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There's no better way to get into the festive spirit than The International meeting at Cheltenham Racecourse on Friday 13th and Saturday 14th December 2019. Don your Christmas jumpers on both days that will boast 14 thrilling races, including The BetVictor Handicap Steeple Chase and Glenfarclas Cross Country Chase on Friday and The Caspian Caviar Gold Cup and The Unibet International Hurdle on Saturday. Racegoers will have the chance of winning on the spot prizes for the most fun and festive jumper and prizes will include a pair tickets to any of the forthcoming race meetings including The Festival™, presented by Magners. Alongside the racing, racegoers will also get the chance to browse the stands in The Shopping Village, useful for those last minute Christmas presents. Gates open at 10am on both days, with the first race at 12.10pm. www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/the-international 
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David Gray is coming to The Great Court at Blenheim Palace on June 18th 2020 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the seminal 'White Ladder' album as part of the Nocturne Live series. Featuring the hit singles ‘Babylon’, ‘Sail Away’, ‘Please Forgive Me’ and ‘This Year’s Love’, ‘White Ladder’ is one of the top 10 best-selling albums of the 20th century in the UK. Joining him will be The Lighthouse Family. Having recently released their first new album in nearly two decades, the duo will perform new music as well as their classic hits including ‘High, ‘Lifted’ and ‘Ocean Drive’. Completing the bill is storied singer-songwriter Nerina Pallot playing highlights from her two-decade long career. www.nocturnelive.com  You can save up to 21% on your Cheltenham Festival tickets if you purchase before 10:59am on Monday 2nd December. The most prestigious and unmissable Jump racing event of the year. The Cheltenham Festival is a bucket list event that captures the nation and produces extraordinary moments to last a lifetime. The Cheltenham Festival welcomes the finest horses, jockeys, owners, and trainers to battle it out for the highest racing honours, their reputations and over £4.5 million of prize money. Enjoy an extraordinary day out with friends and family. From shopping, to live music, to a variety of bars and restaurants available, we are sure you'll have a day to remember while watching world class racing and history being made. www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets  We live in a very weird world, and that's not to mention anything to do with politics. Just this week I found myself defending the presentation of The Swan's pie on twitter to a "chef" who told me that the mash should have been quenilled [sic] with a little jus around the plate and some fresh watercress. I told him he was very wrong, and it's not the 90s anymore. Nobody puts watercress on top of food nowadays do they? It's been a couple of years since I visited The Swan and lots has changed in that time. Most importantly it has been taken over by Sam and Georgie Pearman, the original founders of The Lucky Onion, with pubs like the brilliant Chequers at Churchill which they still own and the delightful Wheatsheaf at Northleach which they don't. The pub has changed a bit too. Thinking back it was slightly disjointed but certainly not unpleasant. There was an odd little room if you entered the pub through the door on the road. That has gone has become an extension to the bar area with a few nice tables. The dining room which once had outlandish green walls, green wallpaper, and lots of flowers (the former owner was an interior and floral stylist) now boasts more subtle blues and looks more like a restaurant than someone's living room. There was a roaring fire in the other bar surrounded by the best seats in the house and a lovely room, perfect for celebrations and shoot parties leading out onto the courtyard garden which I imagine would be a nice spot in the summer. The pub has a warmer feel throughout. It's very rare I order bread, or ever bother to talk about it when I do. However, the Chipping Norton sourdough came with horseradish and dripping butter which is very much worth shouting about. I'm always torn between dishes and usually leave up to the waiter or waitress to decide for me. It was between the BBQ native prawns, English peas, Chipping Norton nduja and mussels. Without any hesitation, the prawns won. They were huge, messy (the water bowl and napkin both turned the colour your fingers go after eating a packet of Wotsits) and brilliant. I've never had peas with prawns before but it worked, and the nduja-fueled juice at the bottom of the copper bowl was incredibly good to for dipping the spelt toast in. I wasn't torn for my main. It was 3 degrees outside and I wanted a pie. Chicken and leek or ox cheek and smoked bacon, and choosing the latter wasn't a difficult choice. It arrived standing wonderfully unpretentious on a bed of mash and gravy. It was a thing of beauty and yes Mr Angry Twitter Chef stuck in a different decade, there was no need for spooned mash or watercress. If anything, it could have done with an extra small jug of gravy as the mashed soaked it up like a sponge. The side of squash and cavolo nero, curly kale to you and me, was a decent addition. This was some of the best pub food I have eaten in quite a while. I have a lot of time for places who have a one main menu fits all for lunch and dinner too. The Swan will lure locals (there's a special menu in the bar with a £10 dish on every day ) and Londeners alike (there's a station in Ascott where one train a day stops from The Big Smoke). There are also 8 rooms at the pub for anyone wanting to make a couple of days of it which we would obviously highly recommend. www.countrycreatures.com/the-swan  Food pictured is;
Ox Cheek and Smoked Bacon Pie Crispy Cacklebean Egg Triple ‘Ham’ Burger, Savoy Slaw, Toffee Apple Sauce, Blue Affine, Tabacco Onions, Alabama Fries The International Meeting at Cheltenham Racecourse is the perfect to entertain clients, friends, and family on the build up to Christmas. Friday 13th December and Saturday 14th will see Cheltenham celebrating Christmas Jumper Day and encourage all racegoers to don their festive jumper throughout The International meeting. Racegoers will have the chance of winning on the spot prizes for the most fun and festive jumper and prizes will include a pair tickets to any of the forthcoming race meetings including The Festival™, presented by Magners. Two great days of racing are scheduled to warm the cockles with seven races each day in what will no doubt provide some thrilling action on the course. It's always a festive Friday at The International as racegoers are treated to the finale of the Crystal Cup. The race concludes a series of unique races across Europe which encapsulates and celebrates the rich heritage of the sport. The 2018 running saw the Jamie Snowden trained Fact Of the Matter win The Glenfarclas cross Country Handicap. Last year’s winner has been over to Waregem this summer where he finished a gallant 5th in the Belgian Grand National, the 6th leg of the Crystal Cup series. Patrice Quinton has been the leading trainer of the series for the past five years, and looks set to take the title again in 2019. As racegoers return on Saturday, December 14, they will be greeted by Midlife Choir-Sis who will be singing Christmas carols to maintain the festive mood plus there will be performances The Hip Cats around the racecourse. The feature race of the fixture is the Unibet International Hurdle and stands as a hugely significant race in its own right. It’s also one of the leading trials for Unibet Champion Hurdle in March. Another highlight for are the two feature races, the Unibet International Hurdle and the Caspian Caviar December Gold Cup. Alongside the racing, racegoers will also get the chance to browse the stands in The Shopping Village, useful for those last minute Christmas presents. Gates open at 10am on both days, with the first race at 12.10pm. www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/the-international  Series 3 of the hugely popular BBC comedy This Country will be aired in February 2020. The mockumentary following the lives of cousins Kerry and Kurtan Mucklowe, played by Daisy and Charlie Cooper is filmed in and around the town of Northleach here in the Cotswolds. Charlie said to us this morning "We've just finished the editing on series 3 which we think might be the best yet. We can't wait to for everyone to see it when it launches in February. Expect more of the same nonsense from Kerry and Kurtan as well as a few new characters!" You can catch up on the first two series and "aftermath" on the BBC iPlayer by clicking HERE.  IMAGE: BBC
Arizona four-piece Jimmy Eat World are the first headliner announced for next year's 2000 Trees Festival at Upcote Farm near Cheltenham.
The multi-ward winning festival will take place on the 9th, 10th and 11th July 2020. You can buy early bird tickets with a discount by clicking HERE.
The Cotswolds man whose short Christmas film "Love is a Gift" went viral last year has released a new film for 2019.
Phil Beastall made "Love is a Gift" for just £50 and followed a man on the countdown to Christmas up to the big day where it becomes clear that his late mother has left him a message to listen to for every Christmas. This year, "Made for You" follows a long-distance relationship with video messages shared throughout the year leading up to Christmas day. You can watch it for yourself below. www.anzara.co.uk Following an inspection this afternoon, racing will go ahead tomorrow at Cheltenham for BetVictor Gold Cup Day. The racecourse have released a statement explaining that the third last hurdle and fence will be omitted to ensure that horses race on the best possible surface. The cross-country course has also been given the green light for the rearranged race on Sunday. Gates open at 10am on Saturday with the first race at 12.05pm and 11am on Sunday with the first race at 12.45pm. You can read the full statement below. www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/the-november-meeting/  Cheltenham Racecourse have announced new race times for Saturday and Sunday of The November meeting after the Friday Countryside Day was abandoned due to the weather. The Ballymore Novices' Hurdle moves to become the first race on Saturday while the Cross Country becomes the second race on Sunday. There will be an inspection at 3pm on Friday to determine whether racing goes ahead. www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/the-november-meeting/   It feels like the season has got properly underway now and I'm really looking forward to getting back on the course this weekend. I went over to Ireland last weekend to watch some of the pointers, some of which will be going to the sales next week. I went around with Richard Pugh, an auctioneer with Tattersalls which was a great experience and we learned a lot. I love The November Meeting at Cheltenham. It's the first multi-day meeting of the season, and one where I have happy memories. I rode my first ever Cheltenham winner aboard Palmers Hill in the Conditional's race on the Sunday last year for Mr McManus and dad. I'm not sure who I will be riding on Friday. Maybe L'Air Du Vent of Colin Tizzard's who is entered in the Grade 2 Ballymore Novices' Hurdle 2m5f trial. I won his bumper in Bangor last year and he's a very nice horse. So if he goes there it would be nice to ride him. He's very much a work in progress but he could be something really nice. Saturday, we have Prefontaine running in the Grade 2 JCB Triumph Trial Juvenile Hurdle. He's a bit of a monkey. He unseated me in his first run and was quite sloppy in his jumping on his second time at Fontwell. He really got his act together at Kempton the next time in blinkers that sharpened him up and won quite nicely having made the running. The horse that came second that day has gone out this week and won, so the form looks good which bodes well. This however is a big step up in grade and we will know where we are with him after the race. Pop Rockstar is also in on Saturday in the 3m3f Grade 3. He's an interesting horse who is on the way up. He has won his last two races at Carlisle and Chepstow and he's a good strong stayer who jumps very well. He could either go for this race or wait until next weekend at Haydock. He's in great form and dad will make a decision with owner Laura Day later this week. He could have the Welsh National in the back of his mind if he goes well in the next couple of weeks. I was at Cheltenham on Tuesday morning with Richie (McLernon) schooling over the cross-country fences. The ground was pretty soft and I imagine the main track will also be relatively soft which is to be expected. It could definitely suit Pop Rockstar. On Sunday, we have a couple of entries in the conditional race. It's a pretty special race for me and it would be amazing to try and win that again. I'm really looking to getting going again with hopefully no hold ups and a clear run through the season, touch wood"  Lionel Richie is the first headline act to be announced for Nocturne Live at Blenheim Palace in June 2020. The multi-award winning singer, known for hits Dancing on the Ceiling and Hello, will perform on Saturday 20th June. Tickets on sale Friday 15th at 9am. Visit www.nocturnelive.com for more information.  IMAGE VIA NOCTURNELIVE.COM Cheltenham Racecourse have announced that Jack Whitehall has added a matinee performance to take place before his sold out evening show on Tuesday 26th November. The earlier performance will start at 5:00pm in The Centaur at the racecourse and tickets will be on sale on Monday 11th November at 10:00am. Visit www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/jack-whitehall for all information.  With The November Meeting at Cheltenham just 10 days away, we have found the best places to go after you leave Prestbury Park. See the full guide HERE.  After an extensive four-year-long renovation, The Harcourt Arms in in the charming Oxfordshire village of Stanton Harcourt has reopened its doors to the public. Headed up by Olivier Bonte, former GM of No.131 and Alan Gleeson, previously Head Chef of The Lucky Onion’s No.131 and No.38 The Park, The Harcourt Arms will offer exceptional pub food using the finest produce, ingredients sourced through long-standing relationships with ethical suppliers. The drinks menu will feature beer and wine from small but talented producers across the world with amazing brands such as Greywacke Sauvignon Blanc, William Chase Rose and Chateau Musar alongside Hook Norton Beers, Butcombe and Timothy Taylors Landlord. They will also be serving up delicious cocktails such as Negroni with a twist, proper Espresso Martini and their very own Bloody Mary, allowing guests to order an old favourite or try something new. Since the renovation, there are an additional 10 individually style en-suite bedrooms, making this 17th-century pub with rooms ideal for both leisure and business needs. With the local community at its heart, The Harcourt Arms have created The Harcourt Stores, which will offer luxury, artisan produce alongside healthy everyday essentials. A one-stop-shop for locals, there will be fresh coffee, cured and smoked produce,sweet treats and everyday essentials. The ultimate village pub with a home away from home feel makes it the perfect place to visit. www.theharcourtarms.com   Jump season is full speed and it's just 2 weeks until The November Meeting takes centre stage at Cheltenham. It's the biggest meeting at the course outside The Cheltenham Festival and takes place on Friday 15th, Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th November. The highlight on the track across the whole weekend is the iconic BetVictor Gold Cup, a Handicap Chase over 2m4f with a prize to the winner of over £90,000. Recent winners have included locally trained Taquin Du Seuil for Jonjo O'Neill and the hugely popular Splash Of Ginge for Nigel Twiston-Davies. Alongside the action on the course, there is a host of awesome things taking place throughout the weekend. Friday is Countryside Day and lots of country themed events including Sir Anthony McCoy receiving a lesson from double Olympic medal-winning dressage rider Laura Tomlinson in the Parade Ring at 11:45am, as well as a parade by a local hunt and live music from The Lucky 15's in The Guinness Village for Club/Tattersalls Racegoers. After racing from 4pm-5.15pm, The Wurzels will be taking to the stage in The Centaur. This is free for Club/Tattersalls ticket holders, Saturday features more music with The Wickermen playing in The Guinness Village and after racing, Club and Tattersalls racegoers can enjoy live music from The Wandering Wings in The Centaur who will get your Saturday night started with upbeat acoustic versions of classic pop, rock and soul hits. Sunday will see the finale of the Pony Racing Authority Racecourse Series, sponsored by Charles Owen. There have been 25 fixtures throughout the season, across a variety of racecourses around the UK, starting at Aintree Racecourse in May. The jockeys are aged between 11 and 16. The first race will be at 12pm. There is a host of family themed activities to enjoy throughout the day and more live music with The D-Day Darlings performing live in The Centaur after racing, free for Club/Tattersalls racegoers. Other things of interest:
For tickets and further information, please click here.   "The season has already been full of ups and downs already with some nice winners and a couple of injuries. My jaw is now fully recovered after breaking it in a fall in August. I'm really looking forward to an exciting season ahead. It was pleasing last Thursday winning on Pop Rockstar. He looks like he's going the right way and hopefully he can turn into a long distance chaser. Perhaps the Welsh National trial at Chepstow at the beginning of December could be somewhere we go next with him. He's on an upward curve. Friday saw our first juvenile winner of the year with Pop The Cork winning at Uttoxeter. He ran well at Perth the first time and has come on well from that. I would say that they will look for another juvenile race for him in November. Although there were no winners, it was good to get back to Ffos Las on Saturday for their first meeting of the year. We headed to Kempton on Sunday where Prefontaine won the Juvenile Hurdle. He was a very good horse on the flat and I think the blinkers definitely sharpened him up and there's more to come from him. It was great to get a winner for Paul Smith - his first jumps winner. It's exciting that Cheltenham is just around the corner. There seems to be a lot of nice young horses entered. Colin Tizzard has some really nice novices', and one or two bumper horses that I rode last year entered up. L'Air Du Vent has a couple of entries at Cheltenham. He is a very exciting prospect and, although I won't be riding, I look forward to seeing him running. Also, my younger brother AJ hopefully has his first ride at Cheltenham on Friday on Mustmeetalady so I will be looking forward to seeing him have his first ride over fences. It's great to see him coming back into racing and Cheltenham is a brilliant place to start and I hope it all goes well. I won on Mustmeetalday in the summer at Perth and he should have a good chance and give him a good spin around. It's nice to see Minella Rocco back on Saturday at Cheltenham. He had a difficult season last year. I've ridden and schooled him in the last couple of weeks. He's been in great form and he likes it around Cheltenham so it's an ideal place for him to start. Hopefully Carys' Commodity will run in the bumper. He would have probably won with me at Worcester last time when he unseated me halfway up the run in. I'm hoping he can make amends for that, although this is a far better race and possibly the most competitive bumper of the year so far so we will have to wait and see. He's an exciting prospect."  JONJO O'NEILL JR WITH PREFONTAINE OWNER PAUL SMITH AND JONJO O'NEILL SENIOR AT KEMPTON It's very rare that food blows your mind. I'm always seeing that someone had "the best meal they have ever eaten" followed by an #ad in the hashtags, hidden enough that some people will miss it and mistakenly believe that they genuinely had their best ever meal. After seeing much hype and happening to be in Cheltenham, I booked a table at Bhoomi Kitchen. It's the same old Bhoomi but with a much more relaxed feel, new Indian BBQ dishes and Thali to the menu and no white tablecloths. If I'm honest I wasn't a fan of the white tablecloths in the old style Bhoomi. If I'm even more honest, I'm not a fan of white tablecloths full stop. I find it a little uncomfortable in restaurants when someone in white gloves starts brushing the cloth in front of you between courses. I kind of get it, but I feel like those days have gone and it's something my grandparents would have would have appreciated. Anyway, they have gone. Also the walls have changed colour. You know that lovely bluey, greeny grey colour that everyone uses? It probably has a trendy name at Farrow and Ball. Evidently I'm no expert, I just know it looks nice. The Thali is served between 6pm and 6.45pm every evening (bar Monday as the restaurant is closed) and lunch time on Friday, Saturday and Sundays. There was already a trickle of the after work crowd when we arrived just after 6. How bloody clever to capture that audience with a silver tray of pleasure for a tenner or £12 if you opt for the Butter Chicken or Kerala Lamb. Either way, it's a bargain. I never eat at 6pm. I don't trust people who do. They must be the ones who go to bed at 10pm when I'm just about to sit down to eat my dinner. With a mix of naivety and fear of having to eat twice in a night, we treated the Thali as a starter and ordered three of the Indian BBQ dishes for our main; Tharavu (Duck breast, rubbed with south Indian gunpowder spice blend then barbecued in charcoal tandoor), Chicken Reshmi Kebab (Marinated breast in hung yogurt, ginger, garlic, cream, ground peppercorn, ground cashew nuts, skewered and tandoor roasted) and Barbecued Prawns (marinated in lime juice, chilli, cumin, coriander tandoor baked). Now we've all had duck chicken and prawns before but this was on a different level. The duck and the chicken more so than the prawns which were seriously good, just not as good or a memorable as the other two. The flavours were immense, compelling and fiery all at the same time, and the meat was like butter. It was simply brilliant. I'm not here to say that my meal at Bhoomi Kitchen is the best I have ever eaten, but it was some of the most exciting food I have eaten for a very long time. www.bhoomikitchen.co.uk     One of Bristol’s brightest star chef’s is coming to take over the kitchen at Tetbury’s The Priory Inn. New head chef Tom Bannister has worked at some of Bristol’s best eateries including a head chef role at The Souk Kitchen.He is planning to introduce a new, more casual approach to dinning focusing on the social side of eating, using the charming dining space at The Priory. The Arkell’s Brewery hotel has undergone a management makeover since Greg Heath took over the reins of the hotel in July. theprioryinn.co.uk  The 2019 Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival has marked its 70th anniversary with a record-breaking number of tickets sold. With its most international, diverse programme yet, the world’s oldest literature Festival reached a larger audience than ever before, supported by a new broadcast partnership with Sky Arts. Festival highlights included stage and screen stars Tan France, Helena Bonham Carter, Louis Theroux and Andrew Ridgeley, sporting legends Sam Warburton and Alastair Cook, and political insight from the likes of Jess Phillips, Rory Stewart, Emily Maitlis and David Cameron. The fun continued after dark with a Game of Thrones quiz night, US story-telling sensation The Moth, and the return of the ever-popular Lit Crawl taking over the streets, pubs and bars of Cheltenham. Literature Festival in Numbers • Over 140,000 tickets issued • Over 17,000 visitors on each of the festival weekends • Over 4,500 visitors to the site every week day • More than 900 authors on site Things we learnt during the festival • Helena Bonham revealed that she sought psychic help for the role of Princess Margaret • Sue Perkins admitted that cake was in fact off her ideal menu • Rory Stewart spoke of how he quit as an MP to run for Mayor so that he could make a difference • Sky Arts exposed a nation of literary liars, with over half of Britons having had pretended to read a book • This Country stars teased the audience with the idea of a Cotswold Christmas Special • Andrew Ridgeley suggested TV talent shows were too brutal for young talent • Sam Warburton told how his arachnophobia stops him from entering the I’m a Celeb jungle • David Cameron admitted his daughter has forgotten that he was prime minister • David Mitchell joked that we might look back on the invention of the internet as a terrible disaster Next year’s dates The Times and The Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival will take place from 2nd -11th October 2020  IMAGE VIA STILL MOVING The Cotswolds Distillery have introduce their own twist on the classic Old Tom Gin. Dating back to the 18th century, at a time when gin was consumed in copious amounts, this juniper spirit was traditionally sweetened with sugar or liquorice to conceal the astringent qualities of the substandard spirit. Thanks to the thriving craft cocktail scene, Old Tom Gins based on traditional recipes have made a comeback in the past few years. Tasting Notes The Cotswolds Old Tom has sweet, woody notes from liquorice root balanced with zesty orange citrus and light spice from the ginger. Serving suggestions We enjoy our Old Tom neat, garnished with fresh orange peel, or why not try a Tom Collins cocktail by adding lemon juice, soda and sugar syrup. It's available now in-store and online. 500ml | 42% ABV | £29.95 www.cotswoldsdistillery.com/products/old-tom-gin  50 restaurants in the Cotswolds have made it into the Michelin Guide 2020 that was published this week. We have done the honourable thing and listed them all for you so you don't have to to go on a wild search. You can find the whole list by clicking HERE.  The Royal Oak in Whatcote has been awarded a Michelin Star. The menu showcases high quality local, organic, wild ingredients and game often 'shot to order' by gamekeepers on local estates, while keeping the local pub ethos throughout. Chef Richard Craven has been a well-know name in the culinary world in the Cotswolds after the success of The Chef's Dozen in Chipping Campden and said on twitter "We’re still reeling from last night but we would like to sincerely thank our little team and incredible part timers for all their hard work. Thank you Michelin for taking the time to visit us and for awarding us this absolute honour." www.theroyaloakwhatcote.co.uk The National Hunt horse racing season starts this week, and there's just 17 days until the first meeting at Cheltenham Racecouse. The Showcase, a 2-day meeting on Friday 25th and Saturday 26th October, kicks off the season for many racing enthusiasts here in the Cotswolds. In addition to great racing, why not celebrate the start of the season in style with the first ever Cheltoberfest on both days of The Showcase meeting, including live music from The Bierkeller Boys, a range of local real ales, and tips from a racing tipster before racing commences. For more information and tickets, visit www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/events-tickets/the-showcase  The Hollow Bottom in Guiting Power opened its doors again after its shock closure in July. The famous 17th century Cotswolds racing pub has been taken over by The Lucky Onion Group, which is owned by Julian Dunkerton. Obviously we went to have a look. The pub's interior looks and feels warmer, and there is still a racing theme throughout. There is, of course, Dunkertons Cider of draft as well as other local ales and lagers. We also had a bite too. The Ham, Egg and Chips is immense with an orange glazed whole ham hock on the plate. hollowbottom.com        |
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