Published on Life in Luxury on 5th December 2014:
Category Archives: Online
Dark star: The sleepy Chinese town brought alive by its murky past
Published on CNN on 16th November 2014:
At first glance, the sleepy Chinese town of Anren, isn’t much to look at unless you’re a fan of the giant Buddha heads and vintage water tanks being hawked outside its vintage buildings.
And then, around a corner, everything changes.
At the far end of a long driveway lies a colossal complex and one single word that has come to define Anren: museums.
A time for cha: traditional Chinese tea in Chengdu
Published on Lonely Planet on 23rd September 2014:
Drinking tea is as central to life in Chengdu as its pungent Sichuan peppercorns or the city’s other favourite pastime, mah-jong.
Many people carry flasks, pre-filled with tea leaves, ready for hot water wherever they go. Others head to the city’s many teahouses.
A single street might be populated with five or six different teahouses; the same again can be found on the next. It’s a density that persists whether you’re in the heart of the city or in the suburbs.
No Dessert, Please: Chenin Blanc is the Loire Valley’s Sweet Rock Star
Published on Palate Press on 2nd September 2014:
When it comes to sweet wines, those from the Loire Valley are something of an unsung hero.
You will note that the term “sweet wine” is being carefully used here instead of dessert wine because in France, the consumption of these sweet little numbers isn’t solely restricted to dessert. In fact, they could be drunk any time from aperitif to digestif. These chenin blanc-based sweet wines are highly prized throughout France but barely make it onto the export market. It’s an unfortunate fact, as the Loire is capable of creating a seriously eclectic portfolio of delicious wines.
