It’s definitely been a year to remember, when it comes to Welsh TV programs. Apart from Stella and Gavin and Stacey, unless you’re a Welsh speaker, I can’t really recall any memorable Welsh TV programs off the top of my head.

This year, there had been two that I can think of that started life as a Welsh language series that proved so popular, it was remade entirely into English too. These being “Keeping Faith” and “Hidden”. The later I was hooked on but the former I still need to catch up with, as the other half watched it in Welsh before it was decided it was going out in English too.

The other two gripping but very dark shows, being set in and around Wales were “Born to kill” and “Kiri”, which I watched religiously each week when it aired.

I’ve definitely seen more Welsh based TV programs this year than any year before it, so I was chuffed when I had the chance to attend my very first Bafta Cymru Awards Ceremony in Cardiff last weekend. It was a bit last minute, well about 5 hours before the event, so massive panic soon set in for my first stroll up the red carpet in front of the paps.

What to wear

The event was black tie, of course and me being the short arse I am, I was filled with dread trying to find a pair of trousers to fit me on a wet and windy Sunday afternoon in the Diff. I always need all my trousers taken up, seeing that the shortest adult male trousers you can buy are 30″ even though i’m a 29″ with my high heels on. It gets even worse, when some shops sell the trousers in the same length as the waist, and that’s constantly stretching. I’m looking at you ZARA!!

Bafta Cymru 2018 black tie outfit

Luckily, I’d randomly bought a black velvet jacket just after Christmas this year at Hawkes Bespoke in Cardiff for no apparent reason, but it was my saving grace that day, so I just needed to accessorise.

Not having been to a black tie event since my Xmas ball back about 10 years, I had to do a last minute research on etiquette and fashion faux pas, so I wasn’t turfed off the red carpet, before I even made it to the box office to pick our tickets up.

I managed to pick a pair of skinny trousers up for cheap in Topman that meant they weren’t dangling like a wind sock around my skinny ankles, seeing that there was no place open to make last minute alterations. This was paired with a plain white Hugo Boss shirt.

Having done a stalk of the previous year’s event, I noticed it was only the actual stars and nominees who seemed to go for full black tie, with us general public and civilians, opting for a more relaxed approach. There were still a few rules I was going to stick too though. I was going full monochrome, but sticking to the no belt rule and no flashing of ankle skin, that I normally flout with my comfy black leather tassel loafers.

Opinion was divided on my choice of footwear in the house, with Llio opting for a black leather Chelsea boot, but I thought they looked a bit like workmen boots, so I stuck to my guns with the loafers. I picked these Italian hand made shoes from Yoox, where I’ve bought quite a lot of footwear from, over the years.

Her mother did randomly buy me some braces for my birthday this year, which I wasn’t initially sure if / when I would wear them. I don’t tend to have that many formal events to attend, but the time was nye, to add them to the last minute Bafta outfit.

Getting ready for Bafta Cymru 2018

Next up was choosing what neck tie to go for. Black tie, usually dictates a bow tie, but as a lot of people in last year’s insta pics opted for a tie, I didn’t want to look over dressed in with the rest of the rabble, in the top tiers. I’d spotted a knit tie in T.M Lewin a while back, but I wasn’t forking out £30, without anything being lined up. I managed to spot one similar for just £12 in M & S on my initial scout for trousers and a pocket square. I had a skinny black tie in the house, but it had a bit of a sheen to it and I liked the change of texture and matte look of the knitted tie.

Talking about pocket squares, this was the last thing on the list. All the places I’d called into had some scabby, tacky white thing for a pocket square. I would of preferred a cotton or linen one so it wasn’t so shinny, but I was out of luck.

The last shop I called in, happened to be Moss Bros. in St David’s 2, which I thought had closed down, due to it being on the hayes the last time i shopped there, about two years ago. Again, it was a shinny number, if I wanted to go plain white. After a few fuck, fuck, fucks under my breath, I noticed a houndstooth white and black pocket square, half hidden under a glass cabinet and beneath a load of cuff links. Wanting to a tiny bit of escape from the block monochrome ensemble, this was the one.

After it taking about a month to decide on an outfit for weddings in the past, I was pretty pleased with my 2 hour sprint around Cardiff, clutching all I needed for a night of glitz and glamour in the St David’s Hall Awards Ceremony and after party back at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

The Event

As we didn’t have our tickets to hand, much to my disappointment or the disappointment of the waiting crowd and paps we headed straight in to sort them out rather than stop and pose for pictures (not that anyone would of wanted them but I’m just trying to save face).

We did manage to get a pic alongside the Bafta heads on the way up to the reception though.

Taitinger Champagne reception at Bafta Cymru 2018

Inside, a Champagne reception awaited. Sponsored by Tatinger Champange, which I don’t think i’ve tried previously, the bubbles were free flowing from 6pm to just after 7pm, when we were required to find our seats. Not usually a fan of champs, as I find it too dry but this one for Tatinger was bloody lovely to be fair, hence the further 3 or 4 glasses.

We were seated above the main ground seating, where the nominees seamed to be seated, but we were two rows from the front and there were another 2 tiers above us, so we had a pretty good view of the whole stage and audience.

Presenting the awards again this year was Radio 1 DJ, Huw Stevens. I’d been in his company a few times during the Welsh Language Music Day and SHWSH events held over the Eisteddfod in Cardiff and he’s a pretty sound guy. I think he did an excellent job of comparing through the event too.

I tried to get a snap of the stage, but hawk eyed stewards put a stop to that as we weren’t allowed to take photos or recordings of the event sadly. I did manage to take one of the stage, just before it started.

Bafta Cymru Awards 2018

The awards themselves were scheduled to be on for two hours, and were being broadcasted live across the world to those who wanted to tap in, so there was a tight schedule on speeches, thank god.

It was great to see some of the well known faces in Welsh TV and big screen such as Ioan Gruffyd who presented the first award to rugby legend Gareth Thomas. It was also heartwarming to see some of the awards for longstanding achievement too.

Recapping over with snippets of the shows, I forgot how many amazing TV shows that have come out of Wales over the past 12 months. They kept the best male and female actor awards till last, to stop people shooting off early for the buffet over at the after party.

The male actor award going to the disturbed portrayal of schoolboy murderer and psychopath from “Born to kill”. I think it was all but certain who the winner of the female actor of the year was going to be, although there was a Stellar line up (and I don’t just mean the show with the namesake). After learning a new language in order to play the leading character, it was no wonder Eve Miles of “Keeping Fath” pipped the winning spot, to make it to the stage.

The After Party

I was surprised by the choice of venue for the after party, which was Radisson Blu. Not that I’ve ever been there but having had to walk past the eye sore they’ve created outside the hotel for over a year on my way to work with scaffholding and half finished repairs, it’s always put me off entering through the makeshift like tunnel outside the hotel reception. I thought they would of had it at somewhere like Park Plaza myself.

Luckily they’d packed away the scaffholding and metal jungle that’s adhored the high rise hotel since I can remember just last week. Coincidence? I think not. I just hope they don’t bring it back after last night’s even is over.

Inside though, I was more than impressed with the setup of the after party. You know what they say about not judging a book by it’s cover.

After flashing my ticket for the after party, we were ushered up to the 1st floor, where tables of wine and bowls full of hotel chocolat awaited. They do know how to turn someones first impressions around after all. I’d demolished a feast of a lunch at Grazing Shed earlier in the day, but if someone mutters the word buffet, all self control goes out the window.

 

With two buffet stations located either end of the first floor, this allowed a better flow of traffic to the savoury delights on offer. Red wine in tow, we managed to get to the hotel a bit swifter than the majority (not planned at all) so we managed to get a plate and table to nibble on quite easily. The whole floor space occupied by the awards was quite impressive though with main room featuring complimentary Da Mhile Gin bar and dj, adjacent buffet, Welsh beer and photo booth then out into another room with the wine and hotel chocolat, a main paying bar and relaxed seating / booths, which then led onto a lounge room with the second buffet station and paying bar.

Da Mhile Welsh Gin Bar at Bafta Cymru afterparty 2018

For those who wanted to get their monies worth, if you were paying for the £98 ticket then you could make do with the Da Mhile seaweed gin and tonic bar, Welsh beer or the wine sponsors red and white wine. Coupled free flowing champagne reception, buffet, entry to the awards and entertainment, I think it was excellent value for money. I just wish I took a doggy bag of the hotel chocolat home with me.

Having not had chance to book Monday off work, I had my sensible head on and did a Cinderella and left before midnight. I bet there were a few sore heads from those who stayed till the 2am closing time.

The Verdict

I really enjoyed my first outting to the Bafta Cymru awards. It was all last minute, so if I was to book again next year I’d make sure i book the Monday off to make the most of the event because I knew I’d be struggling all week if I went overboard on a Sunday evening.

There was a right mixture of attendees there too. From the cast, stars, award winners, directors and partners to your Jo average. We left just before midnight, so I would of loved to have seen what direction the event took, after a few more gin’s and wine had been consumed.

The food was lovely too, which is always on my top 3 scoring factors of a good party. I was also impressed with the inside of the after party venue, after it’s wound me up having to pass a building site for the past two years working in town as it was such an eyesore.

With ticket prices just shy of £100, I was skeptical at first as to whether you’re normal member of public would see much benefit, but I thought it was excellent value for money if you were thinking of buying a ticket.

I was recently asked to attend a little known (to myself) restaurant in the heart of Wales called the Granary in Newtown, Powys to try their new 9 course tasting menu. Not knowing much about the restaurant at first I did a little bit of digging and found out that the head chef has worked at some very reputable restaurants on his journey to heading up the kitchen at The Granary including the one Michelin Star Ynyshir in Machynlleth, two Michelin star Noma in Copenhagen and even further afield at The Little Truffle on the Gold Coast in Australia. Ok, so you can judge a restaurant just by where someone has worked but the menu sounded absolutely banging and right up my street.

The only thing putting me off was the 5 hour round journey to get to the restaurant and back home. Seeing as we’re in the middle of one of the biggest heat waves to grace the land of song, I thought why not make a weekend of it and throw a bit of nature in with the epic scenic route meandering through the Brecon Beacons then up to Mid Wales and go camping whilst we were up there. As luck goes I found a camping spot called The Dolau Inn just two miles from the restaurant, which was situated next to a pub and cost just £5 per person so it was game on!

 

The Restaurant

After a few fermented apple juices to hydrate ourselves after setting up camp, we took the 5 minute taxi ride into town and a short walk down a lane just off the main high street in Newtown to the restaurant.

The restaurant itself has been run by the same owner since 2009 and after speaking to some of the locals before we got there it has gone through a number of different directions since its inception with the most recent offering being tapas.

The re-branding, new menu and new direction under the guise of chef Seamus Russel has also seen the restaurant change its name to the Granary to tie in with the buildings original purpose being a bakers in the 1900 and selling grain during the 1950’s.

The outside building of the Granary Restaurant Newtown

The restaurant seating and tables at The Granary

The bar at The Granary Restaurant - Newtown

 

The Tudor style exterior flowed through nicely into the interior with exposed wooden joists and panelling throughout with stripped back low hanging lighting creating a warm atmosphere. We were the first to arrive and were offered a chance to grab a drink out the back first, which we inquisitively accepted.

Outside seating and garden at The Granary Newtown

Garden at The Granary Restaurant in Newtown

Garden snug at the granary restaurant - Newtown

 

Both going for a Gin Mare G & T, whilst we explored the peaceful and tranquil outside seating area that would be a summertime mecca if it was only located in Cardiff with ample an scattering of tables with rattan benches and cushions a plenty. There was even a snug up on a raised area with comfy sofas and a chance to shelter from the sun in the summer or warm the cockles up in winter with the connected wall mounted fire.

The Food

After embracing my inner Zen channelled through the Buddha statues dotted around outside chill out area, G & T in hand as backup we headed inside for a culinary journey through a foraged and fermented menu expertly curated by head chef Seamus.

tasting menu and gin at the granary restaurant

First up on the menu was the hispi taco, prawn, lime, cucumber and ant. I’ve never been one to purposely journey on through a dish with insects in but seeing as it was national insect week and I’d been desensitised once that week already with the bug farm pop up at The Celtic Manor, there was nothing a little helping of ants as seasoning would do to hold me back.

Hispi taco with ants at The Granary Restaurant

This was a very clever dish with fermented limes used to cure the prawns a la ceviche style, sandwiched between carved hispi cabbage leaves and cucumber. The presentation was on point and gave us a little glimpse of what we were in store for, for the rest of the evening. The ants would have been right at home nestled amongst the edible flower coating. Even the rustic looking plates and tableware were handmade by a woman locally and added an extra special touch to the dishes.

Leek and wild garlic plate at The Granary in Newtown

Second course saw us delving into leek, shallot, parmesan, wild garlic. Each of the dishes was explained by the chef so that no detail was left unearthed, which I though was excellent as the menu reads very simply but the techniques and process behind executing each dish goes way beyond the main ingredients listed. This dish for example was powdered in fine particles of charcoal, adding an extra layer to the delicate ribbons of leak and silky custard like core of parmesan and fragrant but mellow linger of wild garlic.

Sourdough bread and cultured butter - The Granary in Newtown

I was a little disappointed at first when sitting down and not having a chance to carb up on bread, but to my delight it was delivered after the 2nd course. God I love bread! Especially when so much love and attention has been made with the cultured butter and the sourdough both taking around 5 days to produce I was told. This wasn’t just any old Hovis, that’s for sure. Being a champion of fermented yeast I adore its sour taste just as much in a sour beer as my bread and this loaf took some beating, slathered with rich, buttery, yellow mounds.

Pigs head with caviar - The Granary Newtown

Not that it would have bothered me but the next course of pigs head didn’t come on a silver platter with an apple in its mouth. Instead if came crowned in something a bit more regal in the form of Osietra caviar, sat on a bed of squash surrounded in fermented barley with droplets of kelp. I would never have put pork and caviar together myself but when I think about my preference of pork, which would be adorned with glass like shards of heavily salted crackling it married together flawlessly. Sweetened by the soft squash and a pleasant umami hit from the kelp.

Duck with blueberry and beetroot main course The Granary Restaurant Powys

Another meaty dish was up next in the form of duck breast, blueberry, hazelnut and beetroot. Duck being one of my favourite meats if cooked correctly I was more than excited to see how it would be plated up. Even though my favourite potato sidekick to duck dishes, dauphinoise potato wasn’t anywhere in sight, the sight of me wiping the plate clean with my index finger after I’d savoured the last mouthful of duck I think it was fair to say I wasn’t too disappointed in the end. Cooked pink to perfection, the sweetness of the blueberry helped tame the gaminess of the meat.

Pineapple - coal ricotta and rocket granita at The Granary Restaurant

Course 6 was a fusion of sweet and savoury before we went full steam ahead into dessert with pineapple, rapeseed, coal ricotta and rocket. I don’t know what sort of witchcraft they taught the chef at his previous posts but this dish was crazy. Sweet pineapple, savoury rocket granita, with a helping of dairy in the form of welsh gold infused ricotta. Simple raw ingredients yet executed brilliantly by transforming them with some well thought out techniques, lots of time and a little sprinkle of love.

Rice pudding with rhubarb dessert at The Granary - Newtown

The freshly foraged haul came into its own in the next few courses with rice pudding, oats, rhubarb and wood sorrel. This put my regular overnight oat breakfast to shame. Smooth pudding with added crunch and texture from the crispy oats with a spoonful of the sweetened rhubarb was divine. Topped off with hand carved hearts out of the wood sorrel that brought not only a visual touch but another layer of flavour too.

Strawberry and elderflower dessert at The Granary in Newtown

Having only tired elderflower in gin, it was about time I tried it in it’s fresh form with some strawberries, olive oil and drizzle of elderflower gel. Soft, fresh and fragrant. The strawberries were so sweet and a classic pairing with the elderflower.

Final course and dessert at The Granary Newtown
Last but not least we came to the lemon and white chocolate fudge. Bite sized nuggets of lemon and a rich, indulgent chocolate and raspberry to finish off a perfect and flawless meal.

The Verdict

Well what can I say… From not having heard of the granary to learning about the chef and then getting excited about the 9 courses on offer for the June menu this did not disappoint and was definitely worth the 5 hour journey there and back.

The flavour pairings and techniques used were so clever and after finishing our meals, we were allowed into the kitchen to speak to the chef and take a look behind the scenes. There were some very British ingredients on the menu but I loved how they were tweaked with Asian flavours and techniques with ferments like koji, which I’d learned about only the night before whilst watching “The Mind of a Chef” with David Chang on Netflix.

Nothing was just thrown in a skillet and plated up, everything in each dish required patience, time and nurture with some of the ingredients requiring days if not weeks to prepare. There wasn’t one thing that past my lips that I didn’t like.

I really hope the restaurant gets the rewards it deserves and from eating at some other Michelin star restaurants recently I can’t see any reason why The Granary under the direction of Chef Seamus Russel can’t reach the same heights any time soon and although I never ate at its previous incarnation, I think they’ve found the winning formula at last.

I hope the locals do give it a chance and check out the amazing food although speaking to a few in the pub after our meal it might just be ahead of its time in Newtown after describing some of the dishes and ingredients and they pulled a face and said it was expensive. I think it will take off it’s just there is nothing else quite like it around and once they walk through the doors and sample the food, it will do all the talking.

If you are onto something as good as this though people will travel for it. I travelled to Anglesey from Cardiff to go for food at The Sosban and Old Butchers for my birthday, which is 4.5 hours there and 9 hour round trip so this is nothing from Cardiff or Shrewsbury about an hour away.

9 course tasting menu at The Granary - Newtown

The price of the 9 course tasting menu costs just £50, which by Cardiff Standards is bloody cheap as I’ve seen some veggie tasting menus recently for not much less. We ordered a bottle of white wine after our gin and tonics to go with the food as we didn’t realise they did a wine flight to go with the food too for around £30 each. Bearing in mind this is 9 courses and the portion size of the drinks was more than generous. We were gutted we didn’t know at the start or we would of gone for that but they did allow us to pair the rest of our dishes with the wine when we found out and they were paired beautifully.

Our food was complimentary and would cost £50 each and with our two gins, bottle of wine and last couple of paired wines our drink bill came to £60, which I though was very reasonable. So normally that would have cost £160 but in the end we paid £100 with a £40 tip to the chef and front of house.

To top it all off they even gave us the rest of the loaf of sourdough wrapped up in cling film to take home. That was breakfast sorted for the morning with my 40p tin of sausage and beans cooked on my camping stove back at the camping site.

Contact Details

The Granary Restaurant
17 Parker’s Lane, Newtown, Powys, SY16 2LT

Phone: 01686 621120

If you like fancy a trip to London on the latest boutique luxury coach service called sn-ap operating from Cardiff this week then you’re in luck.

Also if you like gin and fancy yourself as a bit of a foodie then why not combine this amazing free coach trip with the launch of Portobello Road Gin’s latest restaurant launch called Tonica as they are offering 50% off food for the soft launch between April 25th and May 9th.

Sn-ap

Sn-ap aims to offer it’s customers the chance to tailor their trips to when they want and where they want to be picked up instead of being dictated to by existing coach companies. The sn-ap app and system pools together like minded travellers to build trip based on peoples preferences such as time of departure and location of pick up and offers travellers the latest luxury coaches to travel in style.

I just popped over to the launch in Cardiff to see some of the coaches and they are the best I’ve seen with leather reclining seats and individual screens with Now TV and a host of other entertainment apps at your fingertips to make the journey a bit more bearable.

You can get a free trip to London from Cardiff by visiting the Sn-ap website.

Tonica

Portobello Road, which is one of my favourite all rounder gins. They’ve already established the Ginstitute on Portobello Road, which features a hotel, bar and distillery that also allows visitors to distil their own bottle of gin.

They’ve recently announced the launch of a new tapas style restaurant called Tonica, which will also feature a still at the venue that they aim to create some rather unique spirits such as avocado vodka and butter gin.

To book a table with 50% discount on the menu at the new Tonica restaurant by Portobello Road Distillery then head over to the Tonica website.

Accommodation

If you want to make a night of it with your trip to London then why not check out Airbnb for accommodation. You can rent anything from boat houses, a room in a shared house or a whole house.

Fancy a free £25 voucher for your first booking on Airbnb too?

Just use the following link and you will get the £25 taken off the final bill for your stay:

Airbnb discount voucher

Toffee Apple Ingredients

100g golden caster sugar
100g granulated sugar
4 tsp golden syrup (i only had the chocolate one)
2 tsp white wine vinegar ( could use cider vinegar too)
100ml water
25g butter
Black food colouring (or any other favourite colour)

toffee apple ingredients

Instructions

Fill the sink or a larger bowl with cold water which will be used later on to cool the pan if it gets too hot or to stop it burning when it reaches the optimum temperature.

Using the you’re planning to cook the toffee place the apples in and pour boiling water over them for a few seconds but no longer as they will discolour too much. The reason for this is to remove the waxy coating so that the toffee sticks and doesn’t just run off.

Put the hob on medium / high pour all ingredients into a pan and try to mix in when the butter starts to melt but then just leave it bubble. The odd swirl to make sure the syrup is cooking through evenly and doesn’t burn in clumps.

Use a sugar thermometer or i used a meat digital one as the glass sugar one i had steams up and I couldn’t see the temperature. You want to get the toffee up over 145C called the hard crack stage, which is when the toffee gives that all important crack when you bite into it otherwise it will stay a soft toffee.

This will take a good 10 minutes bubbling away just keep with it and the thermometer as it can jump up when you’re not expecting it but be sure to keep an eye on the colour and for any signs or burning, which you can usually smell too.

Drop the pan into the waiting bucket of cold water for 2 or 3 seconds at which point you will hear some sizzling but don’t keep it too long as it will cool too quickly for you to use.

Use whatever apple stabbing device you have to hand whether that’s a skewer, lolly stick, fork if you’re out or serial killer 12″ knife if you’re getting into the real halloween spirit (jokes!). Press firmly into the apples then depending on how big a pan you use you might have to tilt it, stick the apple in and swirl around giving a nice even coat one by one.

Drop the apples covered in the molten sugar heaven onto a tray lined in parchment paper so it doesn’t stick.

If the toffee starts to harden put it on the hob again to soften before continuing.

Depending on what you want to decorate the apples with and if you’re going classic then just let it cool. I melted down half a bar of lindt milk chocolate, let it cool to thicken then drizzled over the top.

Tuck in!!

toffee apple cooling

Possible Toffee apple toppings to spice things up a bit

Smashed Biscoff biscuits
Mine Marshmallows
Smashed maltesers
Broken pretzels
Crushed cookies
Broken brownie pieces
Crushed peanuts or any nuts for that matter
Melted chocolate ( remember to leave the toffee cool before adding this and you can go drizzles or dunk the whole thing in)
Sprinkles
Sugar glitter
Popping Candy
M & M’s
Reeses Candy Pieces

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past month you would of heard that Uber the International Taxi app has set up business in Cardiff a few weeks back. Taxi firms across the globe have been up in arms thinking that Uber will take away their custom but if you ask me it’s about time there was some competition in the taxi ranks as I for one have had a guts full of dodgy taxi drivers trying to rip me off refusing to go on the meter and charging over the odds for fairs home from Cardiff.

Last weekend I was out in Cardiff for a few drinks on a Saturday afternoon down Mill Lane as it was the first bit of sun we have had in ages but not thinking about the Judgment Day rugby double header in the Principality Stadium so they closed Queen Street station and made the regular users and the valley lines walk all the way around the back of the station like rat’s just to make the train journey and waiting a little easier for people who never use the station travelling back across the border after the game.

As we went to walk down under the bridge around the back of the station we saw them queuing up the street with estimates of an hour just to get in the station so i though f#ck that! My mate gave me a Uber discount code on signing up the week before so I thought i’d give the app a go as I already it downloaded on my phone.

A group of friends I had been speaking to had just been charged £45 to get home and the fair estimate on my phone said £27, which after i’d taken the free £10 Uber discount code i’d had from my friend that was just £17 between 3 of us it was less than half the price of a normal taxi and saved us an hour queuing and the walk home from the station the other side so that being said it was an excellent first experience. The taxi estimated it would be there in 8 minutes and I could actually see from the map on the app where he was. Modi, the driver who you can see before he arrives even gave me a call to confirm my exact location due to the 60’000 rugby fans loitering around the street. The car was a brand new Volkswagen Saran, automatic doors, 7 seater and spotless inside.

There was none of the usual haggling when the usual Cardiff Tax drivers put £10-£15 on top of the fee you normally pay and refuse to go on the meter and money upfront. I usually ask how much before I get in these days and if they take the piss move onto the next one till I get a price I know is fair which is usually £35-40 not the £50+ the cheeky b@stards try raping me for most of the time.

I’d definitely recommend Uber in Cardiff from my first experience and will be using it overtime from now on and is especially good for people looking for a lift home and spent all their hard earned cash or lost their wallet or purse as you sign up your bank details or paypal payment details in the app after downloading the app so no money actually passes between you and the driver physically and you have a full audit trail of the driver and your past rides just in case you have any issues you can raise it with Uber unlike half the Cardiff taxi’s who I think most have never been behind the wheel or have a grasp on the English language that’s all they understand MONEY, MONEY, MONEY!

Anyway if you’re heading out in Cardiff this weekend and don’t want to get mugged off and ripped off by Cardiff taxi’s then download uber today and use the Uber discount code nickyb880ue when signing up and you will get £10 off your first ride.

 

I’ve dealt with quite a few hosting providers over the years both personally and for the businesses i’ve supported and without a doubt my hands down favourite provider for price and customer service is TSO Host.

I’ve been with them for 4 years and recommended them to all my clients without a single complain compared to some other well know brands on the market.

For just £49 per year you have pretty decent sized web space with 10gb making it ample for blogging with my platform of choice WordPress and has suited some of my clients in the service industry that rely heavily on photography to promote their work such as flooring, tailoring and landscaping.

If you want to get a discount code for TSO Host and get 10% off your annual hosting fee use the discount code batchout at the checkout.

Take a look at the packages on offer at TSO Host, my first choice in reliable and affordable web hosting for WordPress websites.

I’ve compiled a little list below of some potential gifts as my family keep asking me what i want for Christmas so i thought i’d put them on here with a link so they know where to go. If you’re looking for gifts for you son, brother or other half and they are growing a beard, into their Crossfit or need some new tees or warm winter coats have a peek below:

Fitness / Crossfit

Again Faster Hoody (Men’s) Grey | Equipment for CrossFit®

Shorts : Iconx Drive 5.0 Mens Shorts Black Flou Yellow

Shorts :Iconx Barbell Club Accelerate Flow Shorts

Eleiko Hooded Sweatshirt

Texas Heroes – Heavy Rep Gear

Muscle Club – Heavy Rep Gear

Dura-Force Active Short – Heavy Rep Gear

P28 High Protein White Chocolate Spread 453G – Groceries – Tesco Groceries

Protein Bars – Quest Protein Bars x 1 multiple flavours available

Inov8 Functional Fitness Black / Grey Long Socks | CrossFit Compression Clothing | KITBox

Inov8 Functional Fitness Red Long Socks | CrossFit Compression Clothing | KITBox

 

Beard styling

Tweezerman Moustache Scissors with Grooming Comb | From Bath & Unwind

Tweezerman Gear Moustache Scissors with Comb – Boots

Tees

Black Scale | Black Scale T-Shirt With Digital Dream Roses at ASOS

Black Scale | Black Scale T-Shirt With Silent Science Print at ASOS

Converse | Converse All Star Raglan T-Shirt With Star Sleeves at ASOS

Trainerspotter | Trainerspotter Baseball Top at ASOS

Abandon Ship | Abandon Ship Super Longline T-Shirt with Long Sleeves at ASOS

Monarch Knit Jumper (Light Grey) – Bolongaro Trevor

Monarch Knit Jumper (Charcoal) – Bolongaro Trevor

Shirts

Farah Vintage Shirt with Dobby Dot in Slim Fit

Levis Vintage Clothing Shirt Slim Fit Floral Print Western

Paul Smith Jeans Shirt with Check and Contrast Check on Pocket in Classic Fit

Diesel Dinar Shirt Floral Print with Stretch

Soulland Short Sleeve Shirt in All Over Print

Reiss Polka Dot Shirt In Slim Fit

Polo Ralph Lauren Shirt in Slim Bengal Stripe

Fred Perry Shirt with Overdyed Camo Gingham

Scotch & Soda Shirt in Tartan Check

Farah Vintage Shirt with Paint Smudge Print in Slim Fit

Farah Vintage Shirt with Paint Smudge Print in Slim Fit

Sisley Shirt With Floral Paisley Print In Slim Fit

Trousers

Military Chino (Khaki Grey) – Bolongaro Trevor

Military Chino (Black) – Bolongaro Trevor

Coats

Major Jacket – Bolongaro Trevor

Schott | Schott Parka with Faux Fur Trim at ASOS

Barbour | Barbour X Pantone Wax Jacket at ASOS

Fidelity | Fidelity Peacoat Made in USA at ASOS

Denim & Supply by Ralph Lauren | Denim & Supply Ralph Lauren Parka with Down Fill at ASOS

Spiewak | Spiewak Parka Heron Snorkel with Insulation at ASOS

Gloverall | Gloverall Duffle Coat in Melton Wool at ASOS

Gloverall | Gloverall Peacoat at ASOS