Top cigar bars in London

With winter closing in on London, the appeal of the city’s cigar bars becomes all the more defined. Here are four of the latest openings.

The Edward Sahakian Cigar Shop and Sampling Lounge can be found within the precincts of the Bulgari Hotel and Residences in Knightsbridge.

Bosideng opens flagship London store

Chinese super-brand Bosideng recently opened its first oversees store on London’s South Molton Street.

Set over three floors, the store showcases the 500-piece Bosideng London collection that has been created for the UK market by designers Nick Holland and Ash Gangotra.

Review: the Ormond at Tetbury, Gloucestershire

There’s been a bit of a drama in Tetbury the night I arrive. A window has been smashed in a second-hand bookshop. Nobody is exactly sure when the crime occurred however. It could be any time between 7pm and 11pm.

That’s a clue there to how many people have walked past the premises on this particular Saturday night – the perpetrator (presumably) and not many others. Or not many who were very observant, at least.

Sarlat’s regional food festival

Foie gras is the order of the day at Sarlat’s gastronomy festival, with stalls selling it and a demonstration of how to cook it – with the accompaniment of local figs.

England rugby looks to broader fan base

England’s rugby union team may play some home Test matches at venues other than Twickenham to promote the 2015 World Cup across the country.

‘There is a tremendous appetite to make sure this Rugby World Cup gets to as many corners of the country as we can take it,’ said Andy Cosslett, the chairman of England 2015.

One reason for this is that organisers hope to sell almost 3 million tickets for RWC 2015.

10 chances to join Shackleton epic

Ten travellers with a thirst for adventure – and £19,025 to spend -– are being offered the chance to follow in the footsteps of British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton by joining a 56-day Antarctic expedition to mark the centenary of his 1916 polar voyage.

The Shackleton Epic, which will be led by veteran British/Australian explorer Tim Jarvis, aims to be the first expedition to recreate Shackleton's 800-mile nautical voyage across the Southern Ocean from Elephant Island to South Georgia, and his subsequent crossing of the island's mountains. It will use a replica lifeboat and only the equipment that was available to Shackleton at the time.

Five cycling experiences in Suffolk

The Tour of Britain is scheduled to kick off on Sunday 9 September in Suffolk.

A little research reveals you don't have to be a world-beater to enjoy a cycle round the county. 

Pedal power: a cycle tour of Munich

A red squirrel darts across the path and I apply the brakes.

Unperturbed the animal pauses, perhaps to assess whether I come bearing anything edible, before it turns and scampers up the trunk of an ancient oak tree.

I move off again, slowly gathering speed past more elderly oak trees and a shady lake where three swans swim regally across still waters.

This little vignette does not take place in some rural idyll, however.

Light relief: a cigar tour of London

Cigar smoking, as any aficionado knows, is very much a matter of taste. Few people know that better than Edward Sahakian who, for more than 30 years, has run the famous Davidoff store on in London’s historic St James’s district.

‘Every cigar has a time and a place,’ he says. ‘I’d smoke something different on a cold, wet day in London, for example, than I would on a warm afternoon in Havana – with a Mohito.’

Given that Sahakian’s shop contains at least 220 different cigars – at the last count – that’s plenty for his customers to be getting on with. And many of them, like him, like few things in life quite as much as a good cigar.

‘I’d say the process of enjoyment all starts when you open the box,’ adds Sahakian. ‘There could be 10 or 20 cigars in there, but one of them will catch your eye. That’s where the attraction all starts.’

Live like a duke at Château de Brissac, Angers

‘These aren’t our greatest tapestries,’ says the Duchess de Brissac, indicating two large, intricate and, frankly, priceless-looking creations on a drawing-room wall. ‘They aren’t actually originals. But they do well here.’

She’s absolutely right. The room looks as though it could be expecting the Three Musketeers to walk in at any moment and start planning how best to thwart the latest dastardly plans of Cardinal Richelieu.

In fact, the whole Château de Brissac is redolent with that same atmosphere. Located near Angers, in the Loire region of France, with huge grounds and dramatic turrets it looks a lot like a storybook castle.