Dinner at Vozars gluten free restaurant in Brixton

Enjoying a three-course gluten & wheat free meal at the Spiced Winter Warmer event at Vozars restaurant.

Emily and I enjoying dining at Vozars restaurant in Brixton Village Market as it offers great food and drink - and is safe and suitable for coeliac diners as the menu is all gluten and wheat free!

My first turkey dinner of the festive season

Being on the Vozars mailing list and keeping an eye on what they are up to on Twitter and Facebook we heard about the Spiced Winter Warmer event taking place and decided to treat ourselves to a 'festive season' meal.

Once again the food and service was excellent. Check out the photos for a view of two of the six dishes we had (between us). To get an idea of the taste and smell you'll have to go along yourself.

Emily was pleased with the risotto cake

An excellent chocolate pudding for dessert 

I really enjoyed the duck carpaccio as a starter and Emily had a risotto cake (ball!) with grilled mushrooms and salad. The risotto cake had a great crispy coating.

For main I had the confit turkey breast with traditional Czech Christmas stuffing, cranberry sauce and the yellowest sweet potato mash I have ever seen! Emily had the ham hock cooked in shallots and horseradish served with butternut squash and a chilli and apple compote.

The desserts were brilliant. Although the Chocolate pudding defeated me, enabling Emily to have some of it too. It was served with Celia caramel and Crème Anglaise. Emily tells me the berry crumble with cinnamon ice cream was great too. I was too full to try any.

Of course the meal went very well with a Celia lager or two.

As well as lunch and dinner, Vozars has a number of special pop-up events throughout the year, and you can also pop in to grab a cake or savoury snack to takeaway.

The 2014 Christmas menu at Vozars begins today (3 December) and one of the dishes is a beer battered cod! One of my favourite dishes.

Visit the Vozars website and Twitter feed and keep up-to-date with Vozars and Celia Lager via Facebook and Twitter for news, events and competitions.

Links:

- Vozars Cafe Deli Restaurant

- Celia Lager

Related blog posts:
- Vozars Gluten Free Cafe Deli Restaurant in Brixton Village Market

- Celia Lager

- Gluten Free

Sunny Worthing's 'Sunniest Leisure and Tourism 2014' Award

Vote for Splash Point Mini Golf in the Sunny Worthing 'Sunniest Leisure and Tourism 2014' Awards.

The excellent 18-hole Splash Point Mini Golf course in Denton Gardens, Worthing is in the running to win the Sunny Worthing Award for 'Sunniest Leisure and Tourism Attraction' in the seaside resort's 2014 awards.

Splash Point Mini Golf at Worthing's Denton Gardens in April 2014

Voting ends on 31 December 2014. You can vote for your favourite leisure and tourism attraction in Worthing on the Sunniest Leisure and Tourism 2014 Awards voting website.

Splash Point Mini Golf is one of my favourite courses and I always enjoy a trip to the town to have a round on the course. We've visited Worthing quite a lot over the last few years and it's all because of Splash Point Mini Golf.

Playing hole 13 at Worthing's Splash Point Mini Golf during the 2014 BMGA British Masters tournament

Links:
- Sunniest Leisure and Tourism 2014 Awards voting website
- Sunny Worthing website
- Splash Point Mini Golf website
- Splash Point Mini Golf on Twitter

Related blog posts:
- Splash Point Mini Golf in Worthing - Crazy World of Minigolf Tour - Course Visit #181
- Worthing Splash Point Minigolf - Course Revisit - May 2011
- Worthing

Crazy about Mini Golf Balls

A blog about golf balls.

Practicing for the Blackpool Pleasure Beach Open - one of them went in. Eventually

As an avid collector of ephemera and souvenirs from the world of miniature golf I was interested to recently receive a follow on Twitter from Martyn Vallance @Logo_Golf_Balls.

Martyn is crazy about golf balls and has a collection of over 70,000!

Before I mentioned it, Martyn didn't realise there were quite so many specialist balls used in the sport of minigolf (not many people do unless they dip their toe into the sporty side of crazy golf).

Over 10,000 minigolf sport balls have been produced in the last 70 years!

With a Metro Golf Centre Mini Golf branded golf ball on a visit to play the 9-hole course in Barnet in 2010

Each minigolf sport ball has special qualities that allow for a variety of shots to be played on the range of different courses and obstacles - the balls range from 'dead' where there is no bounce, through to super bouncy balls for multiple rebounds.

A selection of minigolf sport balls I took to a recent tournament weekend in Hastings

Together with my fellow curator of the Virtual Crazy Golf Museum, Tim 'Ace Man' Davies, we've built up quite a collection of stuff from all types of minigolf, from scorecards, pencils, leaflets and postcard, to pin badges, tokens, jigsaw puzzles and games. Tim has even found a sugar cube from a minigolf course!

We've also got a lot of balls between us. Check out the 'Other Miniature Golf Ephemera' page on the Crazy Golf Museum website for more info and pics.

A set of four golf balls from the KISS Glow-in-the-Dark Indoor Minigolf course in Las Vegas

I've also had a look through my collection and dug out the following 'normal' golf balls that are branded with minigolf-specific info and/or are tournament approved balls. I've also picked out a selection of my favourite minigolf sport balls.

The other side of a KISS by Monster Mini Golf ball

A World Minigolf Sport Federation (WMF) approved competition ball

The other side of a special WMF branded ball given to delegates at the WMF Media Workshop in Vienna, Austria in 2010

A British Minigolf Association golf ball used at the 2013 World Crazy Golf Championships in Hastings

The other side of the World Crazy Golf Championship ball

A ball from the Japanese Putter King minigolf franchise and app

The other side of the Putter King minigolf ball

The official ball of the World Crazy Golf Championship 2014

A ball from the mini-golf course that was in Devonshire Square, London in 2009

A ball given to people who played the Lyle & Scott 'Wooly Golf' course in Covent Garden, London in 2012

The official ball of the 2008 Nations Cup minigolf tournament in Tampere, Finland - the event was me and Emily's debut for the Great Britain team 

The official ball of the 2011 World Adventure Golf Masters competition held in Hastings. The ball was made by 3D-Minigolf

The Finnish Heavy Gentlemen 100 Year Anniversary ball by 3D-Minigolf

The Minigolfnews.com ball #5 by Ravensburg

A Tim 'Ace Man' Davies Legends ball by M&G

A NIFO 2 minigolf sport ball - a great ball to use on many minigolf lanes (holes). Made by NIFO

A Fun-Sports 2 ball - there are a number of Fun-Sports balls and they're a good entry level type of ball to use

In 2009 I won the Blackpool Pleasure Beach Open minigolf competition held on the 12-hole Adventure Golf course in the seaside resort. The trophy I was presented for winning the tournament was a magnificent and BIG golf ball mounted on a wooden plinth

Check out the @Logo_Golf_Balls to keep up-to-date with Martyn's collection as it continues to grow, as well as The Crazy Golf Museum for all things mini and crazy golf-related.

Links:
- @Logo_Golf_Balls
- The Crazy Golf Museum
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour

Related blog posts:
- New (Minigolf) Balls Please
- What's in a Minigolf Kitbag?
- Some new minigolf kit from Fun-Sports
- Ephemera
- Merchandise

A little bit of indoor minigolf in Woking

Climbing aboard a pirate ship to play some adventure golf.

All hands on deck! The crew of the pirate ship at Pirate Island Adventure Golf in Woking taking aim

On our travels we've found a few indoor Miniature Golf courses on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, but on a recent trip to Woking we weren't expecting to find an indoor hole on a pirate ship!

The loot, map and weapons safely stowed aboard the ship

The UV / Black Light indoor hole on the 12-hole Pirate Island Adventure Golf course at Hoebridge Golf Centre is a great hole-in-one opportunity, but unless there are fellow players inside to see the end of the shot you won't know if the ball is in or not until you step aboard the ship.

You begin playing the first of two minigolf holes aboard the pirate ship OUTSIDE. From the tee you have to successfully get the ball up the pipe beyond the blue crate. And if you're lucky you'll be rewarded with an ace

Emily firing in a shot at Pirate Island Adventure Golf

The outdoor Pirate Island Adventure Golf course at Hoebridge Golf Centre is open seven-days-a-week and will be open through the winter. Check out the website for opening times and prices.

Helen Dodd putting aboard the ship during the Surrey Invitational Tournament

As the weather is getting colder and wetter you may want to head indoors for a bit of minigolf fun. Do check out my blog post on Indoor Minigolf, Crazy Golf and Adventure Golf courses we've found to date.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Indoor Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf courses
- Minigolf Report from the Surrey Invitational Tournament
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Woking

Links:
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf Woking
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Hoebridge Golf Centre
- Hoebridge Golf Centre

Gluten free at Brasserie Blanc

A great meal at Brasserie Blanc in St Albans.

To celebrate the beginning of the festive season I booked a meal at Brasserie Blanc for a group of friends (who also happen to be fellow coeliacs).

Emily and I have dined there before and have eaten from the summer menu, so we were looking forward to seeing what the winter selection had to offer gluten free diners. We weren't disappointed.

There's a good choice on the gluten free menu (which is also marked with vegetarian and dairy free options) so we took our time picking while enjoying some wine. It makes a real change to have a good range of options, rather than having a 'choice' of one dish for starter, main and dessert (if you're lucky).

I had the salt beef salad to start, followed by the pork belly - it had great crackling - and the excellent chocolate souffle for dessert.

What a pudding! The Chocolate Souffle was delicious. The first I've had since my diagnosis of Coeliac Disease in 2008! 

The meal was the third I've had at Brasserie Blanc in St Albans and I've thoroughly enjoyed each one. We're looking forward to returning in the New Year.

As a coeliac dining out gluten free can be fraught, but the staff at Brasserie Blanc are able to answer gluten/gluten free-related questions, or double check with the kitchen, which adds to the confidence that you are going to eat safely.

One thing that is missing, and something I mentioned to a barman there on a previous visit, is the lack of gluten free beer/ale/lager on the drinks menu.

My friend, fellow coeliac and blogger Gemma also had the Chocolate Souffle and we think our friend Cat had #souffleenvy after seeing how great it was!

Links:
- Brasserie Blanc St Albans
- Brasserie Blanc on Twitter
- Brasserie Blanc on Facebook

Related blog posts:
- Coeliac
- Gluten Free

Nacho nacho man

Five new gluten free tortilla chip flavours available at Marks & Spencer.

There are Jalapeno, Fire Roasted Chilli and Nacho Cheese flavour Tortillas, as well as the Lime Salsa Chickpea & Cumin Tortilla Scoops.

After a great early-Christmas meal at the nearby Brasserie Blanc in St Albans our group of Coeliacs headed to M&S as three of the party don't live near a store and were desperate to get some of the gluten & wheat free Scotch Eggs. I was very pleased to see the new range of gluten free Tortilla chips in stock - as were some other shoppers as they were flying off the shelves!

I've had the lime salsa scoops before and they were very tasty. But nacho cheese tortilla chips are a flavour I've missed over the years as you can't always find gluten free packs available.

There is also a lightly salted flavour in the range. I didn't bother getting a packet of those as I've never been a big fan of less-flavoured tortillas.

In the St Albans M&S you can find the gluten free tortillas in amongst the other 'normal' crisps and snacks, whereas in the Ipswich branch the lime salsa tortillas are in the Made Without Wheat section.

Well, that's my week's budget for Nacho Chips blown in one go

While on a lunchbreak last week I popped along to the M&S in Angel, London and was pleased to see two new products in the Made Without Wheat range - a Quiche Lorraine and a Cheese & Onion Quiche.

Hopefully the Luton branch begins stocking more gluten free products (Made Without Wheat Scotch Eggs hint hint).

Links:
- Marks & Spencer website
- Marks & Spencer Made Without Wheat page
- Coeliac UK website

Related blog posts:
- New gluten free products at Marks & Spencer
- New Gluten Free Beer and Cakes at M&S
- Gluten Free blog posts on The Ham & Egger Files
- Gluten Free Finds in London (and beyond) - October 2010

Christmas-themed Crazy Golf

Playing 'Chrizy Golf' in Manchester.

Christmas + Crazy Golf = Chrizy Golf

Two years ago today me and John 'Big Al' Moore headed to Manchester to compete in the first, and to-date only, Chrizy Golf Masters minigolf tournament on a 9-hole Christmas-themed Crazy Golf course.

Me and John 'Thighs' Moore at the Chrizy Golf course in Manchester

The course was the 313th course played on the Crazy World of Minigolf Tour.

Chrizy Golf!

The Christmas Crazy Golf championship trophy was awarded in November 2012!

Back in 2009 we also played a Christmas-themed course in Devonshire Square, London.

If you know of any Christmas-themed miniature golf courses out there do let me know through the comments below, or via Twitter.

Related blog posts:
- Christmas
- Manchester
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Winning the Chrizy Golf Masters Minigolf Tournament!
- Festive Mini Golf – Christmas jumper themed! by Putterfingers.co.uk

Crazy Golf Crocodiles in Surrey

Or Adventure Golf Alligators in Woking and Epsom.

A big old crocodile at the Pirate Island Adventure Golf course in Woking. Thankfully there are handy rafts to traverse the treacherous waters surrounding the minigolf course

On our recent visit to Surrey we played the new minigolf courses at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Woking and Horton Park Golf Club in Epsom and we saw a LOT of minigolf reptiles!

Always heed the warnings at a minigolf course

We've seen many crocs and gators on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour, but never quite as many in one place as in and around the wilds of the Jungle Island Adventure Golf at Horton Park Golf Club.

  

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- More Fake Crocodiles & Alligators - Bluewater, New Malden & Milton Keynes
- Fake Crocodiles! Or are they Alligators?
- Minigolf Report from the Surrey Invitational Tournament
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Hoebridge Golf Centre in Woking
- Adventure Golf at Horton Park Golf Club in Epsom

Links:
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf Woking
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf
- Pirate Island Adventure Golf at Hoebridge Golf Centre
- Hoebridge Golf Centre
- Jungle Island Adventure Golf
- Horton Park Golf Club

Christmas Tree Maze at the Southbank Centre's Winter Festival

Not getting lost in a Christmas Tree Maze in London.

While having a day out in London Emily and I had a wander along the Southbank and spotted a Christmas Tree Maze!

The Christmas Tree Maze at the Southbank Centre's Winter Festival

Unfortunately when we went to the Box Office to buy a ticket (£4 each) we were told that the maze was being resurfaced and wouldn't be open again for a few hours. A bit of a shame.

Bah humbug. The theme of finding things we want to do to be closed, abandoned or derelict, continued at the Southbank Centre's Winter Festival as we weren't able to get lost or find the centre of the Christmas Tree Maze 

Instead we went for a drinking chocolate and bought an excellent prize from the Christmas Market for our upcoming Christmas 'Do' at The Freemason's Arms in Hampstead.

The Southbank Centre's Christmas Tree Maze is filled with 300 Black Forest Christmas Trees and we think it'll look great at night.

Emily's going to another festive 'do' soon at the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, which is also home to a Christmas Tree Maze.

Link:
- Southbank Centre's Winter Festival with NatWest

Related blog posts:
- Christmas
- Maze
- Fun and Games at the Yattendon & Frilsham Village Fete
- Christmas Tree Maze at Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens

Come Home at Once postcard book by Guy Atkins

A new book about Edwardian postcards by Guy Atkins.

Postcard collector, writer and blogger Guy Atkins has a book out and it's well worth a look.

Come Home at Once by Guy Atkins. Currently the number one read on our coffee table

Published by Bantam Press the book, 'Come Home at Once', has a lot of great Edwardian postcards (showing both the fronts and the messages on the back) from Guy's collection that he has built up over the last decade.

You can buy the very nice hardback book in the shops and online. More info on how and where to order can be found on Guy's excellent Postcardese blog.

After speaking with Guy via postcards, twitter and email over the years it was great to meet Guy in person at the recent launch event for his book

I've been corresponding with Guy for the last couple of years - mostly by Twitter and Postcard - and he recently wrote a piece in his regular column in Stamp and Coin Mart about my minigolfing and postcard hobbies and how I've combined the two.

Links:
- Postcardese
- Bantam Press
- Picture Postcard Monthly
- Stamp and Coin Mart
- Guy Atkins on Twitter

Related blog posts:
- Postcard
- Postcards

A #GetUpandGo experience at the Travelodge in Hastings

Travelling to Hastings for a minigolfing #GetUpandGo experience.

Greetings from Hastings - minigolf kit laid out and ready for a weekend of Crazy Golf action in Hastings

On our travels around the UK on our Crazy World of Minigolf Tour Emily and I often stay in Travelodge hotels, and on our many trips to compete in Mini, Crazy and Adventure Golf tournaments in the mecca of minigolf - Hastings, East Sussex - we'll often be found checking in at the Travelodge on Bohemia Road.

Playing the skull hole on the Pirate Golf course in Hastings

The hotel is in a good spot, has nice clean rooms, parking and great customer service. It all helps to make a stay there pleasant and with the introduction of new and very comfortable beds we're ready to #GetUpandGo in the many individual and team tournaments we play in at the seaside resort.

The Midlands Minigolf Club line-up ahead of the 2014 BMGA British Club Championships in Hastings

On my latest trip to the town I finished 11th of 26 players in the two-round, 36-hole Planet Hastings Crazy Golf Club Open competition played on the 18-hole Adventure Golf course on the seafront.

On the 18th at Hastings' Pirate Golf

I look forward to more stays at Travelodge hotels in the future.

Related blog posts:
- Crazy World of Minigolf Tour
- Hastings

Links:
- Travelodge
- Travelodge on Twitter
- Travelodge on Facebook
- #GetUpandGo
- Hastings Adventure Golf 

Another gluten free menu fail

On a recent trip to the seaside town of Hastings I spotted a great typo caveat/warning/disclaimer on a menu in a restaurant.

I'm guessing the word 'FREE' was meant to appear between the words 'GLUTEN' and 'DESSERTS'!

Related blog posts:
- Coeliac-related blog posts
- Gluten Free-related blog posts
- Funny things about being a Coeliac
- Funny things about being a Coeliac #5 - Menu fails
- Funny things about being a Coeliac #9 - Menu disclaimers