The Magnum Restaurant Review Edinburgh

Posted on January 7, 2015 by Melissa Volpi

The Magnum restaurant’s dining room glitters like gold. There are rows of fairy lights draped across each street facing window and magnum sized bottles of champagne decorating every shelf.

This is a room full of unexpected surprises – especially after walking through a rather dingy bar to get to it. The restaurant’s atmosphere is quiet and intimate. There is plenty of space between each table, making it the perfect venue for a private candlelit meal.

Our well-spoken waitress sits us at a table for two in one corner of this room. We have a window to our right, which overlooks Albany Street (where this restaurant is located) and a view of the dining room bar to our left.

The dining room bar is very different to the main bar that you have to walk through en-route to this small restaurant… there are no punters propping up the bar here, just the bar staff preparing drinks.

The table settings are relaxed (two sets of cutlery, side plates and paper napkins) and the restaurant and bar menu is urban chic – it’s a folding wooden menu.

There are five starters on the menu and all are under £7.00. There is homemade soup of the day, one game dish, two fish dishes and a vegetarian option. The gazpacho topped with hand picked Scottish crab, avocado cream, pepper brunoise and baby tomato finished with olive oil tempts both my partner and I. But, as crab meat can sometimes be a little overpowering for us, we decide on the carpaccio of spice rubbed duck and the Scottish smoked salmon with warm dill pancakes.

On scanning the wine list, we come across this quote: “Wine is bottled poetry” by Robert Louis Stevenson. I quite agree and order a bottle of the house white for us to try. My rule when dining out is this… if a restaurant has good quality house wine, then you know it is a good restaurant.

Starters

When our waitress places our duck and salmon starters in front of us, my partner and I both look at each other and smile. It is not just the dining room that is full of unexpected surprises at The Magnum, it is the food too. We were both expecting pub style food – something hearty that tastes nice more than looks nice. But, the presentation of both these starters is superb. It’s not fine dining, but it is colourful and creative.

My carpaccio of spice rubbed duck is laid out on the plate like a bicycle wheel. The long, lightly pink fingers of duck stretch outwards like spokes from the Romanesco floret, fennel and baby leaf centre and the small circular drops of burnt orange syrup between each piece of duck resemble the nuts and bolts.

I cut a mouthful of duck and dip it into the syrup. It is exceptionally thin, just as carpaccio should be, and has a delicate texture. It melts in my mouth, leaving a pleasant sweet and sour aftertaste.

My partner’s salmon looks festive, reminding me of a Christmas cracker. A rectangle shaped handful of lambs leaf is secured between two half moon shaped smoked salmon and dill pancakes. A mound of parsnip crisps on either side of the salmon remind me of the ends of a cracker, making me want to pull them.

My partner dips a piece of salmon into the accompanying horseradish cream and nods his head in appreciation.

Maincourse

Again, the maincourse menu offers five possibilities, ranging from £14.50 to £22.50.

We both stick to the same theme for our maincourses. My partner carries on the fish theme and orders the pan-fried sea trout with a chorizo, podded pea and saffron potato fricassee and a warm caper and tarragon dressing. And I carry on the game theme by ordering the seared venison haunch with soured cabbage, Montbeliard sausage, green beans, baked beetroot and rosemary jus.

Seared Venison Haunch

It’s hard to find good restaurants that offer seasonal game on the menu in Edinburgh. But, The Magnum is one of them.

I smell the seared venison haunch before I see it – there is an earthiness and a Scottishness about the smell that is truly unique. And the taste is equally as memorable. It feels like a heady mix of heather and moor has exploded in your mouth. We are what we eat, as the saying goes, and our red deer feast on the very best that the Scottish Highlands have to offer…

The presentation of this dish is spot on too. Three seared cuts of haunch rest on a bed of cabbage and green beans, and two thick chunks of sausage are marinating in the beetroot and rosemary jus that encircles this dish.

My partner’s sea trout rests on top of the chorizo, pea and potato fricassee mix. It looks colourful and is just as rustic as my venison dish. The portions are substantial here, but my partner’s plate is empty within minutes – which is always a good sign.

We feel contentedly full, but order desserts’ anyway after reading that Cranachan cheesecake is on the menu. Cranachan is a traditional Scottish dessert containing oats, cream, whisky and raspberries. It’s normally served as a trifle, so it will be interesting to try it cheesecake style.

Dessert

The Cranachan cheesecake with red berry coulis and raspberry compote and the chocolate and macadamia nut pudding with chocolate sauce and white chocolate and rosemary ice cream look stunning on the plate. Both portions are small and simple. The Chef has let each dessert take centre stage and has only added as much condiment as is necessary, which makes a nice change. You feel that you are eating little works of art, rather than tucking into a diabetics nightmare.

The Cranachan cheesecake tastes like traditional Cranachan, but the addition of the shortbread base and the thick raspberry compote topping transform it into a modern master. The Chef has also used a few pieces of dried Scottish heather as decoration on the plate, which is not just noteworthy but poignant.

The chocolate and macadamia nut pudding with chocolate sauce is as decadent as it sounds. But the white chocolate and rosemary ice cream ice cream cancel out the American heritage of this dessert and give it a refined look and taste.

Our thoughts

The Magnum restaurant in Edinburgh is not a posh eatery. It is a relaxing and informal hidden gem that I am loath to publicize – only because I want it to retain its quiet, intimate charm.

The Chef uses local and seasonal produce and is not afraid to cook traditional Scottish dishes. He has cooked us a meal that is proud of its roots. One that uses the best of our resources. And one that fills us with comfort after a long day battling the cold.

The Magnum restaurant is one of only two game restaurants in Edinburgh that I would recommend. It is a restaurant for everyone. A place where you can breathe and sit back and not worry about what you’re wearing or how you look. It’s a place to go for good food. But then, I knew that at the beginning of our meal after sampling the house wine. My one restaurant rule has never failed me yet: if a restaurant has good quality house wine, then you know it is a good restaurant.

Contact details:

For reservations call: 0131 557 4366

The Magnum Bar and Restaurant is open 7 days.

Sunday to Thursday from 12 pm to 12 am

Friday to Saturday at 12 pm to 1 am

Website: http://www.themagnum.webeden.co.uk/

The Stockbridge Restaurant Review Edinburgh

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Melissa Volpi

As our taxi parks up in a residential street, the first thing I have to ask the driver is: “Where is The Stockbridge Restaurant?” But this is not a negative. The Stockbridge Restaurant, situated in the bohemian area of Stockbridge – in Edinburgh’s New Town – is hidden from view down a steep flight of town house steps, in the basement of a Georgian building.

We are the first guests to arrive at 7 pm on a Friday evening in November. Our waitress – an elegant young woman with a European accent – takes our coats and seats us at a table for two in a cosy corner of this room. There is a big table to our right that is set for a party of ten and six other tables positioned intimately in this space, which is more like a friend’s dining room than a restaurant.

There are black painted stonewalls decorated with mirrors; paintings by Scottish colourists; and purple patterned black out curtains along the street facing wall. The small bar, to the rear of this dining room, is made up of wooden shelves that are stacked with a variety of Scottish Gins to include Boe, Hendricks, The Botanist, Old Raj and Edinburgh Gin. But the most charming parts of this interior are the linen covered tables, with linen napkins and gold damask chairs, as well as the old fireplace filled with glowing candles and a cascade of white melted candle wax.

Chive and Chervil Pesto

To help us settle in, we are given a wine and drinks list, as well as a basket of toasted bread. The bread is cut into triangles and there are three varieties to choose from – white, brown and black olive bread. To show us that The Stockbridge Restaurant is a little more unusual than many Edinburgh dining establishments, we are given the traditional choice of toast topping (a small ceramic pot filled with butter) and an original offering. In a small ceramic pouring pot is a runny grass green liquid that we are told contains a homemade chive and chervil pesto.

My mum orders two large glasses of white wine for us – one glass of the Stoney Range Sauvignon Blanc from Sherwood Estate in New Zealand and one glass of the Santa Rosa Viognier from Argentina – while I pour this chive and chervil pesto over a triangle of black olive bread.

This combination reminds me of a lovely spring day and I quickly pour more pesto onto a second triangle of bread.

Set Menu or A La Carte Menu

Our waitress gives us a choice of two menus. There is a Set Menu available from Tuesday to Friday, which offers two courses for £20.95 or three courses for £24.95. Or, there is the A La Carte Menu available from 7 pm between Tuesday and Saturday. After having a quick scan over both menus, we decide on the A la Carte Menu – the more imaginative of the two.

There are five starters to choose from and all are priced at £7.95 except for the seared scallops with butternut squash puree, apple salsa, walnuts and Serrano ham, which is advertised at £12.45. There are two meat dishes, two fish dishes and one cheese dish to choose from.

The braised ox cheeks tempt me… but I decide to have an evening of game dishes instead – since we are now into November and the Scottish grouse, partridge, pheasant and hind season is in full swing. Jason Gallagher, Chef and Owner, sources all his game meat from Braehead Foods in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire (http://www.braeheadfoods.co.uk/).

I order the partridge breast and confit leg with leek puree, wild mushrooms and Madeira sauce to start and my mum picks the trio of cheese: goats cheese fondant with beetroot puree, blue cheese soufflé and cheddar cheese sausage.

The five maincourses on offer (two fish dishes and three game dishes) start at £20.95 and rise to £24.95 for the grouse and venison options. My mum orders the grilled halibut while I order the venison loin with venison pie.

The imagination that has gone into this selection of maincourses is superb, especially if you love game. But, if I had to highlight something, I would say that the maincourses might be off-putting to a vegetarian – especially as one of the two fish dishes is served with crispy pancetta. Not all vegetarians eat fish, so it would be good to offer a 100% vegetarian option on the A La Carte maincourse menu – similar to what the chef has already done with the starter menu.

Amuse Bouche

To our surprise, two small square dishes are placed in front of us containing an amuse bouche (The French term, ‘amuse bouche’ means a tiny portion of food served before the starter to stimulate the appetite).

The dish looks more Japanese than French though – probably due to the colour of the small square dish, which is black. But, it’s a cute idea.

Everything is in miniature. Sitting on top of a tiny rectangular sized piece of Parma ham is half a cherry tomato filled with tiny mozzarella cubes and sliced spring onions. This miniature wonder is finished off with a drizzle of balsamic glaze and a sprig of parsley.

In two bites, it is gone. But it leaves a lovely fresh taste in my mouth and has done what it is meant to do – it has whetted my appetite.

Starters

My mum and I both smile as our starters are laid in front of us. This is not what we were expecting at all – but in the best of ways.

My partridge breast and confit leg rest on a bed of vibrant green, the leek puree, and are surrounded by an assortment of wild mushrooms oozing with Madeira sauce. A small bouquet of parsley adds the finishing touch to this dish.

Even though I am mesmerised by the presentation of my mums starter, I cannot wait to start my own and end up trying a few bites of partridge and mushroom before we both clink glasses and toast the beginning of our meal.

To say the partridge is tender would be an understatement – the meat breaks off the confit leg at the lightest touch and the pink breast is cooked to perfection. The whole starter works very well and I can’t help thinking that this would be an achievable dish to cook at home. It’s a simple and traditional pairing of ingredients, cooked and presented in a modern fine dining style.

But the winner for best presentation must go to my mum’s starter: the trio of cheeses. The three different cheese dishes are presented side by side on a rectangular white plate – and they are all in miniature.

A small cheddar cheese sausage, which looks like a potato croquette, sits in the centre of a red circle of chilli sauce to the left. The goat’s cheese fondant rests on a brush stroke of beetroot puree and has three homemade savoury wafers rising like candles from its centre. And, lastly, the blue cheese soufflé has a dab of blue cheese sauce on top. This artistic presentation is interwoven with basil leaves still attached to their stem.

Sorbet

Just to remind us that we are in a fine dining establishment, our waitress brings us two small square dishes, each containing one scoop of homemade passionfruit sorbet, to suck slowly before the maincourse. The amuse bouche and the sorbet have been a welcome surprise – and they have transformed our three course meal into a five course meal.

Maincourses

The sorbet has cleansed our palate in preparation for the maincourse. This time it is my choice that wins the best presentation award.

My mum’s grilled halibut sits on a bed of crispy pancetta and crushed potatoes that are surrounded by spinach, mushrooms and an Arran mustard sauce. The fried quail egg rests to the side of this piece of halibut and is decorated with parsley. It looks appetising and it tastes very good, but it melts into insignificance next to my venison loin with venison pie – this presentation and combination is the best I have seen anywhere, including some famous London restaurants.

I took the chefs advice and had the venison loin cooked medium rare and it looks perfect, resting in a fan shape on top of the parsnip puree and surrounded by braised red cabbage, roasted vegetables, balls of piped mash potato and just enough port sauce.

But the pièce de résistanceis the venison pie, which comes in a ramekin with two rustic savoury wafers rising out of the mashed potato topping like deer antlers. In short, it is absolutely delicious. Everything on the plate compliments each other, from the sweet flavours of the parsnips and red cabbage to the very rustic flavours of the meat and plain potato mash.

Desserts

Eager not to miss our train home, we deliberate on whether to have desserts – as they can take between 20 to 30 minutes to prepare. But, after being assured by the host and co-owner of The Stockbridge Restaurant, Jane Walker (wife of Jason Gallagher) that she will put in a special request with the kitchen to make sure that our desserts come as quickly as possible, we order the chocolate brulee with chocolate brownie and the banana tart tatin.

Jane has just arrived in the restaurant. The locals eat here late and it’s only now, at just after 8.30 pm, that the dining room has become lively and full.

“We are often here until after midnight,” Jane says. “A lot of our customers don’t start eating their maincourses until after 10 pm.”

Banana tart tatin and Chocolate brulee

This time, both of our desserts win the best presentation award. My mum’s banana tart tatin is presented in the centre of a square white plate. To the right is a small pouring pot of butterscotch sauce and to the left is a neat scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s a very minimalist looking dessert that has big chunks of banana in it. My mum assures me it tastes as good as it looks – and we are told that this dessert is the most popular.

My chocolate brulee is presented in a shot glass. There is one scoop of milk chocolate ice cream to the right of this brulee and a small, rectangular chunk of chocolate brownie to the left. The brownie is surrounded by two piped clusters of white chocolate mousse, which look like meringues. It is the first time that I have tasted chocolate brulee and it will not be my last. The combination of burnt sugar topping and creamy chocolate brulee is heavenly.

Coffee and Petit Fours

We finish our meal with an Americano and a cafe latte, served with homemade petit fours – two chunks of rocky road cake, two strips of chocolate chip biscotti and two after eight circles. It’s a nice final touch to this five course feast and, needles to say, the petit fours do not last as long as the coffee.

I don’t like to use the words perfect or amazing in my restaurant reviews because restaurants are like people – they are full of flaws if you look hard enough. But, I like to focus on the positives and not the negatives because I know how hard it is to make restaurants work – both my parents are restaurateurs.

So, to give credit where credit is due, I can honestly say that The Stockbridge Restaurant is as near to perfect as any restaurant can hope to be. The location is safe and interesting – and only a ten to fifteen minute walk from Edinburgh’s famous Princes street and Royal Mile. The architecture is beautiful and the dining room is intimate. The décor sets the scene for an evening of indulgence and relaxation and the staff are eager to please without being intrusive. The extensive list of Scottish Gins on offer is a nice touch. The chef has excellent presentation skills and the food is a work of art whilst also tasting homely. The local produce and seasonal dishes make you feel proud to be Scottish and the end of evening bill will not make you feel guilty or shocked.

I give The Stockbridge Restaurant 9 out of 10. And, if they added a 100% vegetarian course to the A La Carte maincourse menu and fixed the left hand toilet door in the Ladies, I would give it 10 out of 10. This restaurant is as good as it gets and is not to be missed on your next night out in Edinburgh. It’s a family run restaurant for locals and tourists alike.

Our bill:

1 x 250 ml glass of Viognier £7.75

1 x 250 ml glass of Sauvignon Blanc £9.30

1 x partridge starter £7.95

1 x trio of cheese starter £7.95

1 x venison loin with venison pie £24.95

1 x halibut £20.95

1 x chocolate crème brulee with chocolate brownie £6.95

1 x banana tart tatin £6.95

2 x coffee and petit fours £3.00 to £3.75 each

Total: £99.50 for a five-course meal for two including wine and coffees

Contact details:
54 St Stephen Street
EdinburghEH3 5AL

Phone: 0131 226 6766
Email: jane@thestockbridgerestaurant.co.uk

Website: http://www.thestockbridgerestaurant.co.uk/

LUMOback sensor and app review

Posted on October 9, 2014 by Melissa Volpi

Lumo back is an unusual product. It aims to improve your posture using a small sensor attached to an elasticated belt that fits around your waist. It’s a light, all black product that is about two inches wide. The idea behind LUMO BodyTech’s first ever product, is that you wear it on a daily basis and the sensor will vibrate gently along your lower back when your spine is anything but straight. Lumo back has an accompanying real time app that shows you visually how you are sitting, standing or running etc thanks to your own personal stickman avatar called Lumo – who mirrors your posture on your iPhone and gives that posture a rating out of 100%. They call Lumo back a ‘Posture Coach’… but does it really work?

On opening the packaging, I am sceptical – the product sounds high tech but looks simple. Always one to keep an open mind though, I read the instructions and set up Lumo back for its intended use with me – which is to help improve my posture when writing and horse riding.

The app is free on iTunes and easy to download and set up. It’s an innovative but raw format that gives you as much information and help as you want. It can ‘track steps, calories burned, time standing, time sitting and the number of times users stand up each day.’ At the end of the day, Lumo, your personal stickman avatar, will give you a posture score ‘so that progress can be monitored as posture is improved.’

As much as I like this app, and Lumo my personal stickman avatar, I was less interested in this feedback and more interested in how quickly the Lumo Back reminded me of slouching when I was wearing it…

I first tried the product out when sitting at my desk. Since graduating with a degree in Photojournalism in 2009, I have spent a lot of time at this desk, writing feature articles and editing thousands of images. My desk has been a place of happiness and creativity – but also a great source of discomfort. Throughout these 5 years my posture has gone from excellent to poor and the slouching position that I have now acquired, has started to become painful and affect other areas of my life as well.

I knew that this product would vibrate immediently after I attached the elasticated belt around my waist. But what I didn’t realise was how often it would vibrate from there on in – and how self-conscious that made me feel. That constant reminder made me think about bringing my shoulders back and sitting as tall as I could. WARNING: This product does distract you from your work on day 1… but by day 7, you almost forget it is there.

I can honestly say that I do sit taller at my desk now. But what I also have to say is that Lumo back is not a magic product. You have to work to achieve good posture – it does not do that for you. And after 5 years of sitting in the wrong way, my muscles have still not memorised the right way yet. Discomfort is still there, but I’ve gone from 40% to 75% on my posture score – so things are improving.

The biggest test of this product though, was using it when I was horse riding. After 16 years of cycling to my horses on a mountain bike, I have developed round shoulders – which will one day, if I don’t do something about it, leave me with a stoop. And as I hope to compete in dressage competitions soon, the last thing I want to be is a horse-riding hunchback.

Obviously when you are horse riding, you can’t be constantly looking at your phone. So, Lumo was not able to help me here with his visual aids – for horse riding I was relying solely on the sensor to vibrate gently along my lower back when I rode in an inelegant fashion.

At first I couldn’t feel the sensor when doing schooling exercises such as rising trot, sitting trot or canter work on my horse. But the moment we came back to walk, I felt it vibrate – and it did this a lot through the walking phase. It seems that when I relax too much, I slouch. I need to be a little tense, or a little more preoccupied, to achieve good posture in the saddle.

Lumo back has shown me my weaknesses – when sitting at my desk writing, and when schooling my horse – and that is no mean feat. This product gives you a conscience when it comes to your own vanity. It makes you want to be a more elegant version of yourself. The constant reminders and daily posture scores really spur you into action.

I’ve come to see Lumo back as an essential part of my daily routine now. It has given me a goal. And that goal is to reach 99% for my posture score (I couldn’t say 100%, as no one is perfect, even with Lumo :-) ).

For more information, check out the LUMO BodyTech website:

http://www.lumobodytech.com/lumoback/

LUMOback is available from Amazon UK for £129.95 and includes free P+P:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/LUMO-Improve-Posture-iPhone-Touch/dp/B00GD2MTSA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412838838&sr=8-1&keywords=lumoback

LUMO BodyTech are also bringing out a new product this October called LUMOlift Posture Coach. Lumo Lift will be available from Amazon.co.uk from mid October and Apple stores later in the month. It will retail at £79.99.

http://www.lumobodytech.com/

John Whitaker Equine Training Bandages Review

Posted on August 27, 2014 by Melissa Volpi

John Whitaker training bandages are soft and elasticated – a perfect union for leg wraps. But before I talk about the bandages themselves, I want to highlight a point of added value. These training bandages are not posted to you in a cardboard box, like many bandages purchased online, they are presented in a clear plastic pouch that is designed to keep the bandages tidy and clean long after you open the parcel.

The plastic pouch has the John Whitaker International Ltd logo on the front and a blue webbing strap, for carrying them, at the top. This heavy-duty plastic – with thick plastic binding – has proved to be hard wearing and waterproof. My young horse has not only stood on the pouch, she has thrown it half way across our stable yard. It was also left outside in the torrential rain and found the next morning marinating in the mud.

Nothing has defeated this pouch. It is still in perfect condition – and it is still keeping the bandages clean and dry.

The Bandages

The key features of these bandages are the fleece inner padding that keeps the horses tendons and ligaments warm, helping to prevent injury; the elasticated stretch outer that moves with the horse; the double fold fastening with the John Whitaker International Ltd logo; and the fact they are machine washable.

The bandages come in four colours: black, red, navy or white. I chose black because I think it’s an easier colour to keep clean when used as part of a 5-day per week training schedule – also because my horse is grey and I think this colour looks smart on her.

Being a horse owner that is used to putting on horse boots, not bandages, I did find it difficult to make sure the bandages were positioned correctly, with the fastening at the top of my horses leg and on the outside. It did take me three or four goes to position them perfectly and because of this, I think a little card with ‘how to put on’ instructions/diagrams would be an excellent point of added value.

The bandages looked very smart on my horse and they performed well during our schooling sessions. BUT, I am not a convert. These bandages look and feel lovely… but I found the process of putting bandages on my young horse very stressful. Zara is still learning basic manners, like how to stand still for longer periods of time, and gets bored easily. By the time I have put on the second bandage, she is not so keen to stand still for the third and fourth – which makes the task of putting on bandages nigh impossible. For me, boots are easier.

Out of 5 *:

Packaging *****

Design *****

Fabric *****

Price *****

Ease of use **

One size only on Amazon.co.uk

John Whitaker Horses Training Bandages

NAF Off Citronella Wristband Review

Posted on August 7, 2014 by Melissa Volpi

I am a big fan of NAF products (http://www.naf-equine.eu/uk/). Both my horses are fed daily scoopfuls of NAF Pink Powder (One of my horses is 27 years old and is on NAF Pink Powder Senior – the brand have two versions of this feed balancer to suit horses and ponies of all ages) and I have noticed a great improvement in their condition. Zara, my Irish Sports Horse, has gone from being a gangly 5 year old to a powerful looking event horse in training.

So, when I came across the NAF range of fly repellent products in my local country store in Pitscottie, Fife, and spotted this fluorescent yellow wristband with the catchy words ‘NAF OFF’ written on it, I could not resist buying two to try – especially since they were under £3 each.

The wristband is made from silicone and has a central compartment that is filled with citronella oil. There are five tiny holes in this central compartment and the idea is that you puncture as many holes as you want to give you the level of fragrance that you need. The more holes you puncture, the stronger the scent – and, of course, the shorter the shelf life. But NAF maintains that the scent will last between 4-6 weeks.

My mum and I tried out these wristbands for the first time two weeks ago. We decided to puncture only one hole to begin with, to see how we got on. It was a beautifully sunny and warm day at the horses, so we spent all afternoon there, grooming, working them in hand and shampooing them.

The citronella scent seemed very strong at first, when we punctured the first hole in our kitchen at home. And even after being outside for four hours, and submerging the wristband in water for the majority of this time when bathing the horses, the scent was still as strong out in the open air. My horses were surrounded by flies, but my mum and I were not. We arrived home later that day with not one red, itchy spot on our skin – a welcome relief after a summer of scratching thanks to the Scottish midge.

I have been using the wristband everyday since then and I can honestly say that the scent is still as strong two weeks in – and I am still on the first hole, I have not punctured anymore yet.

The product is surpassing all expectations at the moment and I will write an update once all the holes have been punctured and the scent has all gone. In the meantime, I cannot recommend this product enough. The wristband is a cool colour and idea. It feels like you’re heading to a music festival every time you slide it over your hand. It’s comfortable to wear and more importantly, it works. It’s a brilliant product for the equine enthusiast, but also for anyone that spends time outdoors. I will definitely be packing it on my next trip abroad.

Note: We have put the wristbands back into the resealable bags, that they came in, after every use to help preserve the scent.

What it says on the packaging:

*Citronella oil

* Waterproof

*Indoor and Outdoor use

*Scent last 4-6 weeks

*Adjustable control of level of fragrance

“This silicone NAF Off Citronella Wristband is made with citronella oil. The unique design enables the citronella oil to be contained in a special compartment of the wristband making it highly durable, waterproof and convenient to use. Perfect for both indoor and outdoor activities. The wristband can be worn while riding or around the yard, wear it on the wrist or the ankle.”

http://www.naf-equine.eu/uk/products/productDetail.jsp?detail_id=naf-off-citronella-wristband

Ziggy’s Restaurant Review St Andrews

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Melissa Volpi

Ziggy’s restaurant is surrounded by B & B’s and is situated just off North Street in St Andrews – a street that’s as famous for its old-fashioned picture house, as it is for the university buildings. Ziggy’s is also an easy establishment to spot – as it has a large guitar hanging above the entrance door.

The inside is a throw back to the American diners of the 1960’s and pays homage to the greats of rock and roll by displaying original records and signed gifts around the dining room, open kitchen and toilet areas.

We are greeted at the door by a pleasant waitress in a Hard Rock Café style tee shirt and are seated by the window on a new range of wooden tables and chairs that this family owned establishment (Ziggy’s has been owned and run by the same family since 1983) have just bought in.

It’s 6 pm on a Tuesday night and the place is just starting to fill up. There are a mixture of diners, from locals to golfing tourists. But we are the only table of two – the rest are in groups of four to ten.

Starters

Ziggy’s starters vary from garlic bread and house mixed salad to loaded skins and a bucket of devilled chicken wings. The prices are very reasonable, starting at £3.15 for a regular portion of garlic bread and rising to £11.95 for ‘The Ziggy’s BIG DISH Sharer’ – a combination of onion rings, breaded mushrooms, ribatisers, potato skins and chicken strips with sour cream, blue cheese and hickory sauce.

After having a quick glance over the main courses and desserts, I opt for something light and order the homemade potato and leek soup served with fresh crusty bread. My father orders the garlic prawns. And after scanning the wine list we decide to order two of the individual, 20cl, bottles of Prosecco as a treat. I think this is a wonderful idea. Unless you are in a wine bar, it is very hard to buy Prosecco or Champagne by the glass.

Homemade Potato & Leek Soup

The presentation is very simple. My white bowl of soup rests on a white plate with a white napkin. Colour is introduced from the soup itself and the two chunks of French baguette on the side.

My father’s dish is livelier looking. The garlic prawns arrive spitting and popping in a black cauldron.

Putting appearances aside, I take a spoonful of soup and am pleasantly surprised by how nice it is. The vegetables are chunky – just the way I like them – and the flavour is strong. This is a proper bowl of hearty soup that could not be anything other than homemade. When the owner/chef walks over to our table to ask if everything is ok, she tells me that her son – who also works in the kitchen – made the soup.

My father, who is not shy when it comes to giving his opinion, says that the prawns are tasty, but that they are submerged in too much oily sauce – the prawns are baked in garlic and red onion butter. He finds it hard to eat them because of this.

Main courses

It’s not only the look and vibe of Ziggy’s that reminds me of The Hard Rock Café, it’s the food too. The main courses are American inspired, with the house specialities being the steaks, ribs and burgers. It’s a menu that would delight the meat lover. The list of 18 handmade burgers are all under £10, with the extra special ones rising to between £10 and £15.00.

Both my father and I choose the gourmet 12oz burger (£12.95 with a choice of three cheesy toppings). I order the cheddar, bacon and pineapple topping and my father the bacon and Stilton.

All Ziggy’s burgers are 100% pure steak burgers and are handmade and supplied by the local award winning butcher, J.B Penman of Crail.

The Gourmet 12oz Burger

Again, the burgers are very simply presented on white plates. The burger is served on a toasted white flour bun. The top of the bun rests at an angle to show off the toppings – I see two rings of pineapple with melted cheddar resting on top of my massive burger. Underneath the burger is a bed of salad leaves, with a slice of beef tomato and some red onion and dill pickle. The house fries that accompany my burger are presented in a white mug next to the homemade coleslaw.

It really is a feast for the senses and we can’t wait to dig in…

Although the burger is tasty – and the combination a good one – I personally find it too greasy for my palate and would choose a different main course on my next visit. My father, on the other hand, enjoyed his burger.

Dessert

The list of desserts is excellent. There really is something for everyone here. You’ve got knickerbocker glory, cheesecake, sticky toffee pudding and a wide selection of Sundae’s. There are even ice cream floats (Pepsi, Irn Bru or Lemonade with a generous scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream); something that I love but have not had since I was a teenager.

We decide to share a dessert and choose the sticky toffee pudding with ice cream.

Sticky Toffee Pudding

We can smell the sticky toffee pudding before we see our waitress walk across the dining room with it. It looks like a traditional, gooey pudding and after taking the first bite, I find that it tastes like it too. It’s yummy.

The one thing that does disappoint me though, is the fact that the ice cream has not been bought from one of the town’s two famous ice cream parlours – Jannetta’s or Luvians. It is cheap, yellow coloured ice cream. From my point of view, it would have been nice to utilise local artisan ice cream makers in much the same way as Ziggy’s have done by buying their burgers in from an award winning local butcher.

None of this would deter us from visiting Ziggy’s in St Andrews again though. The waitresses are friendly and helpful. The individual bottles of Prosecco are a welcome addition to any wine list. The homemade potato and leek soup was one of the best I have ever tasted. And the ambience of this family owned restaurant is unusual – even in a town where every second premises is an eatery. If you’re a meat lover that enjoys American inspired food and is looking for somewhere a little more rock n roll… then head to Ziggy’s.

Our meal:

2 x 20cl bottles of Prosecco at £5.95 each

1 x Soup £3.95

1 x Garlic Prawns £5.95

2 x gourmet 12 oz burger at £12.95 each

1 x sticky toffee pudding at £5.25

Total: £53.65 for two people

http://www.ziggysrestaurant.co.uk/

On Horses For Horses

Posted on June 23, 2014 by Melissa Volpi

Melissa Volpi meets Loes Knopper – the woman that has inspired riders around the globe to get ‘On Horses For Horses’ throughout September to raise money for World Horse Welfare…

Loes Knopper knows what it’s like to care for a horse that is in need of rehabilitation. She bought Charlie, her coloured cob gelding in 2009. But it took a good two years before they were able to ride out confidently together without stress.

“Charlie used to scare the living daylights out of me,” Loes says during our walk through the forestry with her dogs Nanya, Bran and Fingal. “He napped, bit, reversed, spun and reared. But I don’t like quitting or giving up and I certainly don’t approve of beating a horse, or any animal, into submission.”

Loes stopped riding Charlie shortly after buying him and started to do a lot of groundwork to get their relationship back on track. The Pirelli games, help from others and her mantra of QD – quiet determination – paid off.

It was during this process that Loes realised what you could achieve with teamwork.

“It was after a night on forums and chats with fellow horse lovers that On Horses For Horses was born, “she tells me as we reach her home in Kinlochleven for some Thai Green Curry. I wanted to be pro-active and do something for horses and their welfare in a very positive way. There was no way I could mount my Charlie and travel the world with him, or even the West Highland Way. But if I could organise an event where riders from the all over the world came together for the same cause, then that would really make a difference.”

Over dinner, I ask Loes to tell me more about On Horses For Horses…

What is the idea behind ‘On Horses For Horses’?

On Horses For Horses is about joining forces with horse riders around the world to raise miles and money for World Horse Welfare – an International charity that is dedicated to improving the lives of horses worldwide and to helping them find loving, long term homes. I originally planned it as a one-off event and wanted to get as many riders from as many different countries to ride as many miles as possible on the same day. The aim was to reach a combined 24,906 miles, which is the circumference of the earth, and raise as much money as possible for WHW. I liked the idea of organising and taking part in a worldwide endurance event that was as big as the globe, for horses around the globe. Now it has evolved into a month long event where horse owners either clock up their hacking miles throughout September or organise an endurance style event with friends.

Tell us about your first fundraising ride on the 25^th of September 2011?

We spent a leisurely day walking and trotting across Airds estate and the beach in front of Castle Stalker. The local field officer for WHW came along to ‘crew’ for us and make sure that everything went without a hitch. We stopped for a picnic half way round to give the riders and horse a rest. I didn’t want a person to be put off by the competitive element of endurance riding, that’s why I have been careful how I word events. I want riders of all abilities and horses of all shapes and sizes to feel confident about taking part in an On Horses For Horses event.

How much interest have you had?

We have had riders from 17 countries take part and have managed to raise nearly £5,000.00 in three months (September 2011, 2012 and 2013). I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone that has helped me but also to MBBA (Mendip Bridleways and Byways Association) and La Fiaba horse riding holidays for helping to start everything off in 2011.

What’s next?

We are in the process of organising an On Horses For Horses event in my current hometown, Kinlochleven, for this September. A date will be announced soon on http://www.onhorsesforhorses.org/. But my long term plan is to host and take part in a 10-mile On Horses For Horses pleasure ride at the Scottish Endurance Championships.This National event is not held in September, my original fundraising month, but it would help to publicise us and get more Endurance riders involved. Our local club, SERC Argyll, have been very supportive. To see Charlie and I cross that finish line for this great cause would be a dream come true after all we have been through.

Join Loes in 2014 to raise miles and money by getting ‘On Horses For Horses’: http://www.onhorsesforhorses.org/

Links:

World Horse Welfare:

http://www.worldhorsewelfare.org/Home

MBBA:

http://mbba.org.uk/

La Fiaba:

http://la-fiaba.com/

SERC Argyll:

http://www.freewebs.com/sercargyll/

STUBBS, ENGLAND: S57C, Tack Step With Fastener

Posted on June 10, 2014 by Melissa Volpi

STUBBS, ENGLAND

S57C, Tack Step With Fastener

Retail Price: £30.00

Spec:

Height 30 cm
Length 39 cm
Width 28 cm
Weight 2.41 kg

It was the colour that first attracted me to this STUBBS grooming box (or the ‘tack step with fastener’ as it’s called on the STUBBS website). It’s bang on trend for this season in a gorgeous ocean blue and comes with a contrasting black steel handle, silver fastener and STUBBS logo moulded into the unique STUBBYTHENE material that this box is made from. The grooming box is also available in pink, green, red and black – but the blue is definitely my favourite.

What really sealed my love for this product though is its strength. My two horses share their paddock with cows during the summer months and because of this; it’s essential that all the products I use on a daily basis are strong enough to withstand the weight of a curious calf or a hefty heifer. Try as I might to shoo them away at grooming time, these cows often surround my field shelter (which is located at the top of our 11-acre hill) looking for something to play with. And 9 times out of 10, that something has been my STUBBS grooming box! I have arrived at the horses most days to find said grooming box lying on its side at the bottom of our paddock, next to the gate, which is a very long way from the field shelter where it should reside!

The STUBBS grooming box has amazed me though – it has no dents and still looks as good as new. I have tried out many grooming boxes over the years, but none have survived such abuse.

The only addition I would like to see is an internal partition. The STUBBS grooming box is the perfect size to accommodate both grooming brushes and grooming products like shampoos and mane and tail conditioners etc, but both get lost in this space. A separate compartment inside this box, to keep the grooming bottles upright and away from the brushes, would be a welcome addition.

That said, the colour and strength of the STUBBS grooming box have won me over and my star rating for this product is 4.5 out of 5. I can honestly say that the STUBBS grooming box has been the best grooming box (by far) that I have ever owned. And it’s not just suitable for the equestrian enthusiast either. I think it would be a useful gift for the fishing, hunting, sailing or gardening enthusiast too. It’s a sturdy box with a lid and a fastener for a padlock, that will keep any items safe and clean.

PHOTOS TO FOLLOW…

Notes:

STUBBS is a family owned manufacturing business, producing all their own products in their own factories in England. Established in 1836, on what is still their main site, they have an international reputation for quality and originality. They design all their own products and cover many trades including steel fabrication, plastic coating, joinery and even plastic moulding, all on site.

What we like:

THE STRENGTH/STUBBYTHENE MOULDING

THE FASTENER

THE CHOICE OF COLOURS

THE SIZE

THE LIGHTNESS

THE VERSATILITY

Our star * rating: 4.5 out of 5

Contact:

www.stubbsengland.com/

*This is Frost magazine’s first ever-equestrian product review. We have lots of horsey stuff to review this summer and aim to make this equestrian section as varied and informative as possible. Next on our list is a set of 4 black John whitaker training bandages…

Frost Magazine

Books and Lifestyle

Author Archives: Melissa Volpi

The Magnum Restaurant Review Edinburgh

The Stockbridge Restaurant Review Edinburgh

LUMOback sensor and app review

John Whitaker Equine Training Bandages Review

NAF Off Citronella Wristband Review

Ziggy’s Restaurant Review St Andrews

On Horses For Horses

STUBBS, ENGLAND: S57C, Tack Step With Fastener

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