Blue Boar Smokehouse
“As a man whose mouth has been known to water in a farmyard, the idea that there would be culinary fireworks involving the fatted calf, and plenty more besides, was a heavenly one.”
Author Alex Larman
Lime Wood Hotel
“The first thing I did with The Beloved when arriving at Lime Wood was to lose her. This is easier than it sounds…” Alex scampers to Hampshire…
HKK London
“Even before we ventured East in search of the Hakkasan group’s new temple to fine dining, we’d heard stories. These tales were a consistent paean to what was rumoured to be the best Chinese food in London…”
Once Upon a Salop Time
I met a traveller from an antique land who said, somewhat to my surprise, ‘Have you been to Shrewsbury?’ To be honest, I’d never really thought about it…
Hotel La Tour Birmingham
I last visited Birmingham for a piece back in the mists of time (well, 2009). It was a city on the cusp of something…’ Alex Larman checks in to the city’s luxury newcomer.
Mallory Court
I occasionally wonder whether Shakespeare was the first writer to have enjoyed the services of a PR. At the time, that is; the subsequent foundation of the RSC, amidst much related Bardolatry, has seen to it that Big Bill remains top literary dog in the English language…
Hamlet at the RSC
23rd April marked Shakespeare’s 449th birthday, and this anniversary seemed a good opportunity to revisit…
Tullamore Dew: An Irish Odyssey
“Picture the following scene. I’m standing in the top room of a Dublin pub, late on a Thursday night. Nothing that unusual about that, but there’s a coffin in front of me.”
Quartermaine’s Terms
“Rowan Atkinson’s return to drama on the West End stage for the first time since the 1980s was keenly anticipated, though many might have wondered why he chose the role of St John Quartermaine in Simon Gray’s drama.”
The Pig in the Wall
“What good things spring to mind when you think of Southampton? The Titanic, up to a point. Some fine medieval buildings. And, perhaps, the Spitfire, which was first designed here.”
The Magistrate: You Be the Judge
The playwright Arthur Wing Pinero (and, yes, Wing really was his middle name, as opposed…
The Grand Hotel, Eastbourne
The English coast might not be the ideal destination for a weekend in November but it does have the odd draw, particularly if you’re inclined to step back into another age. Alex Larman goes Edwardian in Eastbourne…