I mince pie with my little eye… December 17, 2013 This week, we salute the humble mince pie. They’re as much a part of a British Christmas as Buck’s Fizz, crackers and pigs in blankets. Here, the Morning Wire team gives their verdict on the best luxury pies in the run up to the big day Konditor & Cook Mince Pie Dozen 7.8/10 With the [...]
Get Fit Diary: Balancing newfound fitness with Christmas indulgence December 17, 2013 @AlexDymoke WHEN I tell people I’m doing a 12-week Get Fit challenge, everyone always asks the same thing, “What about when it finishes? Are you going to carry it on?” Short term at least, the answer is simple: no. Christmas is around the corner, and if you think I’m going to spend the party season [...]
Dacia has made quality on a budget December 16, 2013 The good-looking Duster comes with an even more attractive price tag for money-savvy SUV fans BARGAIN motoring options are not usually part of the brief for this column. But budget brand Dacia has been shaking things up so much recently that it’s impossible to ignore. Once, the Romanian carmaker was making cheap cars for central [...]
Not convinced? December 16, 2013 CHECK OUT THESE ALTERNATIVES… KIA SPORTAGE 1.6 GDI PRICE: £17,495 0-62MPH: 10.7 secs TOP SPEED: 111mph CO2 G/KM: 149g/km MPG COMBINED: 44.1mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN Four Stars PERFORMANCE Three Stars PRACTICALITY Three Stars VALUE FOR MONEY Three Stars NISSAN QASHQAI 1.6 VISIA PRICE: £16,895 0-62MPH: 11.9 secs TOP SPEED: 113mph CO2 G/KM: 144g/km MPG COMBINED: 45.6mpg THE VERDICT: DESIGN [...]
Prince Harry got to the Pole – but you can still help December 15, 2013 Last chance to take part in the Walking Home For Christmas appeal to help raise money for wounded troops AFTER four weeks trekking across the Antarctic Plateau, the Virgin Money South Pole Allied Challenge teams arrived at the South Pole just after noon on Friday. Prince Harry described it as an “amazing feeling” to have [...]
Christmas cheers December 15, 2013 Our very own wine buff Neil Bennett quizzes the City glitterati about their Christmas wine plans AMID the piles of Christmas wrapping paper and credit card bills, there is one gift wine lovers can give themselves on Christmas Day – setting aside a special something to share with the family. Personally, I spend far too [...]
A classy end to a successful season of Michael Grandage December 12, 2013 THEATRE HENRY V Noël Coward theatre | By Xenobe Purvis Four Stars OVER the course of Michael Grandage’s five-play season at the Noel Coward Theatre, the venue has seen star-studded casts perform parts as diverse as spliff-smoking fairies and cross-dressing soldiers. And now it is home to Henry V, which – although offering us nothing [...]
The Bottle Opener: Champagne’s leading man December 12, 2013 The last eponymous head of a champagne house talks about his passion for fizz Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger, the last eponymous head of a great champagne house, personifies the wine he has spent his life making and selling; full of elegance, charm and effervescence. “I am a singular man. I am an iconoclast. My favourite food is [...]
Rewarding – if you battle through all the way to end December 12, 2013 FILM THE HOBBIT Cert PG | By Melissa York Three Stars THE DESOLATION of Smaug opens in a tavern a year before An Unexpected Journey (the first instalment). It’s here that Gandalf the Grey bumps into Thorin Oakenshield, the would-be king of dwarves, and convinces him to steal the precious Arkenstone from underneath a fire-breathing [...]
Gifts for her December 10, 2013 Your guide to what to buy the ladies in your life this Christmas ◆ Technology ◆ Accessories ◆ Drinks ◆ Toys ◆ Food Great gadgets… Our pick of the tech must-haves this festive season Cuisinart ice cream and gelato maker £250.00 cuisinart.co.uk Frends white leather and gold Taylor headphones £170.00 avenue32.com iBed £12.00 sciencemuseumshop.co.uk Xbox [...]