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Feeling inspired by the food cooked by Tom’s Feast, I decided to try out one of Tom’s recipes this weekend, using leftover beetroot from the  veggie patch, to make t he beetroot and chocolate cake that I’d had at the Valentine’s for Everyone meal last week. I like the fact that this recipe not only contains one of my five a day but is also flourless, so gluten free.  http://www.tomsfeast.com/2012/02/beetroot-and-chocolate-cake/ This cake is more of a dessert dish than an afternoon tea, is extremely rich so best served in small portions with an  accompaniment  of creme fraiche or ice cream ( I suggest Booja Booja vanilla ice-cream). Nom nom.

I didn’t think the highlight of Valentine’s Day would be eating a heart but today was set to confound my expectations in many ways. On arrival at Fareshare’s headquarters in east London we were ushered into the warehouse for drinks and canapes, where it was ubundantly clear by the stacks of unwanted foods and industrial fridges surrounding us that eco-chef Tom Hunt would be spoilt for choice of ingredients. Amongst the crates I spotted supermarket own brand goods from Tesco Value pasta to Sainsburys Taste the Difference Olive Oil Crostini, brand name goods including Nestle and Green Giant, and independent producers such as Propercorn gourmet popcorn. As I surreptiously checked out the clientele, we were served a warming aperitif of mulled cider with star anise and delicious canapés of confit rabbit offal, cod-head cakes and pork liver pate with onion marmalade. While there were certainly lots of couples out for an alternative take on the Valentine’s meal, groups of friends were also t...

I’m going on a date tonight, but it isn’t with my Valentine (he’s at home stroking the cat). It’s with a great girlfriend in need of some TLC and a large bottle of wine after a recent break-up. Now I don’t normally go out for a meal on Valentine’s Night, everyone knows it’s the worst night for service and restaurants are known to churn out the food safe in the knowledge that no-one is going to complain in front of their date. Also I’m not known for looking longingly into my lover’s eyes while I await a frankly average overpriced plate of food made to look romantic in some overworked way. However I was drawn to Valentine’s for Everyone, a pop-up restaurant in collaboration with  Forgotten Feast    and their eco-chef Tom Hunt to produce a 3 course banqueting experience made up unwanted foods saved by FareShare that might otherwise end up in landfill. I’m grateful to see that everyone will sit together for the feast, so me and my compadre shouldn’t get too many looks from c...

No holiday to Hoi An is complete without a trip to one of the town’s renowned tailors. Armed with magazine tear-sheets from the latest catwalks, Joanna Peios hits the tailor shops of Hoi An in search of a fashion fix. You could be forgiven for thinking the streets of Hoi An are paved with silk: the Unesco World Heritage listed town boasts more than 400 tailors who can whip up a made-to-measure outfit quicker than you can say airline baggage allowance.  Inside the showrooms, satisfied customers swirl elegantly before mirrors while others pour over catalogues and browse walls seemingly built from coloured bolts of fabric. Some have come prepared, armed with magazine cut-outs of celebrities parading the perfect dress. Tape measure wielding assistants wander the floors like fairy godmothers, ready to turn dreams into reality. Whether you’re after a trip down the red carpet, out to snare that promotion, or just in need of a fashion fix, Hoi An is a great place to indulge fa...

Foodies are heading 50 minutes north of Chiang Mai to dine at small boutique mini-resort, Chiang Dao Nest. Joanna Peios discovers its not just the food drawing the crowds. Chiang Dao Nest, or The Nest as its affectionately known by regulars, is a popular remote mini-resort for trekking and birdwatching, and is fast becoming a foodie destination in its own right. One well known food bible recently named it: ‘The best restaurant between Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai’ and it certainly lived up to its accolade. If you are looking for a place to get away from the bustling urban jungle, Chiang Dao Nest is a back-to-nature experience that’s hard to beat. With car rental cost at around 1000 Baht a day, my husband and I decided to make a weekend of it and explore the surrounding area. We took Highway 107 north from Chiang Mai towards Fang and Tha Ton and drove 72km to Chiang Dao town. The scenic drive was easy and you really felt like you were getting away from the city as we weaved our way ...

I started blogging in 2006 as I was travelling quite a bit and needed somewhere to share my stories and photos with my friends, family and publishing contacts. Back then Blogger was the only decent blog publishing tool and limited bandwidth in places like Vietnam was a continuous struggle. Frequent power cuts and software glitches meant I’d often reel off paragraphs of text in some overpriced, hot and hectic internet cafe only to see it disappear as quickly as I’d typed it. With the birth of my first child in 2007 I dropped off the blogosphere and now with her finally starting school and as the workload/travels pick up again I find myself attempting to pick up where I left off. It’s amazing the range of social media tools out there now and simply choosing which publishing tool is frankly baffling. At least internet speeds have improved. And I've become quite addicted to Twitter. On a recent trip to Vietnam I was delighted to be able to pick up wifi in most places and the majority o...

With the big Xmas shop nearly upon us, I thought it apt to post this report from Ethical Consumer. In case you are wondering where to go, this report may sway you. And with credit crunched shoppers turning to the hard discounters (Aldi, Lidl and Netto) what’s the true cost of bargain shopping? Ethical Consumer has released a new report on the social and environmental records of 19 supermarket and convenience store chains. The report contains a detailed breakdown of the chains’ environmental reporting – the best rating goes to Co-op, M&S, and, consumers’ will be surprised to learn, Budgens and Londis (both owned by the Musgrove Group). Progressive policies on product sourcing are reviewed - from animal welfare to timber sourcing – with Waitrose, M&S, Sainsbury and the Co-op clear leaders. Consumers’ concerned with animal testing policy will be surprised to learn Aldi shares the top spot with M&S and Co-op. Both Co-op and M&S are signed up to BUAV’s humane cosmetic stand...