Travel Review: Bern

With its cosmopolitan and avant-garde vibe, Zurich is often mistaken as the capital of Switzerland,but it is in fact the historic city of Bern that holds the title.

I arrived in Bern following a short flight from London City airport with Skyworks Airlines and headed straight to Hotel Bellevue Palace.

Located on a terrace above the rolling River Aare, right next to the city’s parliament building, the five-star Bellevue Palace, which is part of luxury hotel group, the Victoria-Jungrau Collection, offers some of the finest views of the distant Bernese Alps.

Bellevue Palace, Bern

As the official guesthouse of the Swiss Government, the 126-room hotel regularly hosts visiting statesmen and top business leaders. In fact, if you stop for a drink in the Bellevue Bar, you’re likely to catch a glimpse of a Swiss Member of Parliament or two.

The classic and luxurious decor contrasts well with the forward-thinking of this neoclassic-styled hotel, combining old world charm with the most modern comforts. For example, when dining in the hotel’s gourmet restaurant, La Terrasse, you can watch your food being prepared and send messages to head chef Gregor Zimmerman via ipads, making for a unique and state-of-the-art dining experience.

Being so centrally located, Hotel Bellevue Palace is the perfect base from which to get out and explore what Bern has to offer.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, Bern’s old town is a maze of cobbled streets, flanked by well preserved sandstone buildings and scattered with 11 16th century fountains, each with its own story to tell.

In homage to the city’s symbol, and an absolute must-see when in Bern, is the Bear Park – where a family of bears, including cubs Urs and Berna can be found.

According to legend, the bear was the first animal to be killed by Duke Berchtold V von Zahringen, who founded the city in 1191. In the dialect of the time, Barn was the word for bear, and so this is how the city received its name.

The view from atop Munster Catherdral

To see Bern from a height, head to Munster Cathedral, which is undoubtedly the most impressive example of late Gothic architecture within the city.

From what is Switzerland’s highest church tower you can enjoy magnificent views across Bern’s rooftops into the depths of the Swiss Mittelland and the snow-capped mountains of the Bernese Oberland.

Albert Einstein's former home

If museums are what you’re looking for, then Bern has more than its fair share – from the Museum of Fine Arts to the Zentrum Paul Klee, which houses the largest collection of Klee’s works in the world. You can even visit the former home of Albert Einstein, who lived in the city from 1903 to 1905, during which time he developed his Theory of Relativity.

Although a city with lots to see, the slow pace of life makes Berne an enjoyable and tranquil place to visit. With its stunning architecture and many restaurants and attractions, it’s no wonder the city is ranked among the world’s top 10 for the best quality of life.

TRAVEL FACTS

• SkyWork Airlines flies from London City to Bern twice daily, www.flyskywork.com

• For reservations at Bellevue Palace call +41 (0)31 320 45 45 or email reservation@bellevue-palace.ch

• For more information about attractions in Bern, or to organise a tour of the city, visit www.bern.com/en/index.cfm.

Albury Park: An award-winning restoration in Surrey

The people behind the magnificent restoration of Surrey's landmark Albury Park Mansion have been recognised yet again for their work to transform this historic Grade II* property into 12 luxury apartments.

Michael Wilson Restorations and Chelsminster Estates scooped the Highly Commended award in the Best Conversion category at the Evening Standard New Homes Awards last week.

“Albury Park Mansion is such a beautiful house and it has been a privilege to restore it to its former glory,” Michael Wilson, said.

This latest accolade comes less than six months after Mike and his team were awarded with not one but two Gold Awards at the What House? Awards 2013; one for Best Restoration and the other for Best Landscape Design.

Built in the 17th century, Albury Park Mansion is an exceptionally elegant stately home, which stands in 150 acres of parkland owned by the Duke of Northumberland.

The house itself includes features by architects of note such as Augustus Pugin who, among other
changes, added the 63 ornate candlestick chimneys, and Sir John Soane, who designed the cantilevered staircase - thought to be the first of its kind.

Once divided into flats for the elderly and latterly used as a wedding venue, Albury Park has been
given a new lease of life through the creation of these luxury homes, which range from 700 sqft to 6,000
sqft.

Perfect pasta: A lesson in food from Jamie’s mentor

I pick up some tricks of the trade from Italian master Gennaro Contaldo at the Guildford branch of the restaurant chain he set up with his protégé, Jamie Oliver. 

 Gennaro shows me how to make the perfect pasta - photos by Steve Porter

Whether you love or loathe him, there’s no denying that Jamie Oliver is passionate about food, particularly the Italian variety.

That’s one of the many attributes he no doubt picked up from his mentor, Gennaro Contaldo, who he first met while working as a pastry chef at the Neal Street Restaurant in London.

“Jamie has always cooked Italian and I am all about Italian, so when he worked with me at Neal Street I would show him whatever I could show to him,” Gennaro said of his protégé as he welcomed me
into Jamie’s Italian restaurant at the bottom of Guildford High Street.

Although cheeky celebrity chef Jamie is the face of the restaurant chain, which aims to make good Italian cuisine accessible to everyone, not many people know Gennaro is very much a driving force behind
the business, developing menus and training the chefs.

“When Jamie first came to me and said he wanted to open not only one but two, three, in fact many restaurants all over the country I told him I didn’t understand why he wanted to do it - he had put so much time, energy and money into Fifteen and almost went bankrupt.

“However, he managed to talk me round and now I am working in every single restaurant. “It was always his dream to give something back and a few years ago it became mine,” said the 63-year-old, who presents
the Two Greedy Italians series of television programmes with his close friend and mentor, Antonio Carluccio.

Gennaro, who grew up on Italy’s Amalfi coast but moved to the UK in the 1960s, truly believes that food helps the soul and that cooking as a family can help create strong bonds.

And the chef was particularly shocked when I told him I had never made fresh pasta before, telling me that watching his mother and aunty make fresh pasta as a child was one of the things that started his love affair with food.

“Making your own pasta is something everyone can do,” the father of six said. “In my family it was my
mamma who used to do it but anyone can, your mother, husband, boyfriend, the children. People say they have no time but it is so quick, it takes about five minutes.”

To feed about four people, you need 200g of 00 flour and two eggs, he told me. Mix together with a bit of salt and pepper and then need into a dough. Wrap this in cling film and leave for 30 minutes and then you are ready to create whatever type of pasta you want.

Genarro suggests investing in a pasta machine to roll out the pasta but you can use a rolling pin - it will just take a lot longer. Once rolled thin enough (you should be able to lift the rolled out dough by blowing underneath it) you can cut into shapes to make the different types of pasta you want, such as tagliatelle (strips) farfalle (bows) maltagliati (off cuts) or fill with something for ravioli.

“Making ravioli is a great way of using up your leftovers,” Gennaro said. “In Italy we use lots of ravioli for this reason. You make roast beef, what do you do with the leftovers? You make some ravioli. You can use
anything vegetables, spinach, salami.”

For our ravioli we used Buffalo ricotta, nutmeg and lemon juice. Gennaro the showed me how to create a variety of different ravioli styles, although I’m sure mine didn’t look like they were supposed to.

“That is what is good about it though, it doesn't really matter what it looks like, it makes it rustic and unique. The rougher it is the more it will soak up the sauce,” Gennaro said, perhaps trying to make me feel better.

A move from the table to the kitchen and an infusion of a few additional simple ingredients such as olive oil, basil, sage, tomatoes mussels and pumpkin and what started out as just 200g or flour and two eggs had become four completely different pasta dishes.

“It’s simplicity”, Gennaro added. “Italian cuisine is all about that. You open the fridge, you see what’s there and you use it. If you use what is in season, it’s going to taste great.”

• Let’s Cook Italian by Gennaro Contaldo is published by Pavilion Books RRP £20.

This article first appeared in the Surrey Advertiser on 21 May, 2012

Eamonn Holmes joins cast of Happy Days in Woking

Happy Days are here to stay, well at least until this weekend when the UK tour of the musical based on the hit TV series ends its run at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking.

Directed and choreographed by Olivier Award nominee Andrew Wright the show - written by the legendary creator of the television Garry Marshall, opened in Woking on Monday with performances running until this Saturday, April 5. 

The show includes 21 original songs by Oscar, Grammy and Golden Globe award-winning Hall of Fame songwriter Paul Williams (Bugsy Malone, Evergreen, Rainy Days and Mondays)and of course the much-loved Happy Days theme song!

As well as starring  pop starlet Heidi Range as Pinky Tuscadero, Bucks Fizz star Cheryl Baker as Mrs Cunningham and West End stalwart and Emmerdale star Ben Freeman as The Fonz, during tonight's performance, and for one night only, there will be a special guest appearance from TV personality and Weybridge resident Eamonn Holmes, who will be joining the show as the guest announcer.

The guest announcer role is a unique opportunity to join the 50s family on stage in Al’s famous diner and 

the New Victoria Theatre is offering a chance for members of the public to take up the role during the matinee performance on Saturday - just tweet @wokingtheatre on to find out how!

Rickets to the show start from Tickets £13.90 and can be booked by calling 0844 871 7601 or visiting  www.atgtickets.com/woking.

Hampton Court Palace to host BBC Good Food Festival this summer

Exciting news for foodies and history lovers alike this week as River Street Events and Historic Royal Palaces’ announced that Hampton Court Palace would play host to the inaugural BBC Good Food Festival this summer.

Taking place over the August Bank Holiday weekend (23rd to 25th of August) the festival will be packed with producers showcasing delicious food, drink and ingredients to both try and buy. 

Nicolas Brett, director of UK Publishing at BBC Worldwide, said: “Hampton Court Palace is a wonderful venue and the BBC Good Food Festival gives us a unique opportunity to showcase all that Good Food has to offer in an iconic British setting.”

During the three-day event, some of the finest local restaurants will be offering taster dishes from their menus and a selection of the country’s most celebrated chefs will also be on hand to give their top tips in the Summer Kitchen demonstrations.

In addition, Historic Royal Palaces’ food historians will be preparing Georgian recipes in the Palace’s historic kitchens, as part of Hampton Court’s Glorious Georges season.

Paul Gray, palace director for Hampton Court Palace, added: “In its 500-year history the palace has seen many a lavish feast prepared for kings and queens, but this is the first time we have held a major food festival like this within the Palace grounds.  We are sure it will be a fun filled day for all the family, and even better, kids go free!"

Surrey welcomes American burger chain Five Guys

Despite only launching in the UK seven months ago, America's fastest growing restaurant chain looks set to make a similar impact over here.

Five Guys, which counts Barack Obama as a fan, has been serving burgers and fries across the pond for almost three decades and is already winning praise from Brits following the opening of its Covent Garden branch last July.

This week the American import opened its fourth UK site, in Friary Street, Guildford and is due to open in Kingston next month.

The restaurant prides itself on sourcing ingredients locally and that everything is prepared and freshly made on site. There are no freezers; burgers are hand pattied each morning and fries are made from fresh potatoes, cut and cooked in peanut oil 'broadwalk' style.

The concept is simple, choose a burger (the menu has single or double options) and then add choices from the list of 15 toppings (and yes you can have all 15 if you want).

Fries come plain or spicy and, bar a couple of additional items on the menu, such as a hot dog and a veggie sandwich, that's about it - there are no frills. But then what fast food comes with frills?

The refreshing thing about Five Guys is that it doesn't pretend to be anything other than what it is - a fast food joint that does really good fast food.

Five Guys can be found at 25 - 26 Friary Street, Guildford, GU1 4EH. Tel: 01483 570580. The Kingston branch is due to open at The Rotunda, Clarence Street, Kingston, next month. 

Celebrity favourite 'The Vampire Face Lift' lands in Guildford

It's favoured by the likes of Kim Kardashian and Anna Friel and now the Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) procedure, otherwise known as the Vampire Face Lift, is available in Guildford.

Absolute Aesthetics, which is based at the Surrey Research Park, showcased the treatment at an open evening last night.

Dr Kuldeep Minocha demonstrated how the procedure can increase volume in the face and rejuvenate the skin by using the body’s own serum (contained within the blood).

Not for the faint-hearted, the treatment involves extracting blood from the patient in exactly the same way that blood is taken for a standard blood test at the doctors.

The blood is the spun in a centrifuge, causing the blood cells, serum and platelets to separate into layers. The layer containing the platelets is then drawn up and collected into a syringe and injected into the area to be treated. 

Although the treatment sounds a little scary, as no foreign bodies are injected into the skin, it's actually a very safe treatment and one with little chance of an adverse or allergic reaction occurring.

PRP can be used to treat dark circles underneath the eye area, dull and uneven skin tone, fine crepey skin that develops on the décolletage and neck, the back of hands and tops of feet and even areas of thinning hair.

To achieve optimum results, between one and three treatments are advised with results lasting up to 18 months.

Sessions cost £550 each or £500 if more than one are booked at the same time and are available at Absolute Aesthetics, Stirling House, Stirling Rd, Guildford GU2 7RF. Tel: 01483 477189.

Guildford named Destination of the Year at Tourist Network Awards

Not only was Guildford crowned top shopping hot spot outside of London last year but it now has another trophy to add to the shelf - the town  has just scooped Gold in the Destination of the Year category at the Tourist Network Awards.

The awards recognise attractions and destinations that are committed to providing the best service and hospitality and, of course, a fantastic experience for visitors.

Lee Stevenson of Tourism Network, said: "With such a fantastic array of attractions, shopping, heritage and events, Guildford is a destination with a truly fantastic tourism offering.

"The town benefits from having such a proactive tourism team, dedicated to embracing visitors from near and far and sharing in Guildford’s wide appeal. It’s an enjoyable experience for all that visit, and a worthy winner of this category."

This latest award, won by The Guildford Tourist Information Centre, follows on from a Silver award at the Beautiful South Awards.

For information on places to go, places to stay and places to eat, and for tickets to local events in Guildford call 01483 444333, email tic@guildford.gov.uk or visit www.visitguildford.com.

Local suppliers thanked at Dorking restaurant's six month anniversary party

Absolute Radio Breakfast DJ Christian O’Connell was among the guests at a ‘Renaissance’ party at Dorking Restaurant Little Dudley House last week.

The party, which was thrown to celebrate six months since new owner entrepreneur John Turner (part of the team behind top London restaurants Roast and The Cinnamon Club) took over, incorporated many of the local suppliers that have partnered with the restaurant, in South Street, since the take over.

Anna and John Turner of Little Dudley House with Christian O'Connell, Absolute Radio Breakfast Host and his wife Sarah

Tattinger champagne, Cannon & Cannon charcuterie, Turners (Cheese), The Vineyard and All About Eve (Reigate) among others joined together to provide a tasting smorgasbord of food and drink.

Canapés based on dishes from the Little Dudley House menu were also served, while cocktail demonstrations and an oyster bar added to the glitzy and glamour. Dorking band Eye Candy brought the evening to a close with a high-energy set.

John said: “Renaissance was held primarily as a thank you to the people and businesses that have supported Little Dudley House since we took over. "We also felt it important to demonstrate the strength of our relationships with local suppliers and give them an opportunity to showcase their products in a different environment.

“Over the coming months visitors can expect to see more vintage British dishes such as faggots with peas and onions and salt beef  with carrots and dumplings. There will be new interpretations of old favourites such as the humble Scotch egg and a new take on modern classics, such as scallops with black pudding and shaved apple.

For more information about Little Dudley House, visit www.littledudleyhouse.co.uk or follow @little_dudley on Twitter. For reservations telephone 01306 8855000 or email enquiries@littledudleyhouse.co.uk.

Surrey director's debut feature, Last Passenger, released on DVD

Having interviewed fellow Guidfordian Omid Nooshin when his debut feature-length film, Last Passenger, was released in cinemas late last year, I was excited when I heard I wouldn't have to wait long for the DVD.

Released on Monday (January 27), the film tells the story of doctor and father, Lewis, (Dougray Scott - My Week With Marilyn, Mission: Impossible 2) who jumps on the last train leaving London with his son, Max (Joshua Kaynama). 

Omid on the set of Last Passenger

Striking up a relationship with the flirty and beautiful Sarah - played by Kara Tointon of Eastenders fame - he soon realises this is going to be a journey to remember, but for all the wrong reasons.

In the abandoned carriages, Lewis and five other remaining passengers end up on a ride of a lifetime as the old-fashioned slam-door train - hijacked by a vengeful sociopath - hurtles relentlessly down the track. 

Omid on the set of Last Passenger

Omid told me his inspiration for the film came while he was travelling on a train from Waterloo to Guildford, however, in the film, the train is travelling towards Tunbridge Wells - another familiar place to me having been brought up there. 

Last Passenger is released on DVD (£14.99) and Blu-ray (£15.99) on Monday, January 27, certificate 15. 

My Style Bites is back...

So 2014 is now underway and My Style Bites is back after a (much longer than anticipated) break in 2013. 

Keeping to the theme of getting back to business, The Anchor in Ripley is has reopened thanks to local restaurateurs Steve and Serina Drake. The pub, parts of which date back to the 16th century, has been renovated with many of its original features uncovered and sympathetically restored.

Run as a separate venture from Steve and Serina's Michelin-starred restaurant Drake's across the road, The Anchor has had additional private investment from friends and neighbours Chris and Lisanne Mealing, while the kitchen is being headed up by Michael Wall-Palmer, who was behind the stove in Drake's for some years.

Offering an ethos of a relaxed, family-oriented village pub, The Anchor serves simple, but creative pub food, with great ales and interesting wines, all at very affordable prices including sharing plates of cold meats, British cheeses and homemade chutney.

Manager Iain McArthur, whose career has spanned Effingham Golf Club, a luxury game lodge in South Africa, South Lodge Hotel in Horsham and Cisswold House Hotel near Horsham, said: " It is fantastic opportunity to be part of the launch team of such an historic pub, especially a kitchen team with such a brilliant food ‘pedigree'. 

"The Anchor also has a long history with cyclists and we will look forward to - once again - being a destination for cycling enthusiasts, as well as being a friendly and welcoming village pub."