During my Icelandic adventure in Akureyri there were three big things on my wish list – try husky sledding, go whale watching and see the Northern Lights. Our holiday package included a Northern Lights tour, so my hopes were high, but I also knew there was no guarantee we’d get to see them. Poor weather conditions postponed the tour on the first two nights and I began to resign myself to the fact we were unlikely to see them. Still, third time lucky I hoped, and on a cloudy Wednesday night we jumped on a coach and headed out of…

Just before the pandemic I was planning a trip to Italy – my initial idea was to fly into Rome and spend a couple of days soaking up the sites before moving on to Perugia. Covid-19 almost drew a permanent line under the whole idea when I contracted the virus and spent two months in intensive care. It was touch and go for a while; so much so that I was put into a medically-induced coma for more than a month… it was not something I’d recommend. The excellent ministrations of the NHS doubtless saved my life (I was almost…

For a unique Japanese afternoon tea experience in London, you can beat a visit to Ginza St James’s. My boyfriend and I went to London over Easter for a mini-break and went to Ginza St James’s for afternoon tea as a birthday treat. Tucked down a side street in Mayfair, you can’t miss the restaurant as it’s covered in pink cherry blossoms, but when you head inside to the bar everything is sleek and modern. We were taken downstairs to the main restaurant, which was full of mirrors making it look huge. Not your average tea selection… We were seated…

The short answer: The Flower Café is Plymouth’s best mid-range afternoon tea option for groups of two to six people. The food is made with care, the setting skips the stuffiness of hotel dining rooms, and at £22–£26 per person, the price is honest for what lands on the plate. That said, it is not the right answer for every situation. If you are organising a large group, want waterfront views, or need a venue that handles dietary substitutions without advance notice, there are better options in Plymouth. This review covers where The Flower Café earns its reputation — and…