Shop Junction Blog

I am a bit of a mountain bike fan. Nothing too extreme you understand but I do like to get out and about on my mountain bike into the Sussex countryside near where I live. Despite living in quite a built-up area, it’s easy to get away from it all with a few miles cycling so that you find yourself in the middle of a forest with only the sounds of the birds for company. Great!

I know most of the trail routes near here but I am always looking for new routes to explore. A new book called Cycling in Sussex: Off-Road Trails and Quiet Lanes seems to be just the book I need to find some new rides!

The book is very nicely designed and each route has a map with some excellent and easy-to-follow directions. The routes are graded from family/easy rides through to medium and hard rides and the distances for each route varies from 4 km to 28 km. There should be something for everybody whatever your cycling experience or fitness.

One other useful feature is that each route has several nearby pubs highlighted! I always find that a beer stop is an essential part of any ride….

Related: Horsham Pub Guide

One of the Christmas presents I received this year was Ian Botham’s autobiography called Head On. I have just started reading it and, if the book is anything like the man himself, it should be an entertaining read!

I am not sure if this is the only autobiography because there are a few Ian Botham books that have the same ‘Autobiography’ title. Nevertheless, Head On appears to be the most recently published. It should be a good read.

• Amazon UK: Head On - Ian Botham: The Autobiography
• Play.com: Head On
• Blackwells: Head On

I’m not known for my my culinary skills but I buy my fair share of cookbooks. Usually, I have a few weeks of enthusiasm and then the book goes on my bookshelf never to be seen again! However, recently I have become a bit of a fan of the TV chef Rachel Allen because the recipes seem to be straightforward and they feature ‘real’ homecooking.

Rachel Allen has published quite a few cookbooks usually with a ‘favourite food’ theme. However, the book I bought last week is called Rachel’s Food for Living which you can buy for £10 to £20 from several online bookshops.

• Rachel’s Food for Living at Amazon.co.uk
• Rachel’s Food for Living at Play.com
• From Blackwell’s

I recommend the Chicken with Honey and Lemon recipe on page 157. It’s quite simple, healthy, and delicious…..