Making Cocktails At Coco Lounge, Nottingham

Making Cockatails At Coco Lounge, Nottingham

(This post originally appeared on the Lone Male In The Kitchen Blog August 2013 )

Over the past two weeks Nottingham has been buzzing with a Food and Drink Fortnight where many of our prominent restaurants and bars have been taking part, including many 'Dine for a tenner' options across the city centre.

Whilst looking through the offers available we spotted an advertisement for a cocktail making masterclass at Coco Lounge. Coco Lounge is a Nottingham bar which prides itself on it's cocktail menu so the chance to achieve a lifelong ambition of getting behind the bar and serving drinks just had to be acted upon.

The Lone Male At The Bar- Behind the bar at Coco Lounge Nottingham making a cocktail

Coffee At The Highest Cafe In The United Kingdom

Visiting The UK's highest cafe atop the highest mountain in Wales

The Lone Male On Tour In Snowdonia

Hafod Eryri Cafe at the top of Snowdon

Climbing any mountain is a challenge. It takes some hard work and planning to scale a peak although some of that preparation work can be taken care of when climbing up Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales as there is a fantastic cafe located right near the top of the hill which rises to 1085 metres above sea level (3560 feet) alongside the impressive station which visitors can use to take the easy way to the top.

Croeso i Gymru (Welcome to Wales in Welsh)

Coffee is definitely well earned at the top of Snowdon at the UK's highest cafe.

Earning our coffee at the UK's highest Cafe

We certainly didn't take the easy way up Snowdon on the train and really earned our break on reaching the summit having climbed up from the Snowdon Ranger station on what is a 13km hard walk up to the summit and bank down to the start point at Snowdon Ranger Youth Hostel beside Lyn Cwellyn.

There are a number of well known pathways up Snowdon. Due to their distance they're pretty much all classed as hard mountain walks and shouldn't be started without a level of fitness which will allow a walker to reach the top. Most walks take around 6 hours in total and therefore make for a long day of hiking

The Best Cafe For Cyclists On Lanzarote

Finding The Best Cafe For Cyclists On Lanzarote

A coach recently asked triathlon's famous Brownlee brothers about how they selected the routes of their long training rides and the response was that they configured them related to which particular cafe they fancied going to. Such a free form approach from Olympic athletes seems somewhat refreshing in a world obsessed with mileages and power meters although the simple truth is that cyclists love cake. My recent Lanzarote training trip involved a bit of a tour of the cafes as a result.

Sour Cherry Cake and Chocolate Cake With Coffee At Jonniebakes, Teguise, Lanzarote

As many cyclists and triathletes make their way to Lanzarote for a period of warm weather training or targeting the many events on the island there becomes a need for a good spot to stop off mid-ride (Whether on your own or with a like minded group) for the obligatory cafe stop.

Riding down from the Tabayesco climb through Los Valles and onto Teguise on the LZ 10 on my way back to Costa Teguise I saw the big Jonniebakes.com sign and was just ready for coffee and cake. Jonniebakes has to have arguably one of the best possible locations in terms of attracting cyclists as we head back to our resorts from some of the best cycling climbs on Lanzarote

Jonniebakes Artisan Bakery and Cafe in Teguise is a great stop off for cyclists

If you've spent your morning riding up Tabayesco and over to the Mirador Del Rio you'll have worked up an appetite. In reality many of us cyclists have an insanely sweet tooth yet make up for all those calories by cycling so the opportunity to grab a slice of cake or a nice pastry will never be turned down.

My first visit to Jonniebakes came at the end of a 3 hour long interval session. I'd done all the hard work for the day including interval training up many of the climbs in the North of the island so my body and mind were ready for a stop. At home I don't tend to stop during training rides but today was an exception to my usual rule.

Upon walking into the cafe and bakery there was a small display cabinet featuring a huge selection of cakes, pastries and pasties. From near perfectly shaped donuts to sausage rolls you can tell that the owners are Brits as it feels like a quaint slice of Blighty inside the clinical white of Lanzarote's buildings.

Menu's are showcased on large slate boards as you walk in so you're never going to miss what's on display.

A Cabinet Full Of Delights

Some amazing cakes and bakes at Jonniebakes, Teguise

On my first visit I plumped for an Almond and Marzipan Croissant which was absolutely delicious and a lovely black coffee which was served in one of those American soda glasses which seem so popular right now.

I loved the food and coffee so much I came back the following day and bought my other half with me. She came up to Teguise Market on the bus whilst I had a gentle roll up deliberately early to sit outside with a coffee and Pain Au Chocolat prior to a walk around the market and return for a slice of cake- You could say I'm hooked but I do love a good bakery or cafe and Jonniebakes has to be the best on Lanzarote.


Address and Map

Jonniebakes Artisan Bakery and Cafe

Av Gran Aldea, 76

35539 Teguise

Las Palmas, Spain

The Nuthall Pub and Kitchen Review

What was once a run-down looking pub on the A610 has been transformed into a modern gastro pub specialising in season produce. The Nuthall promises to offer a select menu to satisfy any local food lover and with a friend working just across the road it works as a great place for a catch up after work. Especially with an early evening menu offering exceptional value if ordered before 6:30 pm.

The Nuthall Pub and Kitchen- A table with a view (Of the A610)

 Value For Money Early Evening Menu

Whilst the main evening menu prices are a little on the premium side, the Nuthall offers a reasonably priced early evening menu with one  course for £7.95, two for £10.95 and 3 for £13.95 which represents excellent value and makes the prices very comparable to many more budget establishments locally. Their early bird menu is available for orders up to 6:30 pm and at the time of writing featured a great varied range of options from starters of Pork, Chorizo and Apple Terrine, to Beef and Horseradish Croquettes. Mains including Battered Red Mullet Fillets, as well as Pork and Leek Sausages with Mashed Potatoes. The desserts include Lemon and Ginger Bakewell and a Honey Panna Cota. As you can imagine this is no basic low price menu.