The last few months have flown by and Christmas is almost here – and Christmas means mince pies and yule log and mulled wine and much feasting. So when we spotted a Festive Tea on offer at the Headland Hotel in Newquay Mo and I decided it would be rude not to. Continue reading
Me and Mo were long overdue a proper catch up so last week when Mo suggested heading to Falmouth and to Dolly’s, a tea room by day and a gin palace by night, I knew we’d be in for a treat. Continue reading
Mo writes…
Mr Mo and I like boats. Mr Mo likes dinghies, going fast and getting wet but I like to take things easy and relax with a nice G&T. So off we sailed from Barcelona for a seven night Mediterranean Islands cruise on board the Star Pride, a small, intimate ship, which can get into ports the larger ships can’t. No formal nights so the wardrobe planning’s a doddle. As we left the port of Barcelona to the first of many of ‘sail-away’ parties the music from 1492 – Conquest of Paradise by Vangelis was playing loudly, a fitting anthem to put everyone in the sailing mood! My fascination with the skills of a ship’s Pilot was to begin here. Continue reading
For our final week in Italy we headed back north to Lake Como and the lovely, unspoilt village of Torno. Set on the hillside overlooking the lake is Villa Matilda (or ‘The Castle” as it’s known locally) which has been restored with infinite care and attention to detail by its American owners, Tony and Shirley, who live there with their young son. On arrival we were invited by our hosts for early evening drinks by the pool and we were still there at midnight having enjoyed fabulous food, wine and company. It was a wonderful start to our week in Lake Como. Continue reading
Italians do so many things with style. Including, as we discovered on the long journey south to Tuscany, motorway services. The new Eataly per Autogrill near Modena is grandly described as ‘a gastronomic digression from our customary haste’ and offered an amazing choice of fresh and deli food. My enthusiasm, however, probably wouldn’t stretch as far as visiting Eataly World (aka Disney for Food Lovers) when it opens near Bologna next year.
We eventually arrived at our home for the week, Castellare di Cellole, a beautiful former priory restored from a ruin by Adela and Mauro. Continue reading
Our home for a week was Casa dell’Ava in the tiny mountain village of Pianazzola 300 vertical metres and a series of terrifying hairpin bends above the ancient town of Chiavenna in Val Bregaglia. Continue reading
Beautiful though Cornwall is, change is good and the Tealeaflets are off on holiday with our respective other halves. For me, this means a tour of Italy while Mo and Mr Mo head off for a taste of life on the ocean wave. Tea and cake are still foremost in our minds though I suspect they may have to compete with ice cream and wine…
We will report.
(With apologies to Mo for going without her!)
Miss Lucy is on half-term and as she’s now officially a DFL (Down from London), the sunny terrace at the Hotel Tresanton in St Mawes was the perfect spot for an afternoon treat. Continue reading
Mo suggested meeting yesterday in the Caff at the Cornish Food Box Company in Truro. It’s based in a building which is tucked behind Walsingham Place and has had many guises in the past including a coffin store and Socialist Workers meeting place. Continue reading
Monday was a beautiful sunny day after a wild weekend here in Cornwall. The weather had thrown all it had at us – rain, hail, sleet, snow, gales, thunder and lightning.
Me and Mo had arranged to meet in the Arts Cafe, one of my favourite places in Truro. Continue reading
the tea leaflets 