Tired all the time? It’s a modern-day ailment, which, unless you’re a chronic insomniac or a new parent, could be a sign you’re over-stressed, over-stimulated and find it a struggle to relax and recharge. Despite technological advances and time-saving devices, our busy lives mean there never seems to be enough time. That feeling of being overwhelmed and overloaded can easily become a permanent fixture.

‘We’re always switched on: we can be accessed any time, anywhere, by phone, text, email or Skype,’ says HFG expert and GP Dawn Harper. ‘Many of my patients tell me there’s always something to think about or worry about – some other thing they should be doing, whether they’re lying in bed, driving to work or meant to be relaxing on holiday. It’s mentally exhausting.’

You can read the full article in the Winter 2015 edition of CuiZine.

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Time to beat energy slumps appeared first on CuiZine Magazine.

This wonderful pub set inside a lovely tile-hung Edwardian building combines a bustling bar to catch up with friends over a drink after work, a smart eatery serving outstanding quality food, and beyond it a sunny terrace which is an idyllic place to relax.

PRIVATE DINING

The Barn sits just by the entrance to The Swan and offers a lovely venue for all sorts of events. Enjoy the same attentive service as in the eatery but with the menu, layout and whole experience tailored exactly to fit your needs.
This beautiful country pub has undergone a transformation inside and out to make it an even more stunning place to enjoy fantastic food cooked by its award-winning head chef Stefano Boi and warm hospitality from its friendly team. For memorable dining, whether you come for a family celebration, an intimate wedding breakfast or an elegant dinner party with friends or colleagues, The Swan is the perfect place.

You can read the full article in the Winter 2015 edition of CuiZine.

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Private dining and more appeared first on CuiZine Magazine.

Common myth has it that the cocktail is a wholly American gift to the world of high spirits. But let’s hold that glass between bar and lips for a moment or two. Vermouth. Gin. Vodka. Surely European inventions. We might concede that the Americans came up with the idea of adding the ice but as for its being the fount of all things cocktail we might need to think again. Maybe think back as far as early 18th-century Britain.

During the 1690s Britain was blessed with good harvests and mountains of surplus grain. With prices careering south, King William III decreed that taxes should be cut on the distillation of grain in order to make good use of the bounty. Soon hundreds of thousands of gallons of neutral grain spirit was coursing through the nation.

The initial selling point of all those peddling all this hard liquor was its benefits to the drinker’s health. And they had a point. Although the exact science was still to be laid bare, there was an understanding that poor quality drinking water contributed to the outbreaks of such fatal conditions as typhoid, cholera and dysentery. The antidote was to consume alcohol instead: sterilised and pathogen-free. And now here was a market awash not just with beers and ciders but the real tough stuff.

You can read the full article in the Winter 2015 edition of CuiZine.

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A surprising history of the cocktail appeared first on CuiZine Magazine.

Throughout his career, Raymond Blanc has not just been an inspirational conjuror of sensational food but an inspirational teacher in the kitchen too. A menu full of the UK’s most renowned chefs have
had the opportunity to hone their skills, their dishes, their balances of textures and flavours under
Raymond’s tutelage.

To celebrate 30 years of Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Raymond Blanc is set to welcome back members of his brigade to host a series of Diner des Protégés at his two Michelin Star Oxfordshire restaurant.

Throughout 2015, guests joining the Diner des Protégés evenings will be able to savour the acclaimed chefs’ signature creations during an evening of gastronomic excellence.

The food of Belmond Le Manoir will be reflected in each menu, which will include an introductory course from Raymond Blanc, as well as one from Executive Head Chef Gary Jones and Pastry Chef Benoit Blin.

You can read the full article in the Spring 2015 edition of CuiZine.

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Raymond Blanc invites former chefs back to celebrate appeared first on CuiZine Magazine.

When Michelin-starred chef, Michael North, bought the Nut Tree in Murcott, he wasn’t simply investing in a pub; he was, as he tells Julian Foster, coming home.

Twelve years ago, Michael North and his partner, Imogen, were visiting the picturesque Oxfordshire village of Murcott. Out for a walk, the couple, in the middle of one of those ‘what would we really like to be doing’ conversations, found themselves stood outside the Nut Tree pub, thatched, oak-beamed and marinaded in age-old traditions of hospitality. “Own that pub,” they both said, smiled and wandered on.

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