Food and Drink Archives -

Belfast, or how to build a city out of smoke, ships and stubbornness

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 1, 2026March 24, 2026

Night view of Belfast waterfront with a curved bridge lit in purple, city buildings glowing across the water, and reflections shimmering on the river under a dark sky

Belfast is one of those cities that seems to have lived several completely different lives and kept souvenirs from all of them. It was a …

A crowd of cheerful London Marathon supporters stands behind a red Virgin Money barrier and a bright arch of red, yellow, and blue balloons, holding handmade signs and cheering on runners

30 Top UK festivals and events for April and May 2026

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026March 16, 2026

Quick takeaways April and May are excellent months for getting out and about in Britain. The weather is usually improving, the gardens are waking up, …

Brighton Palace Pier stretching out over the sea at golden hour, with white pavilion-style buildings and two Union Jack flags on the towers, a calm blue sky, and a stone promenade in the foreground with a bench overlooking the water.

City Breaks Coastal City Breaks

Seagulls, sequins and seaweed, a Brighton love story

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 20, 2026

There are plenty of places in Britain where the sea meets the land and people try their best to enjoy the bit in between, but …

Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol lit up at dusk, with its stone towers and glowing cables spanning the dark Avon Gorge beneath a deep blue evening sky.

City Breaks Coastal City Breaks

Bristol, Brunel’s playground and Banksy’s outdoor gallery

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 19, 2026

Bristol is one of those cities that cannot decide what it wants to be, so it simply becomes everything at once. Medieval port. Georgian show-off. …

Modern waterfront scene in Leeds with colourful apartment blocks and glass-fronted offices lining a calm canal, narrowboats moored along the edges, and bright reflections mirrored in the still water under a clear blue sky

City Breaks Weekend Getaways

Leeds, where Victorian confidence meets modern caffeine dependence

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 19, 2026

Leeds is one of those places that people think they understand until they actually turn up. They imagine a sensible northern city that does its …

ong-exposure night photo of Aberdeen’s Marischal College, its granite façade lit in purple and warm white, with bright bus light trails streaking across the street under a deep blue sky

City Breaks Coastal City Breaks

Aberdeen, the granite city that learned to sparkle

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 17, 2026

Aberdeen has the kind of name that sounds faintly stern, like a headmaster who still believes in proper posture. It sits up in the northeast, …

Panoramic rooftop view over Oxford, with the domed Radcliffe Camera on the left and the pale stone spires and towers of nearby colleges and chapels stretching across the city under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds

City Breaks Historic Cities

Oxford, the city where even the pubs have academic credentials

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 16, 2026

There are places with history, and then there is Oxford, where the buildings look as if they have been standing in judgement since the Middle …

Night view of Newcastle Quayside with the illuminated Tyne Bridge, Swing Bridge, and High Level Bridge reflecting on the River Tyne

City Breaks Weekend Getaways

Newcastle, the curious case of Britain’s friendliest show-off

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 10, 2026

Newcastle upon Tyne is a city that never quite does what you expect. One moment you’re standing by Roman ruins, the next you’re peering up …

anoramic view of Liverpool’s waterfront showing the Royal Liver Building and the other “Three Graces” beside the River Mersey, with the Museum of Liverpool and modern dockside buildings under a blue evening sky.

City Breaks Coastal City Breaks

Liverpool, The Beatles and beyond

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026February 9, 2026

Some cities welcome you the way a polite aunt does. A tidy high street, a respectable museum, a park with ducks that look faintly disappointed …

Wide panoramic view of dramatic white chalk sea cliffs curving into the distance along a calm blue-green coastline, with grassy tops and a gently sloping foreground headland under a bright, cloud-filled sky

Regional travel South East England

Kent, England’s garden, with lots of surprises

by kenroe61@gmail.comUpdated on April 2, 2026December 4, 2025

If England had a back garden, it would probably look like Kent. Rolling orchards, neat hedgerows, oast houses with their jaunty cowls, and villages that …