Wanderlust and Words

At the foot of a steep hill, the village of Broadway used to be a major stopping place for coaches travelling between Worcester and London. Later, it attracted writers, musicians and artists and played an important role in the development of the Arts and Crafts movement. Nowadays, the high street is lined with art galleries, antique stores and other independent shops and is very popular with tourists visiting the Cotswolds. And it was just a short bus journey from where I was staying in Winchcombe. A 17th century coaching inn houses an outpost of the Ashmolean Museum . I would have liked to visit the Gordon Russell Design Museum , but it’s closed in January. There is a wonderful deli , a wine store, and various other specialty food stores. Be sure to try English wine and cider and the Cotswold Handmade Meringues are really, really good. I had morning tea with a toasted tea cake at the Broadway Hotel , a pub lunch at the Swan Inn overlooking the village green, ...

Drift Sidewalk Café, Feb. 3 Drift Sidewalk Café , next door to Escape Sports, is tentatively scheduled to open on Feb. 3.   Chefs’ Gala & Showcase, Feb. 7 The Saskatoon Chefs’ Association, in partnership with 4 local theatre and music groups, is hosting the Chefs’ Gala and Showcase on Feb. 7. Tickets are available on Picatic . Valentine’s Day Tour/Tasting, Feb. 14 Book a complimentary tour and tasting at Lucky Bastard Distillers and pick up a gift card so you’re sweetie can leave with a gift of their choosing.   Craft Beer & Cheese Festival, February 27 Prairie Sun Brewery is hosting a festival of local food and drink on February 27. In addition to beer, there will be local wines and liqueurs. You can eat, dance, drink, and learn from the local food experts.   Vegetarianism on the Rise 12% of the UK population identify as either vegan or vegetarian, and 20% of 16-25 year olds self-identify this way. "With more people becoming plant curious, restaurants a...

Flavourful is short and sweet this week. Enjoy! Saskatoon The Food Centre is offering a Fermentation of Vegetables workshop on Feb. 27. England Here are a few English food items that I found interesting. Growing Grapes Under Glass I had a very nice glass of wine from Strawberry Hill Vineyards in Gloucestershire this week. Climate change means warmer weather and England is making more wine than it has ever done before. Strawberry Hill takes advantage of cool-weather grapes, but they are also growing some of their grapes in greenhouses, lengthening their season by 4-6 weeks. Scotch Eggs Scotch eggs are traditionally made by adding a coating of sausage meat to a hard-boiled egg. But the Handmade Scotch Egg Company has applied a little creativity and come up with over 40 different varieties, including some vegetarian ones. Smoked Cotswold Brie Brie is always a favourite cheese, but I was surprised to find a smoked Brie. Simon Weaver Cotswold Organic Dairy uses apple wo...

It snowed overnight, but traffic seems to be moving so it can't have been enough to stop traffic up Cleeve Hill. It's sunny now, but they're predicting heavy rain and gales for later in the day. I must be getting soft, because it felt quite chilly at zero degrees. My Vancouver friends will understand.

Eat local . . . drink local Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria  River Heights will soon have a new pizzeria. Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria will be opening at 300-136 Primrose Drive on January 19 . They promise to deliver a hand-stretched, hand-tossed pizza cooked in a traditional fire-roasting Italian pizza oven. Famoso opened in Edmonton in 2007. They now have locations in Alberta, British Columbia and Ontario. Sunday brunch at Prairie Sun Brewery  Brunch is now being served from 11 am to 3 pm , Sundays, at Prairie Sun Brewery. And, yes, there’s a vegetarian option – thanks, Tom. New PA Businesses Two new businesses are opening in downtown Prince Albert . Rock Creek Café, a licensed restaurant with a northern-inspired menu, hopes to open in February or March. Melanie Quintal, owner of Funky Fresh Bistro, went to Belgium to become a certified chocolatier, and will now be opening a chocolate shop, that will also serve as overflow space, adjacent to the Bistro. Signs of S...

The sun was shining so I headed out the door for a walk bright and early this morning. With a little experimentation and some helpful advice from a local, I was able to complete a circular route on quiet country lanes. I entered the grounds of Sudeley Castle by the back gate. I then crossed a stream inhabited by ducks and swans. After leaving the Castle grounds (unfortunately, the Castle is closed in the winter), I followed a quiet country lane. There were some lovely old houses. This one had an enormous walled garden - I would have loved to be able to peek inside. There were fields full of sheep . . . . . . and kale. Winchcombe lay sprawled in the valley below.

I'm looking after two cats for three weeks in Winchcombe , a small town near Cheltenham in Gloucestershire. I feel like I'm living in a picture postcard. There are centuries-old buildings and green rolling hills dotted with sheep. I hope that my photographs will give you a taste of Winchcombe. I'm staying in the flat above The Cat's Whiskers This is the view from my window of Winchcombe's High Street. Winchcombe was a royal town in Saxon times, a pilgrimage centre in the Middle Ages, and a prosperous town in Victorian times. Dent almshouses, 1865 St. Peter's Church has over 40 gargoyles, including a self-portrait of the stone mason himself. King Offa of Mercia founded a nunnery here in 787 A number of long-distance footpaths radiate out from Winchcombe, and I enjoy walking along a quiet country lane much frequented by dog owners and runners. The Cotswolds are renowned for their local food products and I'm eating ...

Norwich Wine & Beer Riversdale Delicatessen is now offering beer and wine. City Perks Coffee Shop has applied for a liquor permit. Sale - Dad’s Organic Market  Dad’s Organic Market, Saskatoon, is holding a Hoopla Sale with big discounts on almost everything on January 16 and 17 . Ukrainian Christmas  Makivnyky (poppy seed rolls) and Kolach (braided bread) for Ukrainian Christmas are available at The Night Oven Bakery this week . Ugly Fruit & Veg  Asda, the UK’s second largest supermarket, will be selling misshapen fruit and vegetables that would otherwise go to waste for a discount, starting at the end of January. The retailer’s research “showed that 65% of its customers were now open to the idea of buying oddly shaped fresh produce, while 75% would definitely buy “wonky” if it was cheaper.”  Norwich Eat Your Peas  The English love their peas and beans, and they use them in some interesting ways, often flavoured with mint. I...

Reading is one of the true pleasures in my life and I read voraciously. Here are a handful of my favorite books from 2014. Business  Ice Cream Social: The Struggle for the Soul of Ben & Jerry’s For entrepreneurs and business owners, there’s an ongoing struggle between making a profit and contributing to society. Ice Cream Social discusses how Ben & Jerry's evolved, how they tried to involve employees, use their buying power to make political changes, and run an ethical business. In the end, they sell the business to Unilever, but they persist in their efforts to run an ethical business – a fascinating and optimistic book. Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work Chip and Dan Heath write awesome books, informative and eminently practical. I started using their suggestions before I had finished reading this book. Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products  If you’re curious about how Apple products are designed, here’s your ans...