Masterchef The Professionals 2026 Set To Be The Best Final Cook Ever

We are in for the night For Masterchef Final as Luke, Mark and Gareth Compete For The Trophy

Andrew James

2026-03-25T09:17:00.0000000 2026-03-25T13:37:39.1000000

A week ago we declared Gareth the winner, then it shifted to Luke, Mark was out and Caroline was in and then Mark was not only in but upping his game and challenging for the title.

I cannot remember a Masterchef professionals being this engaging and literally so exciting.

I even spent time really looking into the career, background and business @preamar.co on Instagram of semi final contestant Caroline Meyer Kerber and seeing her real passion and love for what she does shine through how she communicates on social media. I put a couple of comments on her feed and she replied personally to both. How many people with profile humbly do that these days?

I think like many others we were shocked to see her go. In our house we thought it would be Mark @mark.o.brian but one mistake from Caroline on her dessert and some crazy cooking and raising his game on presentation and all of a sudden it’s anyone’s competition. After the episode when all three remaining chefs, Luke, Gareth and Mark travelled to 3 Michelin starred chef Norbert Niederkofler’s restaurant in the Dolomites in southern Italy and were given a masterclass on his “Cook The Mountain” philosophy and then put through their paces doing a service to Norbert’s exacting standards, you really cannot call it.

It was a fascinating episode for anyone who loves food and or loves to cook how sustainability and using what you have locally, no olive oil, no citrus can be overcome even being able to create your own soy sauce foraging different herbs and local ingredients, actually cooking the mountain.

It was funny and a little bit tense to watch of a chef of that level having to take a hands off approach with the fledglings in his kitchen and actually serve their food. They all performed incredibly. It is truly anyone’s trophy and we cannot wait for the final cook. The previews of the food and commentary look both exciting and nail biting.

I think after all the controversy around the show producers have really focused on casting authentic talent, no drama, really good talented chefs who deserve the break and exposure this TV show can give. When the BBC and TV do this to help give talent a massive marketing push it’s very easy to buy in.

I think the addition of calming Matt Tebbit from Saturday Kitchen on the judging panel has been an inspired choice. People don’t want the drama and forced comedy or stupidity of presenters they want educated people calmly, fairly, consistently and quietly doing the job.

That is what makes for a great competition. I am sure I am not the only person who loves food, education and a great restaurant in combo who’ll be watching to see the winner crowned.

Caroline Meyer Kerber’s magnamous posts about the remaining three chefs, Gareth, Luke and Mark have been amazing. What a good person, what a great chef, these guys are all super talented, passionate and humble and I believe whoever is the winner the other two whilst of cause disappointed will lose and congratulate the winner with the same grace as Caroline.

Brilliant TV. Good Luck To All.

Top Money Saving Hack For Overnight At Heathrow Airport - IHG Holiday Inn

Don’t buy into a package deal for parking and hotel at Heathrow - you’ll end up paying more

Andrew James

2025-11-09T10:17:00.0000000 2025-11-09T11:05:53.6800000

For anyone looking for an inexpensive overnight stay at Heathrow airport with breakfast I can recommend the Holiday Inn on Bath Road.

I paid £111 including for breakfast for a twin room as an IHG member. For anyone thinking of booking an overnight stay with airport parking package, think again if you want to save money. Join the IHG members program where you’ll find the most competitive rates, even better than Expedia and then book your parking separating. Booking through companies like Holiday Extras may be more convenient and they do have sophisticated texting and calling capabilities to get you locked in once you’ve made an enquiry but don’t be tempted to jump in if you want the best deal is my advice. Booking it all separately is the way to save money.

The plus side of the Holiday Inn at Heathrow is it’s very easy to find, very close to terminal 2 and 3 and the overnight parking for guests is ample and affordable at an additional £7.50. Plus easy passenger and luggage drop of and pick up right outside the hotel for anyone with mobility difficulties.

The room offered everything I needed, no bath but hey, we struggled to get the TV working and the staff didn’t seem able to help, they said every remote control was different but we figured it out in the end. Absolutely no internet is worth mentioning and neither android or iPhone phones worked. Even the phone in the room we couldn’t dial out from to confirm flights and check in. When I spoke to reception they said you have to go outside to get a signal because they are so close to the airport. Something to bear in mind if you have work to do or need to make calls.

We ordered room service, a Greek salad and a pizza, via Jo, the hotel online ordering app but after an hour and a half and it hadn’t come we chased up the food to find they had a problem with their system. The £50 meal arrived 30 minutes later, the Greek salad mainly lettuce and the pizza, not the best so avoid room service would be my recommendation.

We went down for breakfast about 6.50am and the service was already in full swing. We had to queue for a table which is fair enough, it’s a business hotel.

The breakfast is buffet style, not the best quality food, juices were processed, bread cheap white sliced, jams and marmalades in portioned plastic containers and no vegetarian or vegan options but perfectly adequate for the price.

If you are expecting really good hospitality and great service, this is not the place for you. It’s more a get them in and get them out kind of place with the staff running around like headless chickens, we ordered vegetarian sausages that didn’t turn up until we were leaving and the staff on reception seemed inexperienced.

Would I stay again, absolutely. If you only have £100 budget for airport overnight accommodation at Heathrow IHG Holiday Inn delivers in all the important basic needs and was the best value I could find. 

The room was small but comfortable and we had everything we needed except a working phone. A few things went wrong and the hotel’s not perfect but we did manage to get feather pillows delivered on request. A little 5 star in a 3 star offering.

Martin and Co Residential Property Lettings Agent Leicester

Estate Agents you can actually trust

Andrew James

2025-08-15T14:32:00.0000000 2025-08-18T16:29:01.5600000

There a couple of residential letting agents I deal with in Leicester. E A Lane and son on 100 Regent Road. leicester LE1 7DG quite a few local landowners and farmers I know trust to rent out their cottages and countryside properties when they become available.

The other is Martin and Co who I have personally dealt with which again is a small family run firm with an office in the centre of Leicester at 162 Narborough Road, LE3 OBW and with local regional offices covering Hinckley Leicestershire and Coalville, Leicestershire.

Although the founding family, Richard and Sarah Martin sold their shares in 2019 to the property franchise group, which is itself part of the much larger Connells group, it still feels like a family firm.

The franchisees in Leicester are now Jason and Sam Smart of Orton Properties Ltd trading as Martin and Co Leicester and I have always found them to be super efficient and professional whenever I have needed their help.

I have had quite a long history with Martin and Co as they actually rented me a house with a bunch of mates when I was student in Leeds. That was completely different office and different people at the time but still had a good experience.

As a commercial property owner I have had no major problems over 6 years dealing with the Leicester office and they always seem to find trouble free tenants who actually pay the rent which as someone with a rental property, it’s pretty important.

Martin and Co have been instrumental for landlords battling rising costs and extortionate licensing fees levied by Leicester City Council.

And joined by 40 other landlords this summer they have raised a legal challenge leading the fight against Leicester Council for what everyone is calling an “astonishing £1,290 per property” charge in selective licensing areas.

Whilst I cannot speak for other agents around the country operating under the Martin and Co franchise umbrella I cannot recommend Martin and Co in Leicester highly enough.

If you are a tenant looking for a home in the Leicester area they do their best to give everyone a fair shot with a transparent application and approval process non biased or prejudiced in anyway.

I don’t have to do anything really when it comes to managing my property Martin and Co are great and there have been no major issues or problems for me to have to get involved or deal with.

Very happy to see the property listing section here on Poopsnoop developing to compete with the likes of Rightmove and Zoopla where anyone can list their house to rent or buy. Long or short term lets to give the Poopsnoop community access to great holiday lets and villas, homes for sale or rent, we might otherwise not know about.

What a great service and opportunity for our growing community to help each other find out about what’s hot and what’s not.

Love to see Martin and Co and E A Lane and son using the service to broaden their reach in a community of great people where content is moderated to build authenticity and trust. Just what you need when renting a property for either a long or short time.

The Oldest Sweet Shop In The World Pately Bridge North Yorkshire

A Yorkshire man through and through happy to shop small and local online in 2025

Andrew James

2025-07-11T13:57:00.0000000 2025-07-11T14:31:49.3570000

Don’t you just love a bag of old fashioned sweets. I am young enough (old enough really) to remember black jacks, fruit salads and all the other penny chews we used to pick up after school at the newsagent before the walk home.

When I quit drinking alcohol I found a sweet tooth return I wasn’t really aware I had and I’ve never really been one for cakes or desserts and I was in training, didn’t want anything too heavy so found myself going back in time to the sweets I enjoyed as kid except the only ones I could find on the shelves today were a version of Opal Fruits, now renamed starburst which for me didn’t quite taste the same as I had remembered.

I went in search of a bit of nostalgia and discovered online the oldest sweet shop in the world, est 1827 what a great name for a sweet shop was my first thought and started browsing the offering. Whatever you are looking for sherbet lemons, pear drops, rhubarb and custards you’ll find them here.

They are based in Pateley Bridge an area I know well being from Yorkshire and the offering is all the old sweets I remembered enjoying as a kid in paper bags weighed out in the shop.

They don’t come like that anymore, each portion sealed in cellophane bags but the sweets taste exactly the same.

Whatever you are looking for, Sherbet fountains, midget gems, strawberry and lemon bonbons, they even have the plain white toffee ones, cola bottles, treacle, liquorice, banana toffees, foxes glacier mints and fruits, liquorice shoe laces, you name it the oldest sweet shop in the world can provide it, all the tastes and flavours of our youth, drilled down into a few Haribo sours or Bassett wine gum bags now available in the supermarket. The days of the boiled sweet, a mint imperial or Everton mint has been replaced with poor quality chocolate in less than shiny wrappers that for me tastes chalky and fake, have you tried a Kit Kat lately, don’t get me started.

Any way the online service at the Oldest sweet shop in the world has been great. I try not to go too mad keeping my order around £30 - £35. I get about 8 pretty large bags for this averaging £4 a bag. Probably the weight in each bag 6-8 ounces so they do last me a while, a couple of months at least.

Everything has been excellent, the quality of the sweets good except the Pontefract cakes, liquorice discs many may never have even heard of but for folk from Yorkshire they are a make or break sweet. I grew up eating them so fair to say one of my absolute favourites. They weren’t bad, nothing wrong with them just not the texture or flavour I was expecting.

That said everything else I’ve had has been near perfect. I imagine the shop to be a Hansel and gretal type haven in the heart of the Yorkshire dales and the next time I am in that neck of the woods I’ll definitely be popping in to say hello.

In the meantime better get online and order some more sweets. The bag of black jacks in the photo are the last of my latest box and as you can see they are half eaten and won’t last much longer.

138 Cheapside Stunning refurbished office space

City of London commercial real estate overlooking St Paul’s.

Andrew James

2025-05-14T09:41:00.0000000 2025-05-14T10:42:30.0630000

Check out these great unbelievably stunning fully fitted offices to let in prime City of London location tucked in between food outlets, Leon, Starbucks and Pret A Manger and optician Daniel Clulow in the heart of bustling Cheapside amongst premium shops across the road and restaurants around the corner.

Property development heaven for every surveyor, the offering 3200- 16600 fully fitted, completed refurbished, serviced office space on the 2nd and 4th floors of this building is currently to let through James Hayworth-Dunne, mobile number 07779 327017 at commercial estate agents Ingleby Trice, the development firm is Endurance Land.

The building was aquired by the Nan Fung group in 2016. 138 Cheapside comprises 80,300 sq ft of office space with retail units with spectacular views of St Paul’s Cathedral right next door. The massive refurbishment programme undertaken by Endurance Land to reposition the building and attract new tenants was completed in September 2019. This included a new roof terrace, centralised Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing, and Fire Protection systems replacement, a big upgrade in the reception area and more focus on all communal shared areas.

And now the work is complete on the 2nd and 4th floors the offering is quite special.

And it’s a bargain with the average City of London commercial space coming in at around £75 per square foot I am excited about this building at around £65 per square foot, for 3200 square foot space you are looking at £20K a month.

This project has been completed to the highest specification and I predict even though there is still pretty decent inventory it won’t be available for very long.

London Essence Co Indian Tonic Water Bottle

On the wagon since 1896

Andrew James

2025-04-04T07:43:00.0000000 2025-04-04T14:16:32.3170000

I gave up drinking to train for the Miami Marathon, long story completed Sunday 2nd February, 2025.

I was going to have a beer then I didn’t and my 6 months no drinking has continued. I feel like I am a completely different person. I’ve turned into a soft drink connoisseur.

I meet a lot of people for business in pubs and bars around Leicestershire where the zero alcohol offerings are getting better and better.

I’ve been a fan of Fever Tree for a while. I am dying to try Walter Gregor’s premium tonic water made in UK, I hear there’s nothing better. Today it’s London Essence Co Indian Tonic water.

I sampled this one without my usual zero spirit. I had it with Mountain Everleaf or Everleaf Mountain zero alcohol spirit so two snoops in one. That was delicious too and great to try taste something I’d not only never had but never heard of either, again made in UK.

I don’t know if it was the zero spirit which I have never had before or the tonic. The cocktail was absolutely delicious. The flavours in this mix packed a punch. I could taste Juniper for definite and the big squeeze of lemon gave me the zing feeling, the refreshing ahhhhh enjoyers of an alcoholic aperitif will relate to. It’s a feeling and you can get it alcohol free.

I used to be one of those people who questioned why drinks producers were trying to remove the alcohol from spirits, soft drink producers were lifting the mixers and still giving people that same sense of wind down and enjoyment without getting squiffy. I used to think what’s the point when people want to get drunk.

Now after my change in habit I get it. I love trying new things and the London Essence Co tonic water was the crisp accompaniment to the Mountain Everleaf spirit which I will also be looking out for.

Move over Tanquery Zero, incidently my favourite big brand zero alcohol gin. My advice if you are trying a zero alcohol cocktail and Gordon’s is the only one on offer don’t go for it. It’ll put you off.

On the other hand when I read the story of the London Essence company and how in 8 short years they have revived over a 100 year old British company I am excited to enjoy their offering and help this company doing so may things right grow.

Currently on sale in Waitrose a 500ml bottle will set you back a whopping £1.50 down 25% from

£2.00, in a pub or wine bar expect to pay £2.50 for a 200ml bottle.

Butter Market Cafe Mountsorrel

Greasy spoon in Butter Market Square

Andrew James

2025-03-28T12:00:00.0000000 2025-03-27T12:58:25.5170000

Who doesn't love a greasy spoon. They are a British institution whether in small parochial town centres or in laybys up and down the county I find these places fascinating and I love observing life over a cuppa and a bacon butty.

I stopped at the Butter Market Cafe for one such experience. Never been before. I was in Mountsorrel, a village on the outskirts of Leicester for a meeting. Never been there before and an interesting monument in what I now know is the market square and a cafe with tables outside and people with dogs and kids enjoying some winter sunshine. I don't know if there's a posh school nearby as I overheard a couple of parents talking to disinterested teenagers about their studies or lack of.

The service was absolutely shocking and the food not much better, thin cardboard bread, tasteless under cooked tomatoes, watery mushrooms and two rashers of floppy fatty bacon.

Thank goodness for the tables outside and the nice day or I'd have been eating my sandwich in the car.

Su Shi Japanese Restaurant

Best Sushi in Market Harborough

Andrew James

2025-03-19T07:56:00.0000000 2025-03-27T12:45:12.4500000

They call this spot a restaurant. It’s more like Itsu, cafe style, fast food tables and chairs and a counter. And it is the best sushi in market harborough, although I don’t know anywhere else to get sushi around here. I’d say the closest other place is Itsu at Fosse Park, Leicester about 20 miles away.

The best thing about this experience was the staff. How amazing they were. So glad to see us which made us wonder is business so terrible they are making an extra effort to be nice. It wasn’t super busy when we went around 5pm.

The food was really good. Tasted very fresh made to order. The California rolls and salmon rolls were as good as Rock and Roll Sushi.

Put this spot on your radar.

Definitely worth a try if you like sushi. They are currently offering 10% discount on all orders for pick up and delivery over £25

Viennese Truffles

For Mother’s Day from Thorntons

Andrew James

2025-03-13T11:12:00.0000000 2025-11-29T10:22:14.7200000

I buy my mother the same thing every Mother’s Day, which this year falls on Sunday 30th March in the UK.

A box of Bassetts Liquorice Allsorts and a bag of Thornton’s Viennese truffle. They have been her favourites for as long as I can remember.

Even my Gran liked a trip to the Thornton’s shop.

Not that easy to find, many of the individual shops have now shut. Fortunately we have a Thornton’s concession in our local

Post office. Yes we’ve still got a post office.

You can also still by these sweet treats online.

The Viennese truffles are a sugar coated chocolate candy casing around a soft whipped truffle centre. Not nutty, more creamy and chocolatey.

You can find them on Amazon or buy directly from Thornton’s online. A 97g bag contains about 12 truffles and costs around £6

Actually correction I just stocked up for Christmas 2025 and a bag of Viennese truffles will set you back £4.50. Make sure you buy more than one, it’s possible to eat a whole bag in one go.

Revolut it's a Unicorn Business

I’m thinking about switching

Andrew James

2025-03-03T07:14:00.0000000 2025-04-05T16:42:35.8900000

Over the last few days I’ve been looking into Revolut, a digital banking service launched in 2015 that has gone from strength to strength.

No one likes to change their current checking account. However after a few less than ideal experiences with my bank I am thinking what am I being so loyal to them for, staying and moaning because I cannot be bothered to switch.

What I can see Revolut are doing right. They have managed to gain over 50 million customers in 10 short years and ironically while the Ukrainians and Russians have been feuding on the world’s stage, Mr. Putin and Mr. Zelenskyy, two other men Russian Nikolay Storonsky and Ukrainian Tech engineer Vlad Yatsenko have been getting along just fine building a “Unicorn” company defined as over a billion in assets and independently owned.

It’s a digital app that in its early days offered Europeans the opportunity to have a prepaid Mastercard to spend money abroad using interbank exchange rate.

It’s grown massively in 10 short years to offer 5% interest on your savings.

I did go to download the app but it requires a password on my phone which I’ve managed so far without.

It’s my only hurdle to making the switch.

Misconduct : Ambition can be deadly

Staring Josh Duhamel, Al Pacino and Anthony Hopkins

Andrew James

2025-02-22T11:15:00.0000000 2025-02-22T15:03:36.9370000

I’d never heard of Josh Duhamel, which is possibly why this 2016 thriller slipped under my radar.

Free to watch on Amazon prime.

His co stars need no introduction, Hollywood royalty in Pacino and Hopkins, Duhamel is most notable for playing Colonel William Lennox in the Tranformers franchise.

This is a hold on to the edge of your seat courtroom but not courtroom legal thriller, more than a drama not adapted from book although a John Gresham type plot but better, more twists and turns for sure but absolutely trashed slated in fact by the industry.

Here’s my take:

The industry, Hollywood, the promoter, the distributor can kill a movie stone dead before it even gets a mention in broadsheets around the world. Misconduct had a limited release initially and after a couple of unfavourable reviews from big players in the industry, Joe Leydon from Variety for one, no one went to see it.

This movie is fast paced and really brilliant in my opinion. I was in it all the way, it’s a film full of suspense (not scary) but will

definitely have your heart racing.

Very strong triple threat leads in Pacino as legal boss Abrahams, Anthony Hopkins as healthcare billionaire boss Denning and Josh Duhamel as Lawyer Ben Cahill an underling in Abraham’s firm but don’t discount the ladies either.

Incredible performance from Alice Eve as Charlotte (Charlie) Cahill, of all the characters we meet don’t take your eye off this one for a moment. She keeps us all guessing right until the last second closing credits.

You’ll breathe a big sigh once it’s over.

Andrew and Ashwell

RICS Property surveyors

Andrew James

2024-10-16T15:00:00.0000000 2024-10-16T15:26:56.0300000

Sometimes in business I have to deal with people I don’t get along with or just don’t like. It doesn’t happen that often and hey I think I am a pretty reasonable guy.

This snoop is for me to express a niggle. Something at the time that really wound me up. My dealings with the firm are now over so I feel more comfortable sharing my experience.

Ever felt bullied even though you are the client?

The firm didn’t do anything specific, they dotted all the “I” s and crossed all the “T” and I found myself with a signed contract that didn’t outline the terms I had agreed when it came to resolving a problem down the road.

I had been blindsided but I couldn’t prove it. I’d trusted my agent to outline agreed terms in the contract but the additional clauses were omitted.

It was a mistake on my part that ended up costing my client money, something I wasn’t delighted about but had to stomach.

If you need the services of a chartered surveyor, like a solicitor or accountant, they are qualified and if they are acting for you, you’ll probably come off the winner, however if they are the agent for a commercial building you are looking to rent or buy, beware they might be a little more ruthless than you might imagine.

I have certainly learned a lot for the future.

Concorde Hotel Doha

More Arabic world experience

Andrew James

2024-10-06T12:37:00.0000000 2024-10-06T13:07:09.8030000

Usually when I go to the Middle East I stay at a big western chain like a Marriott or St Regis. A few months ago I took an unexpected last minute trip, it was for the web summit at Doha Convention Centre, I wasn’t doing then I was and by the time I got round to booking a hotel I couldn’t get into anywhere in West Bay.

I stayed at the Concorde for three nights. It is listed as 5 star, but it’s not 5 star as you might expect in the US or Europe.

The reception is very spacious and comfortable and drinks (non alcoholic) are served throughout the day, teas and coffee, milk shakes, juices. When we arrived concierge was superb, possibly one of the best I’ve ever experienced. The luggage was handled with absolute efficiency, this was definitely 5 star.

The breakfast is buffet style, and you definitely have a choice of everything you might want from hot cooked food to pastries, meats and cheeses, yogurts, fruit and cereals. We found it perfectly adequate, wouldn’t say five star though. The breakfast area looks out onto the swimming pool and there are a few loungers. Again we didn’t use the pool, too cold when we were there and I was not 100% sure of the protocol for taking your clothes off.

No pool drinks service.

The location of the hotel was absolutely fine, easy access to everywhere we needed to get to and getting a taxi was easy and cheap, although the driving was scary at times. The locals drive fast and don’t think anything of stopping in the middle of the road for a friendly chin wag or a scrap. We did have one near miss.

This is definitely a more religious establishment I felt, the call to prayer can be heard from the mosque next door and we had a sign pointing to Mecca in our room. The suite we booked was five star and less expensive by about £100 per night than where I would usually stay and the fruit basket in the room on arrival was truly spectacular.

To sum up, I would definitely return to the Concorde hotel. Whilst it didn’t have everything frequent travellers would expect it made up for those differences with beautiful memorable staff who honestly prided themselves on a 5 star service.

If you want to step outside and enjoy something a bit more authentic to the Middle East, a more local, home from home for quite a significant saving this a great place to have that experience.

Fever Tree Elder Flower Tonic water

Haven’t tried it, I love it

Andrew James

2024-09-21T16:36:00.0000000 2024-09-21T16:46:52.1830000

I’m with Fever Tree, your drink is 3/4 mixer and in my case alcohol free at the moment as I am in training so the flavour (and integrity) of the mixer really matters to me. I’ve also been told by my dentist sugary sodas like Coke and Fanta had to go so there was a vacancy for a low sugar (not fake sugar) tasty alternative.

I started with their ginger ale £2.40 a bottle from the supermarket which I accept is expensive but I keep it as a treat. I get four servings from the large 500 ml bottle.

When I go to the pub, Fever Tree elderflower tonic is my tipple of choice. It’s really lovely on it’s own served in a big audacious wine goblet glass with a bucket of ice and lemon and if I feel like pushing the boat out, a shot of Seedlip zero alcohol gin or Tanquery Zero (don’t recommend Gordons) goes in too.

I’ve served alcohol free gin and tonics with Fever Tree elderflower tonic socially, loads of people couldn’t quite work out what I’d given them, my friends and colleagues gave a big thumbs up and no one noticed they weren’t getting pissed.

Tortilla

Mexican chain restaurant fast food

Andrew James

2024-09-13T12:01:00.0000000 2024-09-13T14:40:01.8800000

This is a mixed review not a rant because I absolutely love this food. I love the concept, a warm flour tortilla bar with a buffet style homemade burrito wrapped to order.

You start with Rice and bean options, then meat options and grilled peppers and onions, tomato Mexican rice and coriander rice. And all for under £10. It’s filling tasty and fresh. (Usually)

The reason I like it my mum’s from El Salvador and I grew up on authentic beans and rice.

When I am in London the Finchley Road branch, is local for me in West Hampstead and it did used to be run by a really great team all women.

I went in there a couple of months ago, there was a new manager who wasn’t as nice (and I got really bad food poisoning that day) which I know isn’t the best advertisement but it hasn’t put me off completely.

There are Tortilla shops across the UK and if you haven’t had the experience I’d recommend having a go at building your own personal recipe Burrito.

FYI I’ve been going for years I’ve been to the one in Nottingham a few times too and only got ill once in London which I put down to new management.

Worth mentioning is the loyalty program which they do push if you like pinching a card 10 times for a freebie.

I am not a big fan of things like this, jumping through a load of hoops to get something free. I like it way better when I go so often the staff know me and give a little more than the usual smile, like extra guacamole when you say no to cheese and sour cream. Those are the kind of loyalty rewards I like. It has to be said I do like the food. Has to be said though it’s fabulous staff, being remembered, in the most part has made the difference for me and kept me loyal.

The Sun Inn Great Easton

Country Pub and Restaurant Rutland

Andrew James

2024-07-09T14:41:00.0000000 2024-08-11T13:14:18.0870000

A noteworthy pub outside Market Harborough.

I first went to the Sun Inn a while ago, well known for its lively sports bar feel, private dining rooms and large sun deck weather permitting.

It is situated in the very pretty and unusual village of Great Easton, signature sandstone houses make it worth a visit on its own.

One of four village pubs in the wider area it has undergone a make over but it is the cooking talent behind the scenes, head chef James, assisted by Kozmun in the kitchen that keep the customers coming back, and the community spirit of all local sourced food and leftovers on a budget rustled up by 5 star talent during the week keep seats and tummy’s full when other less energetic and innovative businesses flounder.

The heart of this place is kept beating by the passionate and unique team that run it, a home from home oasis where even visiting for the first time they make you feel like you’ve been before.

The Sunday roast is by far the best for miles around for me, all the usual suspects to choose from, beef, lamb, pork, beef incredible giant airy crispy Yorkshire puddings and I’d even suggest you give the plant based roast a go the rich colour and glaze and flavour in the gravy would make anyone question how it is possible with no meat whatsoever.

Al Jazeera

Andrew James

2012-12-19T19:05:00.0000000 2016-06-13T04:08:49.9270000

COLD HARD NEWS

If you want to get an objective worldwide view of what is going on day to day turn in to Al Jazeera. This news organisation based in Doha, Qatar has been repeatedly criticized (usually by the West) for presenting propaganda and news skewed in favour of specific arabic groups but I just don't find this to be the case.

I actually prefer the reporting, which tends to just say it how it is, to more sinister strands from CNN and dare I say it, sometimes even BBC World.

The journalists working for the station herald from all over the map and the professionalism is second to none. I have discovered other perspectives on places and issues (particularly in parts of Africa) thanks to Al Jazeera when I believed I already had a firm grasp of the facts. This news station conveys a sense of impartiality which I really like and reminds me to remain open to the truth, whomever is telling it to me. The stories covered are often heart rending and quite depressing, that's war for you, but I think it's important not to be oblivious. Equally important though is I always question whoever is reporting to me, even when I trust them.