A man who can hypnotise hens and a painting break in France – this week’s winning listings

31st March 2010 > Ooh.com Stuff

Each week we pick our two favourite listings on the site, and send those listers $100 each. This week’s winners offer two very different things to do.

First up, Matt Holland, a man who says he can hypnotise hens and who makes a point of saying he eats a free-range boiled egg for breakfast every day.

Chickens

Have you always wanted to keep hens or ducks? Or dreamed of collecting your own eggs for breakfast? Would you like to find out if keeping poultry is right for you? Join Matt and his feathered flock at Lower Shaw Farm in Wiltshire for this two day course in poultry keeping and you’ll glean lots of information, meet hens, get to know ducks, and understand what makes them cluck, quack, and lay.

Eggscellent! (sorry).

Chickens 2

To check availability and book your place on Matt’s hen keeping course, click here.

Next up….

Peter Mayle famously spent a year in Provence. We’re suggesting you start with a more boss-friendly week.

Painting in Provence is a week-long painting course with well-known painter and illustrator Bill Ternay. You’ll have the exclusive use of le Clos du Buis, a 3-star, non-smoking, Provençal stone house. Every bedroom is air-conditioned with a private en suite bathroom and the beautiful views of the countryside, mountains and village will give you lots of creative inspiration.

And when you out down your paintbrushes at the end of a satisfying day, you can pick up a glass or two of wine, enjoy some fantastic food, or just relax by the pool.

Bill ternay hotel

Don’t forget, if you offer classes, courses, workshops or holiday accommodation, you can list them for free on Ooh.com. Just register and then upload all your details. Include fantastic photos that really show people what you do, lots of description, dates and prices, and you could well be one of our winning listings next week!

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Be a firestarter, a terrific firestarter (la la la la la)

30th March 2010 > Ooh.com Stuff

We’re having a ‘back to nature’ week. Yesterday it was food foraging in Gloucestershire, today it’s survival skills in California. Enter stage left (probably commando crawling) ‘Adventure Out’, a company running half day outdoor survival courses in Boulder Creek, California.

Survival 1

Swap the demands of daily life for a day in the beautiful redwoods of Santa Cruz where expert survivalists and naturalists will teach you native shelter building, fire-by-friction, identification of edible plants, making traps and other indigenous skills of the native Californians.

Survival 2

Who’s the course suited to?

Anyone! From nature loving walkers and hikers, to novice campers and seasoned backpackers, there are new skills for everyone to learn and enjoy.

When?

Lots of dates throughout the year. Check here for availability.

How much?

A very survivable $85 per person.

Survival 3

Click here to check availability and book your place.

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Hunter, gatherer, eater

29th March 2010 > Food, Ooh.com Stuff

Food foraging has got so cool it’ll soon have its own set of Michelin stars.

Join Forest of Dean’s local food foraging guru Raoul van Den Broucke for a Spring Foraging Day in Gloucestershire on Saturday April 17th.

Raoul

Raoul will take you on a guided walk through local woodlands and hedgerows in the Forest of Dean, teaching you how to identify and collect edible mushrooms, herbs, berries and plants.

Worked up an appetite on the walk? Then enjoy lunch featuring wild, local foods at the Tudor Farmhouse Hotel and Restaurant, a converted farm dating from the 13th century.

Hotel 2

The guided food forage costs £25 per person, or for just £40 you can hunt, gather and eat afterwards.

So go hunt, gather and eat. Animalskin wearing not compulsory, but permission to beat your chest when you find something really good to eat.

To check availability and book your place, click here.

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Lick the spoon not the screen – a look at what’s baking

26th March 2010 > Food

There’s nothing nicer than buying a fresh croissant or a straight-out-of-the-oven baguette from your local bakery. But DIY baking is the way forward. It’s rewarding and cheap, and you can lick the batter off the spoon without anyone frowning.

Brilliant bakers blogging

If you aim high, take inspiration from @bakerella, who must be the patron saint of baking. If her blog doesn’t inspire you, you lack a serious frosting-covered heart. And we’ve heard that there’s a Bakerella cookbook about to be released.

Bakerella

Another great inspirer is @ovenhaven, who boasts Chanel bags, Lady Gaga cupcakes and peanut butter brownies in her baking portfolio. A sugarcraft champion, you’ll be amazed at her latest creations.

Epicurean Escapism

And let’s not forget about @kimberlywyn. So passionate about baking she aspires to open her own bakery one day. This is a blog to return to over and over again. It’s a cookie heaven where marshmallow cookies, mint chocolate chip cookies and chewy gingerbread cookies compete for your attention.

Lovin' From the Oven

You also have to admire the intrepid bakers devoted to one cause, like @waffleizer, who likes… waffles. If you want to make falafel waffles, waffleburgers or waffled chocolate chip cookies, this is the site to visit.

Waffleizer

And thank god mademoiselle @cacahuete writes in English about her patisserie adventures. Baking might be universal but no one wants language to get in the way of the recipes Fanny has a go at.  Fanny promises that her blog will make your cake-obsessed flamingo happy. Note to self: must go and buy a flamingo to test this out. Just a red alert warning – do not look at these blogs when hungry. You might gnaw off your index finger.

cacahuete

Ache to bake, but need to learn the skills?

You’ve got the inspiration now. But do you have the skills? If not, have a look at these baking classes:

Afternoon tea lessons, London

This Afternoon Tea lesson is like an initiation rite to baking. Learn to make the classics such as Victoria sponge cake, shortbread and scones. If you haven’t finished these calorie-bombs when the day ends (highly unlikely….) your teacher will provide a doggy bag.

Fantasy Cupcakes Workshop with Splat Cooking Ltd

Colourful and cute, cupcakes seem to be the sponge cake redux for the 21st century. Roll up your sleeves with these  courses and get into the world of sugarcraft and pastel colours – you’ll be so on trend for S/S 10.

Italian Bread

Let’s not forget breadmaking. Nothing is nicer than freshly baked bread, and Italy boasts particularly pleasant kinds. Go crazy and creative with focaccias, ciabattas and grissinis at this hands-on course. Dough!

You should now be well on your way to becoming a fully-fledged baking jedi. May the baking force be with you.

It’s sweet to tweet

Here are some other baking loving people on Twitter @oohfood recommends following: @mollybakes, @maisoncupcake, @vindee, @joythebaker

Don’t forget, if you offer baking classes you can list them for free on Ooh.com. Just register here and start creating your listing!

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What’s your perfect summer day in the garden? Tell us and win Cath Kidston gardening clogs

24th March 2010 > Leisure

Lots of people are starting to list their gardening courses and classes on Ooh.com, and we dig that (groan)!

Whether you just have a small city windowsill with some pots of herbs, or something bigger that involves a lawnmower, we want to help you get out and garden in style. So to celebrate the arrival of Spring and all things green and growing, we’re giving away a pair of fabulous, floral Cath Kidston gardening clogs.

Cath Kidston clogs 

To win a pair of these pretty rubber clogs all your have to do is tell us your idea of a perfect summer afternoon in the garden.

Just add a comment below or email us at contact@ooh.com. Start your reply with ‘My perfect summer afternoon in the garden is…’ and then inspire us! It’s that easy.

Clogs are available in sizes 37-41 (4-8), depending on availability, and for this giveaway the winner needs to be based in the UK so we can post them to you.  Entries in by Monday 5 April, and we’ll announce the winner later that week. Good luck!

If you love gardening or want to learn, then have a look at these fantastic courses offered by garden designer and all-round very nice gardener, Alasdair Cameron, at his farm in Devon.

Batelease 2

A successful London designer, Alasdair and his wife moved to Batelease Farm and have set up these popular growing and designing courses. We’re sold on them.

Batelease

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Burn rubber on a Bonneville or visit one of the world’s most dangeours underwater volcanoes

24th March 2010 > Ooh.com Stuff

Each week we pick our two favourite listings on the site, and send those listers $100 each. This week’s $100 winning listings offer two really fantastic travel trips.

First up, a day spent riding a Triumph Bonneville as you explore the spectacular scenery of the Lake District. Could there be any better way of getting around?

Bonneville

The day includes a stunning ride of over 125 miles. Ride four passes alongside numerous lakes and tarns and enjoy a combination of amazing views and sweeping roads. We’re told this really is one of the best riding areas in Europe and we think the trip is well worth the very reasonable price of £195. You can book directly by clicking here. Would make a great birthday present for someone?

 

From sightseeing with vrroom to volcanoes. Our second winning listing is this fantastic trip in the Philippines, and a trek to one of the most dangerous underwater volcanoes on the planet.  Stay overnight at a family-run farm, learn how to fish on bamboo stilts and take a pump-boat to the warm crater lake.

Don’t forget, if you offer trips, holidays classes or courses, you can list them for free on Ooh.com. Just register and then upload all your details. Include fantastic photos that really show people what you do, lots of description, dates and prices, and you could well be one of our winning listings next week!

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Love food? Love travel? Love Sally Lynch

23rd March 2010 > Food

We’re thrilled to have over 2000 activities listed on the site now. And we’re particuarly thrilled to have Sally Lynch and her lip-smackingly tasty courses and tours on board.

Sally, founder of Taste Trekkers, is just our kind of person. She loves food, she loves travel, and now she spends her time combining both and sharing her passion with others.

First up, her courses in Brisbane.

BBQ

Join Sally’s Boutique BBQ course and learn just how much more there is to barbecuing than the humble sausage or burger. Think Persian kebabs, lemon scented fish in paper and salt and pepper squid. And to accompany your dishes? Move over boring green salad, make way for warm Italian potato salad and Asian coleslaw.

Thai

Love Thai food? We do, and on this Taste of Thai cookery course  Sally will teach you how to make tom kah gai, chicken dumplings, pad thai, crab cakes, beef satay…..are you licking your computer screen yet?

Vietnam 2

Or there’s a Vietnamese street food course that will have you mastering lotus leaves with sticky rice, sugarcane prawns, crispy fried chicken wings, fresh pork & chicken dumplings, bun noodle salad and spring rolls. Drool. Dribble.

But it’s all very well learning how to make Vietnamese food in Australia, but why not go one better and join Sally on a truly delicious trip there? A week of spice filled heaven. 

Vietnam

And if you fancy exploring the gastronomic wonders of Spain, Sally will also take you on a tastebud tantalising trip to Andalucia.

We salute Sally for her wonderful food courses and trips, and we particularly love the fact she describes her husband as “the best dishwasher I’ve ever owned.”

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Get away but feel at home

19th March 2010 > Leisure, Travel

It’s Friday and we’re in the mood for holidays!!!

So diaries out, here’s a round-up of fantastic holiday homes and apartments that you can book for April and May.

A tasty retreat

Situated in an Area of Outstanding National Beauty, this pretty thatched cottage in Dorset is just a few minutes from Masterchef winner Matt Follas’s renowned restaurant, The Wild Garlic, you’re also only a short distance from Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall’s River Cottage Canteen and Mark Hix’s wonderfully positioned Oyster and Fish House.

Cottage

A moreish holiday

Discover Moorish Andalucia in this apartment in the pretty whitewashed village of Villanueva del Trabuco in Spain. On the edge of a pine forest, you’ll also be close to sites such as the world famous Alhambra in Granada and the Picasso Museum & Cathedral in Malaga.

Andalucia

Not quite enough room for the Famous Five

We love this pretty harbourside cottage in Polperro, Cornwall, which was once originally owned by Frederick Cook, a well known local artist and illustrator for the famous children’s author Enid Blyton.

Cottage 2

Abandon diets when staying here

This cosy and beautifully furnished riverfront gîte is in Burgundy which is without question our idea of food and wine heaven!

Gite

Perfect for a Minnie break

Nothing Mickey Mouse about this 3 bedroom apartment in Orlando. Just 4 miles away from Disney World, you won’t be stuck for things to do during a stay here.

Bedroom

Don’t forget, if you offer holiday accommodation you can list it for free on Ooh.com. Just register here and start uploading the details of your property. Easy!

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Spring has sprung.

18th March 2010 > Ooh.com Stuff

There’s a palpable optimism in the air as the sun shines a little (at least here in London), the days get longer, and Ooh just gets bigger and better. We’re at around 2000 fantastic activities from passionate individuals and business around the world. Want to join them? Sign up here; it’s super-quick and completely free with no commission or charges. Buyers are getting stuck in too, and we’re seeing an increase in booking activity week on week.

But let’s face it. Much more important is this video of a confused lamb. He’s so confused! But it looks like he’s having a good time. I’d take care of you, gentle lamb.

Don’t forget, there are two awesome UK competitions open right now, both requiring minimal effort. Enter the RHS London Orchid Show competition here, and enter the £250 Farncombe Estate Cotswolds giveaway here.

Wishing you a bright and cheerful spring.

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Win a pair of tickets to the Oscars of the plant and orchid world

17th March 2010 > Ooh.com Stuff

The RHS London Orchid Show is to orchid and plant lovers what the the Oscars are to film buffs, and what London Fashion Week is to the well-dressed. Always on the look out for interesting things to do, we decided this is definitely something great for all the many garden and plant-loving people out there.

So we’re giving away a pair of tickets for a day’s entry to the RHS London Orchid Show on Sunday 21st March 2010.

Orchid 2

We’re all about keeping things simple at Ooh.com, so all you have to do to win these tickets is tell us why you want to go to the show! Just post a comment below this blog, and we’ll pick the most deserving winner.

Entries in by this Friday please (12pm, Friday 19th 2010). And you’ll need to check back to see if you’ve won, and we’ll send you an email confirming.

Orchid 3

The world-renowned show takes place in the RHS Horticultural Halls in Westminster, London SW1. Browse from hundreds of orchids on sale by specialist growers from home and abroad, and receive expert advice on all aspects of orchid care.

New for 2010 is the addition of the Botanical Art Show, where 25 artists are travelling from as far as Japan, Australia and Taiwan to exhibit art depicting plants of all kinds in an attempt to win a coveted RHS Gold Medal.

There will also be chance for visitors to view a rarely seen exhibition of RHS commissioned works of award-winning orchids. The RHS Lindley Library has a collection of more than 7,000 drawings depicting award-winning orchids.

So tell us why you’d love to go to the show, and then check back on Friday afternoon to see if you’ve won two tickets!

Photos courtesy of Ctd 2005 and Randy Son Of Robert.

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