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Feb 4, 2025 | 
dailymail.co.uk | Ian Walker
Enveloped in the steamy waters of Schloss Elmau's Japanese onsen (a traditional oriental hammam) heated to a precise 40C (104F), with a backdrop of the snow-capped Bavarian Alps, I consider who had been here first. David Cameron, Boris Johnson, Barack Obama and Joe Biden had enjoyed the best of this unique spa and cultural resort, but not, I hasten to add, in the onsen together. That would have been weird. They and other world leaders visited the resort across two G7 summits, in 2015 and 2022.
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Jan 27, 2025 | 
dailymail.co.uk | Ian Walker
It's the pause before paradise that's all the rage with jet-setters - a stay in Dubai before moving on to the Maldives. Is this the ultimate stopover? I followed in the footsteps of the fashionable set to find out. I checked into a hotel in Dubai that first made waves over a decade ago - the five-star Jumeirah Zabeel Saray hotel, a sister property of the iconic Burj Al Arab with a similarly opulent, but less formal feel.
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Dec 11, 2024 | 
four-magazine.com | Ian Walker
Northcote Restaurant dining room Lisa Goodwin-Allen © Lateef Photography A milestone moment in the culinary calendar is upon us as Northcote’s renowned Obsession festival gears up for its 25th-anniversary celebration. This much-anticipated fine dining event returns from January 24 to February 9, 2025, promising a feast of flavours and an unforgettable gastronomic experience in the heart of the Ribble Valley. For nearly 25 years, Obsession has established itself as one of Europe’s most...
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Nov 8, 2024 | 
lep.co.uk | Sean Gleaves |Ian Walker
21 chefs with 27 Michelin Stars between them are heading for Lancashire. Celebrating a major milestone in its soon to be 25 year history, Northcote’s Obsession will return to the culinary stage in January 2025. Known as one of the most prestigious and internationally recognised gourmet festivals in Europe, Obsession is set to captivate Northcote in the Ribble Valley from January 24 to February 9, 2025.
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Oct 1, 2024 | 
dailymail.co.uk | Ian Walker
The Bay of Naples, with its alluring islands and beautiful beaches, has always been a magnet for stars. From Grace Kelly and Sophia Loren, to Mariah Carey and Sofia Vergara, celebrities came for the sun, scenery and spectacular places to stay. These days the region is nurturing another kind of star - those delivered by famed food bible the Michelin Guide.
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Aug 22, 2024 | 
source.ie | Ian Walker
Issue 59 Summer 2009View Contents ▸One day in the early nineties, I was passing through the life room at Newport School of Art when I noticed some plaster casts leaning against a wall. I recognised them as copies (many times removed) of the frieze that once ran round the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis in Athens. Installed for students to work from, the casts were now largely ignored, though at some point they had been painted in garish colours.
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May 6, 2024 | 
politics.co.uk | Ian Walker
On my return from a recent trip to New Zealand, meeting with public health officials, cancer charities, patients and cancer experts, I find myself sitting at the airport with a sense of conflict. My flight will take me back to the UK, where world-leading age of sale legislation has just overcome its first parliamentary hurdle — a law that could help bring an end to cancers caused by smoking for good.
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Apr 7, 2024 | 
dailymail.co.uk | Ian Walker
The Royal Suite's lake view may have won the Burgenstock Hotel and Alpine Spa in Switzerland a listing in the top 100 hotel suites of the world, but the view from just about every other window, patio, balcony and pool, in this amazing spa resort, is almost as breathtaking. The property sits spectacularly 500 metres (1,640ft) above Lake Lucerne and Elite Traveler, that bible for ultra-high-net-worth individuals, declared that no words could express its 'glorious wonders'.
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Sep 27, 2023 | 
dailymail.co.uk | Ian Walker |Kate Dennett
Doctors star Diane Keen has revealed that she has suffered a 'catastrophic stroke' and told how her family were devastatingly told she 'wouldn't make it'. The veteran TV actress, 77, took to Twitter on Wednesday to give her fans a health update, explaining she had been absent for two months due to suffering a stroke. Diane, who portrays Julia Parsons on the BBC soap opera, explained that she had suffered a 'catastrophic stroke' which had come on with 'no warning at all'.
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Jul 31, 2023 | 
dailymail.co.uk | Ian Walker
It could be the plot of a Hollywood movie. Hidden behind huge locked gates lies an ancient former seminary and a vast secret courtyard. It sat untouched for decades at the heart of Italy's fashion capital, Milan, until its chance discovery by a very well-connected resident. Now after ten years of negotiation, planning, design and construction, vibrant new life has been breathed into this extraordinary space - something that looks like the most stylish of film sets.
