Mulled Wine

A Christmas classic – warm and spicy – a guaranteed treat and simple to make!

Christmas Cocktails

It’s got to be the Snowball! Loved by all! We are sure it has the potential of putting love in the air this Christmas!

Mince Pies

Christmas is not complete without them! You can get some beautiful luxury mince pies ready made  – or why not have a crack at making them yourself?

Enjoy yourself!

Whatever you decide to treat your date with this Christmas – don’t forget to relax and have fun. It’s what this time of the year is all about!

Rule 1 – Match the weight and texture of the food to the weight and texture of the wine

A light bodied fish – deserves a light bodied Pinot.

A fuller salmon – deserves a heavier Chardonnay.

Rule 2 – Balance the intensity of flavours in food and wine

Mildly flavoured food, such as a roast works best with light bodied wines such as Sauvignon Blanc.

Stronger dishes work best with richer, fruiter wines.

Rule 3 – Balance tastes

The five basic tastes are sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami (a recently discovered fifth taste found in mushrooms, tomatoes, soy sauce etc).

Salty and sour tastes make red wines taste milder, whilst sweet and savoury makes white wine taste stronger.

Rule 4 – Match flavours & Counterpoint

The relationship between food and wine is not unlike the relationship between lovers…match common factors to create success…on the other hand opposites also attract.

A new wardrobe

With Spring comes a complete turnaround in wardrobe choices from the warm and woolly clothes of winter. Neutral colours are in for 2010, so think khaki, camel, and beige – but, these colours don’t suit all skin colours so you could go for light grey instead.

DIY gadgets

Most of us are going to succumb to some sort of home improvement activity in the next few months, so head on down to your nearest DIY superstore now to pick up a bargain on barbeques, lawn mowers, parasols and all the other paraphernalia we usually leave until the last minute.

Fitness

Most of us are going to succumb to some sort of home improvement activity in the next few months, so head on down to your nearest DIY superstore now to pick up a bargain on barbeques, lawn mowers, parasols and all the other paraphernalia we usually leave until the last minute.

Go for a picnic

What better way could there be to enjoy the weather than to pack up a feast (and maybe a bottle of wine), find a peaceful spot in the sun and have a good old chin-wag over lunch with your DatingAgency.com date? Even in the biggest cities you can always find a quiet corner in a park so seek it out and just enjoy each other’s company.

Head to the coast

We’re really quite fortunate here in Britain that most of us are no more than a couple of hours’ drive from the sea. Get to the coast before the summer rush starts to enjoy quiet strolls on the beach, fish & chips on the promenade and ‘investing’ a few pennies in the amusement arcades!

Rent a boat

The Manchester Shipping Canal excluded, Britain’s waterways are the perfect venue for a cosy but relaxed date now that the sun’s out. For the gentleman who wants to impress there are rowing boats to hire or for those wanting a bit more equality you can always opt for a pedalo.

Go balloning

Far from something reserved for “adrenaline junkies”, lots of companies offer very refined, luxury balloon trips ranging from a couple of hours to day-long excursions with prices to fit every pocket. So with nature blooming there’s no better time for an aerial view of the countryside.

If you’re attached we suggest you ditch dinner this year for something far more exciting instead. There’s the whole weekend to enjoy the romance and let your partner feel like they’re one in a million, so make the most of it!

Go To The Coast Whether it’s serene or stormy there’s always find enchantment and romance at the coast. Stroll hand-in-hand with the sea breeze in your hair and then find a pretty restaurant with sea-views for a spot of lunch.

Take To The Road Impulse always gets the heart racing, so surprise your lady with a road trip of her choice. It might be somewhere they’ve always wanted to visit or a trip down memory lane to the town the grew up in. Just ask them their destination and whisk them away for a day they’ll never forget!

Plant A Valentine’s Tree Plant a Valentine’s tree together in Shropshire, lose yourselves in a blanket of white snowdrops at the Scottish Snowdrop Festival or enjoy Kew Garden’s Tropical Extravaganza and Valentine’s dinner for £99 a head.

Up, Up & Away! Spend this year’s Valentine’s amidst the dragon-like roar of the burners as your relationship soars to new heights on a sun-rise Champagne hot air balloon flight. You can depart from various locations all over the UK and prices start from around £150. To book visit Flights For All

Plan A Surprise Getaway There are still plenty of getaways available online so surprise your partner with an unexpected note telling them to bring an over-night bag and their passport, and enjoy the moment as you reveal the secret destination!

Cocoon Yourselves! Turn off the phones, stock up the fridge and turn your home into a sanctuary for the weekend, complete with flowers, candles, massage oils and romantic music. Need we say more…!

With a chill in the air and fairy lights everywhere, there’s a certain romance to December – especially when you’re dating.  Arm in arm, wrapped up in woollies, you can soak up the ambiance together with these December date ideas taking place before and after the big day.

We’ve also added our seasonal gifts to DatingAgency.com so you can spread some festive cheer to other DatingAgency.com Members.   So login and make someone’s day with a scattering of mistletoe magic!

December is the time to….

Visit A Winter Wonderland With their outdoor ice rinks, Christmas markets and festive entertainment, you and your date can revel in the magic of Christmas as early as you like! The one in Hyde Park spans twenty acres and has free entry, whilst others in Cardiff, Edinburgh, Northumbria and Centre Parks need to be booked. Find out more about Hyde Park at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland, or do a quick search on Google to locate one near you.

See It’s A Wonderful Life It isn’t Christmas without it! Take you date for some classic feel-good 1940′s cinematic action and watch It’s A Wonderful Life at Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall. The screening starts at 1pm on Christmas Eve so there isn’t a better way to start the weekend’s festivities. You can book box seats for £6.50 each or standard tickets for £5.50 each. Telephone 0151 709 3789 or visit Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall website.

Theatre Date: Morecambe Morecambe and Wise fans can put Eric back into their Christmas agendas with a date to see Morecambe at London’s Duchess Theatre. It’s a biographical play about the comedian’s life with an uncanny portrayal by Bob Golding following his sell out Edinburgh Festival run, which had rave reviews from Ronnie Corbett and Nicholas Parsons. Tickets cost £20 – £37.50 and you can read all about it on the DatingAgency.com Blog.

Cinema: The Avatar If you and your date are both sci-fi fans, make sure you go and see the Avatar, in cinemas from December 18th. It’s the most ambitious 3D film ever made and will be available in 2D, 3D and in IMAX cinemas. Director James Cameron of Titanic, Terminator and Alien fame, says his inspiration for the script was; “Every single science fiction book I ever read as a kid.” The premise is a paralyzed man controlling an alien body and it stars Sigourney Weaver and Sam Worthington.

Visit The UK’s Largest Winter Garden Blow out the cobwebs before New Year on a visit to the seven-acre winter garden at the National Trust property Dunham Massey in Cheshire. With 400 metres of new pathways, 700 plant species, 1,600 shrubs and 200,000 bulbs it’s no wonder it’s the UK’s largest winter garden! December brings the bright yellow of witch hazel and fragrances of mahonia, winter honeysuckle and Christmas Box. You’ll find visitor information on The National Trust website.

Racing At Kempton Park Get your glad rags on and have a flutter at the races on the 26th and 27th December. Kempton Park’s Winter Festival boasts two days of top quality jump racing featuring the William Hill King George VI Steeple Chase. Will Kauto Star re-write history books and take a fourth successive title? Tickets cost from £8 or you can book the best view of the action at the Panoramic Bar & Restaurant from £49.95 per person. For tickets telephone 01932 753518 or visit Kempton Park.

Visit Yorkshire Sculpture Park You and your date can walk off some Christmas pud on a trip to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the only one of its kind in the UK. The permanent collection contains work from Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth; artist Rob Ryan transforms the visitor centre with imaginative paper cuts and screen prints; and there’s sculpture and art in the Underground Gallery from one of Britain’s foremost artists, Peter Randall-Page. It costs £4 to park and entry is free. Visit Yorkshire Sculpture Park for visitor information. (Image of Peter Randall-Page, courtesy of Jonty Wilde).

Star Gazing in Galloway Forest Take your date to gaze at the stars in the darkest place in the UK, Galloway Forest in Scotland. Set in open farmland, away from light pollution you can stay at Galloway Astronomy Centre and perhaps even catch a glimpse of the partial lunar eclipse taking place on New Year’s Eve! Hot drinks are provided throughout the night although you might want to take your own Champagne! A double room is £28 per person per night. Telephone 01988 500594 or visit Galloway Astronomy Centre for more information.

New Year’s Eve If you haven’t any plans, see in 2010 with a stay in Allendale, Northumberland where the Flaming Barrels ceremony takes centre stage. This Pagan tradition starts with a colourful procession through the town by a team of local barrel carriers, dressed in fancy costumes and balancing flaming whiskey barrels filled with hot tar on their heads. Once they reach the unlit bonfire shortly before midnight, each man tosses his flaming ‘headgear’ onto the bonfire, setting it ablaze. On the stroke of midnight, everyone joins hands to dance around the fire, singing Auld Lang Syne. For details visit Allendale Tar Barrel Ceremony.

Eric Morcambe is reborn in a biographical play about the comedian's life

If you’re dating in London and the surrounding areas, take you date to the theatre to see Morecambe, a biographical play celebrating the comedians life.

For an entire generation the Morecambe and Wise Christmas show was the highlight of Christmas Day.   In 1977 they had 28 million viewers – half of the UK population watching at the same time.

Eric Morecambe died at the age of fifty-eight in 1984, but in the twenty five years since his untimely final curtain, his popularity has not waned. With numerous tribute programmes, TV re-runs and DVD releases, his work as one half of Britain’s most popular double act ever, has been kept alive and introduced to a whole new generation of fans.

Now the first biographical play about Eric Morecambe opens at The Duchess theatre in December for a strictly limited run starring Bob Golding as Eric Morecambe, and directed by Guy Masterton.  The play is a fictional account, inspired by Morecambe’s life and whilst many of the events and characters described in the play are real, the story and words are those imagined by the playwright.

The play came about after Golding’s sell out Edinburgh Festival run, where he did a moving and gloriously funny portrait of the ‘affectionate lad with the funny bones’ – the man born to be an entertainer.   Tim Whitnall has created a deliriously funny memorial that swallows up everything from Morecambe Pier to Andre Previn and Glenda Jackson, that will leave the audience crying tears of laughter at the man who ‘brought us the sunshine’.

Golding has won an army of admirers. These include some of the country’s favourite comedians who have been bowled over by the actor’s extraordinary likeness to the man himself, many of whom were Eric’s contemporaries and friends.  Ronnie Corbett has described Bob Golding portrayal of Eric Morecambe as; “Spectacularly wonderful; Golding has hit the bullseye with this stunning portrayal of Eric.”  Whilst Nicholas Parsons said; “Eric is brought to life again with all his humour and charm.  Quite brilliant.”

Tickets cost between £20 and £37.50 and runs at the Duchess Theatre from 9th December 2009 until 17th January 2010.  You can buy tickets from the box office on 0207 492 1602.

Christmas might be hurtling towards us but there’s still plenty of time for dating before the festivities take over!  And you still have seven weeks to get to know some of our wonderful members before Santa comes tumbling down the chimney, so login to DatingAgency.com and see who’s online. You never know, you might be enjoying a mince pie with one of them on Christmas Day!

November is the time to….

Get Down To Some Jazz Take your date to boogie to some bebop and get down to some big band swing at London’s Jazz Festival from Friday 13th November to Sunday 22nd. There’s performances from John Scofield, Bobby Hutcherson Quartet, Dave Markee & The Jazz Collective, Clare Teal, Grand Canyon and Dave Lewis among others. For the full lineup and tickets visit London Jazz Festival

See Marilyn & Ella An unusual theatre production hits the West End this November called Marilyn & Ella which tells the story of the extraordinary friendship between Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald in 1950s America at a time when black music and black singers weren’t welcome on the mainstream theatre and club stages. It’s on at the Apollo Theatre and you can read all about on the DatingAgency.com Blog.

Get Friendly With Fungi Autumn is the perfect time for a fungi foray and by November the prized morel season is just beginning, so take your date and forage for brunch together on a guided mushroom hunt. There are hundreds of fungi walks on at the weekends all over the UK – and even on London’s Hampstead Heath. A quick Google search will help you locate one near you, or you can contact the Fungus Society of Great Britain for further information.

Go To A Book Signing It’s a bit of an unusual date but if you both love the author or celebrity, go to a book signing together and out for a bite to eat afterwards. All the celebs, TV personalities and sporting heroes are doing the rounds in the run-up to Christmas including the newly crowned Formula One Champion Jenson Button who is signing copies of his new book My Championship Year in Bristol on Friday 20th November; and Gardener’s World Joe Hashman will be chatting to fellow gardeners and signing copies of his new book On The Plot With Dry Nails at Milton Keynes on November 29th. Find what’s on near you at Waterstones

Eat At The BBC Good Food Show This touring show has everything for foodies including Masterchef Live, cookery demonstrations from TV chefs James Martin and Michel Roux Jnr among others, tastings and advice for unusual Christmas tipples, plus you can sample tapas sized dishes from ten of London’s best restaurants including Le Caprice, Launceston Place and Skylon in the Restaurant Experience. It’s on at London’s Olympia from 13-15th November and Birmingham’s NEC on the 25-29th November. Tickets cost £18 in advance from BBC Good Food Show.

Visit The Classic Motor Show Whether your passion is for ‘70s Fords or vintage Bentley’s, there’ll be 1000s of classic cars at Birmingham’s NEC from November 13th-15th. You can learn how it’s done in the restoration theatre, take a drive in your dream classic car, find out about the many car and bike clubs across the UK, and take part in the 30th anniversary of the Lancia Delta! Tickets cost £21.00 in advance for the Friday (£23.00 on the door) and £16.00 in advance (£18.00 on the door) on the Saturday and Sunday. See Classic Motor Show for all the details.

Experience Bath’s Mozartfest Classical music fans should head to Bath for their 19th Mozart Festival taking place between the 13th and 21st November. There’ll be a visit from the English Chamber Orchestra, a recital from one of the great pianists of our age Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and a gala evening with Dame Felicity Lott, Sir Thomas Allen and Malcolm Martineau. You can find out what’s going on and purchase tickets at Bath Mozartfest.

Visit A Christmas Market Graze on cinnamon biscuits, sup mulled wine and bring in the festive cheer together at a Christmas market. There’s several taking place from mid-November onwards in Bath, Winchester, Worcester, Canterbury, Leeds, Belfast, Oxford, Portsmouth, Bury St Edmunds, plus London’s Oxford Street and Hyde Park. To find one near you visit Christmas Markets

Celebrate National Curry Week Treat your date to a curry during National Curry Week on the 22nd to 28th November. Organised by the folks who make Cobra lager, the participating restaurants donate a percentage of your bill to The Curry Tree Charitable Fund which tackles poverty and suffering across South Asia. To find your nearest participating restaurant visit National Curry Week

Suzie Kennedy and Hope Augustus are Marilyn and Ella in a new play on this November

If you’re dating in London, take your date to see a new show on in the West End this November, which explores the extraordinary friendship between Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald.

She may have been famous for her music and her looks, but Marilyn Monroe was much more than a blonde bombshell.  Way ahead of her time she took a dramatic stand against racism in 1950s America by befriending the black singer Ella Fitzgerald at a time when black music and black singers weren’t welcome on the mainstream theatre and club stages.

It’s a friendship and an aspect of Marilyn’s character that’s rarely touched on in biographies about the icon, but even Ella Fitzgerald herself once said of Marilyn that she “was ahead of her time and she didn’t even know it”.

New to the West End this November, Marilyn & Ella is a play with songs by acclaimed writer Bonnie Greer which explores the unique friendship between the pair.  Marilyn helped Ella gain her lucky break in an LA club called Mocambo in the 1950s, which ultimately led to worldwide iconic status.

Writer Bonnie Greer first came across the unusual friendship while watching a documentary on the Biography channel in the US.

“It was an incredibly poignant friendship,” Greer explains. “All black singers were banned from the stage, so Marilyn was taking a massive personal risk in seeking out this friendship. She could have been sacked by her film company and never worked again, but to Marilyn, Ella was a great artist whom she worshipped from afar and finally needed desperately to meet. This is a fantastic and deeply moving true-life story, and one that still resonates 50 years on.”

Marilyn & Ella will play at London’s Apollo Theatre on the 15th, 22nd and 29th November with both matinees and evening performances. The play is directed by Colin McFarlane and features one of the world’s most famous Marilyn performers, Suzie Kennedy alongside Hope Augustus as Ella Fitzgerald.

Tickets cost £32.50 – £37.50 and are available from the box office on 0844 412 4658 or you can book online at www.marilynandella.com.

Whitesands Bay near St David's, Pembrokehire

Pembrokeshire’s unspoilt landscapes, beautiful coastline and picturesque villages make it a wonderful destination for a day out with your date or a short break with friends.

With beautiful beaches, local produce, rich history and numerous cycling routes there’s plenty to do on a short break or day out with your date in Pembrokshire.  And now the summer is over you might be able to bag yourself a bargain on a holiday cottage rental.

With 186 miles of coastline mostly within the National Park, it’s possible to stroll for a morning without seeing another soul.  Once autumn arrives you can walk your dog along the long sandy beaches and discover small private coves.  Ramblers can enjoy coastal paths and spot seal pups on isolated beaches, before finding a fireside table at a local pub for a spot of lunch.

Inland the peaceful river estuaries and wooded valleys stand out against the rugged Preseli Hills, and if you and your date enjoy cycling, there are many quiet lanes and tracks to lose yourself in.   The Pentre Ifan is a stone age burial chamber high up in the Preseli Hills about 4 miles from Newport and 10 miles from Cardigan.  This impressive monument is a must-see at sunrise or sunset when its huge stones are dramatically profiled against the colourful sky.

Also clsoe to Cardigan are the 12th century ruins of St Dogmaels Abbey, and further up coast near Buckspool is  St Govan’s Chapel – a 13th century stone dwelling built almost at sea-level on the rocky coastline.  Rich in Arthurian Legend you have to descend 52 steps to reach the shelter that was built over a holy well, and it is said that if you make a wish there, it will come true as long as you don’t change your mind before you turn back!

Other historic places to visit include the reconstructed Iron Age Fort at Castell Henllys and Carew Castle, both of which can be found within Pembrokeshire Coast National Park.   St Also worth seeing is David’s Cathedral, which has been described as one of Wales’ greatest monuments and since it’s a mile or so from the sea, it qualifies as the smallest city in Britain.  In Tenby, the Museum and Art Gallery are open daily, and you can view the Last Invasion Tapestry in Fishguard’s Old Town Hall which is 30 metres long and portrays what happened when Britain was last invaded in 1797.

The region has an abundance of local produce including fabulous seafood, Welsh cheese, lamb and lava bread. You will also find a delightful selection of wines, liqueurs and non-alcoholic drinks at the Cwm Deri Vineyard in Martletwy, which can be tasted, bought in the shop and then enjoyed in the restaurant.

You can find out more about the region at www.visitpembrokeshire.com or telephone 08705 103103 for a free guide from the tourist office.