Sorry Britain - there's no such thing as spaghetti bolognese . . . not in Italy, as I discovered on a recent visit to Bologna. It is, like chicken tikka masala, entirely an English invention and, according to any Italian cook, not a good one. Nonetheless it is a compulsory item on the menu in … [Read more...]

For aircraft buffs like me a visit to the new RAF Museum in North London is a must-do next time I'm in that great city. The best insight into the new display comes from 13-year-old Robert, whose dad writes the Family Travel Times Blog. Here's his summary of their visit: "There are three … [Read more...]

Liverpool's Strawberry Field is to be opened to the public. Made famous by the John Lennon song "Strawberry Fields Forever", the real Strawberry Field was, in fact, a Salvation Army children's home near where he lived with his Aunt Mimi. It was an important part of Lennon's early life. Each … [Read more...]

Oxford University’s Bodleian Library recently launched a once-in-a-lifetime exhibition dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien and his connection to Oxford. Many authors have strong connections to Oxford: Lewis Carroll who wrote Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, C.S. Lewis who wrote The Chronicles of Narnia … [Read more...]

Driving in the UK - it ain’t easy. But if you are schooled up on a few basics it ain’t hard either. The  towns and cities pose the greater challenge. Out on the open road it’s fairly easy going. Over the years I've spent a lot of time driving in Britain and here are 8 things I learned the hard … [Read more...]