Library' exhibition. Here you can see some beautiful books including Shakespeare's First Folio and illustrated religious texts. My favourite part though was the hand written notes from Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and even one from Elizabeth I. The Tudor period is an era of endless fascination for me, so to see proof that people I have read so much about really existed was a bit of a geek treat. Now unless you have applied for a readers pass to see specific books in their collection I didn't find there was much more to do at the library, so I left and decided it was time for a quiet drink. To keep on the literary theme, Stuart found one of the last remaining galleried pubs, The George in Southwark

Slightly hidden in an alley near London Bridge the George was established in the medieval period, but part of it had to rebuilt in 1676 after a fire. It is a quaint place made up of a few connecting bars on the ground floor and the gallery above. The gallery is now a restaurant, however it was closed when we visited, but you can still stand up there to drink your beer and grab some fresh air. The Inn is reportedly one of the oldest pubs in London, and Shakespeare probably would have been a patron. In the Victorian era it was also a coffee shop that Charles Dickens visited, and he even mentions it in Little Dorrit. It has a lot of history, and you can definitely tell because of the prices! £5.50 for  bottle of beer and £1.50 for a packet of crisps! Even as a Londoner I was a little shocked.

The day out reminded me how much I enjoy the history of London and also how much I love to get lost in a story. I used to spend 90 minutes commuting to work (each way) and would read for the whole journey. I would finish so many books, and I'd read anything I could get my hands on. Since we moved and my commute has been reduced I don't get to read as much, but I made a New Year's resolution to make more time and get back to reading. So if you have any book recommendations let me know in the comments below.

52 New Things - Week Nineteen

So when I first put together this list of 52 New Things I was pretty excited about one of the items; Stay in a 5 star hotel. As soon as I started the project I searched to see when and where I could do this. Perhaps for the New Year, or Stuart's birthday? Maybe my birthday? Turns out 5 star hotels, particularly in the UK are really expensive! I was beginning to think that this task would be the one I'd save until last and then spend all my money on, but luckily this didn't happen. I had to go away for a week with work and my boss had booked us into a 5 star hotel! Win, I get to tick something off my list and didn't have to pay for it! We were staying in the Quanzhou C&D hotel in Fujian, China. 

One thing to note is the price of staying in a 5 star hotel in Quanzhou is a lot less than anywhere in the UK. The Quanzhou C&D was picked because it was central to where our meetings would happen, and it had a few home comforts. I arrived at the hotel, knackered after a long flight so just swept through the big, bright and clean lobby straight into the room ready to sleep for a few hours.

The room wasn't too different to 4 star hotels that I've stayed in before, but the bed was so comfy. I woke the next morning ready to check out view.

And then, more importantly check out the mini bar and tea selections. In my opinion these are the cornerstones of a good hotel room, and I wasn't disappointed. We had tea, wine and snacks.

There was a lot in the hotel that I didn't have time to check out, including the gym, pool and sauna, but everything seemed well run. There were lots of staff around to help and everyone was always smiling. Perhaps the best part of the stay was the buffet breakfast, which had a huge range of traditional Chinese and more western options too. I didn't take any photos but even after three days there I hadn't been able to try everything on offer.

Quanzhou was an interesting place to visit. I would have enjoyed more time to explore but I was there for work so free time was limited. If I ever have to visit China again with work I will definitely consider taking holiday time afterwards so I can travel around to see more of the country. Staying in a 5 star hotel was a new experience, but I don't think it was much different to 3 or 4 star places I have visited, so unless I can get a really good deal I'm not worried if I never stay in one again. But it's one more thing off the list!