Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Tuesday 5 May 2015

A peerless group from Manchester

 The Royal Victoria Hotel, St Leonards 



Every year for the past 24 years a group of us (The Jet Set) that were at Manchester University together in the latter part of the 1960s meets up for a couple of days by the seaside. This year it is Hastings, although we are staying in St. Leonards as Hastings doesn't appear to have any hotels.  The one criteria is that the seaside resort must have a pier. Fortunately we don't specify whether the pier is open and functioning as Hastings Pier is still being repaired after a fire in 2010. Even though Hastings Pier is not open it is way more impressive than the stub of concete at Skegness that passes as their pier. It is no wonder that Joe Wadsack fled Skeggie to seek his fortune in London. 

There was a time when we stayed in rather dubious, if characterful, bed and breakfast places in Brighton etc. However with the advancing years our group has moved remorselessly upmarket until this year we are lodged in a Best Western Hotel –  The Royal Victoria Hotel, St Leonards. In places this is a little faded from its glory days. However, much less faded than many of the other buildings along the seafront in the direction of Hastings.       


 The rather grand interior of the first and ground floor of the hotel




The sea looking towards Bexhill

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