Xmas Markets

MARCHES NÖEL SORT TRÉS BON!

Christmas markets are where the spirt of the season's festivities come to life. The UK hasn't really caught up with Europe on their festive offerings. Fortunately, there's so many great markets in France, Germany and other cities/towns in Europe where Christmas is celebrated, it's worth taking a short trip away to enjoy these foreign delights and see first hand how they measure up to xmas markets in the UK.

Arguably, beside's the fantastic and fun Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, the Brits just don't seem to be able to capture the same 'spirit' of Christmas as our European cousins do - and, in my experience, they certainly can't offer such great value or quality. So at this time of year, it's a great adventure for the family to take the Eurostar, ferry or tunnel and head to one of the Northern French towns like Boulogne for some vin chaud and saussison.

While we do have access to the French food and wine in our supermarkets, it's just not the same as buying it directly from the farmers and their families who work the weekend markets in France. Eating some freshly prepared food, snacking on cured meats and sipping vin chaud/champagne, all for just a few Euros, in a beautiful medieval french town square, really makes such a great start to the holiday period.

Go Posh

OPTING FOR QUALITY

After a three night stag-do weekend bender, the mind and body are feeling a little weary, so it's going to take something special to bring energy levels back, where I can feel good once again about taking on the day's tasks.

The madness that is termed the 'stag-do', has finally come to a close. The bravado has ceased and I've survived with nothing broken or lost and my dignity in tact. I now just need to get the brain functioning properly and decent food will be essential for repairing the alcohol-drenched, sleep deprived brain cells and to replenish the dancing legs. 

Making Good Food Choices

There's a wealth of choice here in Brighton, but it's raining and making the right food choices when we're run down, cold & tired, means we'll likely get this important key food decision wrong. 

A big sloppy plate of greasy, stodgy food, like a classic full English, may seem like a good idea, but the environment is not likely to be that great. Also, those cheap fry ups aren't the most lovingly prepared meals so it won't look that appealing and cheap processed, fried ingredients might not actually be all that good for us either. It certainly won't make us feel vital or back on form, unless we go for a 'posher' option. 

Côte To Coast

Côte Brasserie is one of my favourite, reasonably priced restaurant chains. They consistently deliver quality cooked & tasty French cuisine. I's one of my 'go to's' when I want something palatable that requires limited decision making on my part, because I can be assured they have got it right on so many previous occasions. 

The breakfast eaten at the Brighton branch this morning, was up there as one of the best I've ever had. The waiter patiently waited and assisted me in my decisions for designing the breakfast I truly wanted. The different menu options had elements I wanted in each, so I selected my perfect combination of ingredients, containing quality minerals, vitamins, protein, cabs and good fats. 

The French chef cooked everything to perfection in just the right quantities of food and placed everything on the plate in a well considered and presentable fashion. 

The friendly & accommodating waiter lovingly knocked up a delicious mocha and gracefully brought everything over to me, including filtered water, a fresh press of cloudy apple juice and a smile. I'd already identified the best table and feng shui position to be sat in. So before commencing my sumptuous meal, I took a quiet moment to look around and fully appreciate what I'd paid a premium for. 

For just a few extra pounds, I was sat comfortably in a spacious, beautiful period building with a well designed calming interior and pretty much had it all to myself. I had chosen an establishment where the staff are skilled at ensuring their clients are happy. Hence, I'd gotten my meal today totally bespoke and without any fuss either. I could leisurely tuck in to this sumptuous meal, with just the light sounds of some chilled tunes playing in the background. I was in the perfect environment for reflection on how great the weekend had been and was savouring the delicate flavours of a well-prepared quality and hardy meal whilst simultaneously flicking through the news and writing my blog. 

This meal wouldn't have had the same effect on my mental state if I'd opted for a cheaper greasy spoon cafe and arguably this experience has been so exceptional, that I don't even feel like I've been on a messy full-on weekend any more.

The Value And Excellence Scale

QUALITY NEEDS VALUES

Revisiting Georgham - another favourite spot in North Devon this week, we were again reminded about the 'UP' and 'UP AND OVER' theory that I proposed at the start of the trip.

On this journey, it's been clearly shown where some places have continued to thrive while others have lost out to complacency. Reliance on previous good ratings must be a common problem for many establishments. If they seemingly drop the ball for even a moment to allow disgruntled customers to leave a low rating on Trip Advisor, it can mean a decline in visitors & revenue - which then has a knock-on effect with the quality of staff employed and further adds to the downfall of a potentially great establishment as they struggle to cope with tired, over-worked, under-qualifies staff. 

We witnessed this effect recently at one place where they clearly failed to appreciate the relevance of leadership - leaving inexperienced staff at the helm in the True Lovers Knot), who didn't pay heed to the small details (bizarrely, replacing loo rolls is high on the list for complaints on Trip Advisor) and lost focus on the fact that the customer is always right. It's amazing what a complimentary desert or drink on the house can do to correct a minor - or even a major niggle - yet this has rarely been offered in the places where I've had to speak up lately.  

It's not just the establishments that fail to recognise leadership and over-delivering on service for retaining happy punters, it can also catch out the long established venues too. So many places think that having good reviews entitles them to hike up the prices. They need to retain a measure of humbleness like Pumblechooks do - a particular favourite of mine in East London, yet they get above themselves time and again. This is a big problem for a lot of places that I've frequented over the years and why very very few stay 'UP' (certainly in my estimations) for very long. 

It's a fine balance giving quality and value at the same time. The Kings Head in Hursley had it but alas, has it no more. But the Kings Arms in Georgham had - and still has it 10 years on. It's a real achievement, even with new management and so many different staff over the years, to retain the core values that mean this place can provide such a high level of quality food & drink. And all delivered with consistently great service at such great value, in comparison to the many other over-priced places around today and likely, not tomorrow. 

On The Up

HIDDEN GEMS

If you are looking for a great place to stay and eat while on your travels, some of Britain's history-rich country Inns are arguably amongst the best in the world for offering friendly service, comfortable accommodation and sumptuous fare. 

Driving through quaint villages on medieval coach roads - long since used as major routes and passed over by the masses on busy motorways, these long-standing abodes are the little gems where that bit of magic awaits those who venture out along the roads less travelled. 

The Roads To Discovery

There's something very special about that feeling we get, stumbling across a new place never visited or known about before. Having a 'discovery' moment is up there as one of my greatest feelings as it ignites the adventurer spirit in me. It's not that these ancient places haven't been around for hundreds of years before hand, but the feeling that you've 'found' this special place - a diamond in the rough, a sanctuary for the weary in that time of need - feeds a satisfaction that expectations can never deliver. 

Great Expectations

When something is really good - the hardest thing possible is to keep it consistently up there. Renowned chefs like Gordon Ramsey, who are furiously working at very high levels under close scrutiny, will vouch for this. The fact is, very few can keep to these sustained levels, especially in the food and hospitality industry. There are just too many variables to consider and it's almost impossible to deliver consistently over and over again, keeping everyone happy all of the time. That's why discovery delivers positive results over expectation fro delivery the vast majority of the time. 

Up and over

The places that I consider to be the best - are either those that offer such good value for their modestly understated excellence (like a simple cafe called Pumblechooks in Wapping does consistently well) or those that are working fervently towards it and therefore deserve accolade for their passion attaining it. These are the the 'UP' or the 'ON THE UP' places that we seek. 

Diminishing returns

Because I find the thrill of discovery so rewarding, I refrain from going back to the same places for fear of diminishing a special memory. There's so many new discoveries to be made, why be lazy and relive something that can't possibly deliver the same or better quality as first experienced? 

There are exceptions to the rule however - and these places just have something that much more to give, that they can be visited 2, 3 or more times without losing their appeal - but they are very rare. One such place that we love, is The Kings Arms in Hurley. An Inn located near Winchester, steeped in British history, connected to Cromwell and royalty. 

However, as with many great discoveries, they eventually get discovered by the masses. They peak to greatness and eventually fall to complacency - and hence, the magic inevitably diminishes. It's strange, but you can actually feel the spark has gone the moment you arrive in a diminishing 'UP AND OVER' place, as we did today. Under new management means on this occasion that the person holding the magic has moved on to pastures new. It's saddening but as a chapter closes on this once great place, the quest for discovering an exciting new 'UP' place begins once again. 

Packaging

JAZZING IT UP

Making something look premium is pretty easy if you know how. Selecting the right colours, typefaces, language, mode of delivery and environment it's delivered in, can all sway a consumer to invest that few pennies more in a product. 

We are all being sold to

Everything we do, every day, in all walks of life, we're being coerced - and for want of a better word... 'tricked' into parting with our money. Some products may be better quality than others but quite often, we find that some items will actually be inferior to other products but appear more valuable by simply having a stronger marketing/advertising appeal.

It really does boil down to the power of the advertising. And with food, it's the packaging that works so well. Take this example from packaging agency Design Group Italia, who have done a great job with Lays Crisps. Look at this product subjectively without packaging around it. Crisps or potato chips, are just slices of potato fried in oil. But put them in a gold foil bag with classy black and gold outer packaging, a signature-esque 'Gourmet' script/font, descriptive terms like 'exquisite' or 'excellence' and some quality photography & layout design to further instil a premium feel. Voila, you now have an expensive fried potato.

It's knowing when the premium products really are what they say they are and not just jazzed up with packaging, that we can make better choices. So, are crisps really as gourmet as this pack of crisps say they are? No. But we are all easily hoodwinked when it comes to a bit of jazzy wrapping - even on a pretty simple (but tasty) product, like a bag of crisps. Once we realise this, we can understand where clever marketing draws on our inner desires, address this addictive behaviour and beat our impulse buys.

Quality

CUTTING CORNERS

There's a special kinda feeling you get when you wear a garment of clothing that has been well made. A satisfying confirmation of money well spent rewards the pleasure receptors of the brain, leaving you feeling cool, sexy, safe and centred. It's the reason we pay more money for items that we deem to be more valuable - items like my trusty favourite Dolce & Gabanna chunky knit sweater that I'm wearing right now.

I don't mean to appear shallow, but it's the same feeling I also get when closing a door, flicking the indicator switches, adjusting heating and tweaking stereo controls in a nice car. Maybe being a designer, I just value considered excellence in everything right down to the tiny details? Or like many people who aren't merely concerned with status, just appreciate and desire the finer things in life.

So, we're driving through Cornwall in a beautiful Mercedes 350cdi convertible. Classical music - The Blue Danube, by Johann Strauss, is playing on the radio. My partner's asleep in the passenger seat and, alone with my thoughts, I catch myself smiling at how I feel more confident, capable, calm and at one with machine & the world as we effortlessly glide through the apex of the corners on these twisting Cornish country roads - seated comfortably in a vehicle who's very name symbolises quality.

No Compromise

The apartment where we're staying, is amazing... on first appearance. The building itself is an old converted bank. A solid well-built & long-standing stone-clad structure. The inside layout boasts spacious and open-plan living areas: modern kitchen with black granit work-tops, drop-lighting and induction hob island with integrated breakfast bar. The living room has a large flat-screen TV, surrounded by leather sofas and lit by French style art-deco lamps - all giving off the illusion of premium luxury. But something isn't quite right. I could feel it as soon as I walked through the door. The banister in the hallway on the way up, moved in the recently painted wall as I held it to climb the stairs - the first sign. The front door felt too light as we entered. The carpet, coarse and thin under foot, felt cheap immediately within just the first few steps. One of the sleek looking press to release kitchen draws, was stuck in, the fancy commercial-looking, restaurant-grade rinse/wash taps were flimsy, not at all like I recall from experience working in catering. The faux leather sofa feels spongy and, turning on the light in the living room, the dimmer switch has no resistance and rattles.
The owner has gone for a premium feel using cheap copies of designer classics. It's an easy mistake to make. Choosing to buy something that looks the same as the premium brand version, but at a fraction of the cost, will work for some things but not for others.

Unfortunately, the old adage 'you get what you pay for' rings true here. This apartment, as a rental unit, will need constant work to keep it 'looking' good and money will need to be spent just replacing the items that, had the money been spent on quality products, wouldn't have worn so fast. It's a shame, as the outside of the building tells a different story, but all too often, we'll cut corners to get something that cannot be easily/cheaply obtained without having the skill, dedication, time/money invested in it to get the desired results. If we do make compromises however, the key is to know when and on what to spent decent money on. With clothes, it's shoes, bags and jackets. With homes it's kitchens, sofas, showers, beds and flooring. And with cars, I'll definitely be sticking to German ones.