EATING IN THE COTSWOLDS

Burford, although in Oxfordshire is known as the Gateway to the Cotswolds and it is a very cute picture box, one street town, definitely worth a visit. Lots of shops squished into a small space but do not be tempted to try lunch at the Burford House. We had booked for lunch the previous week and so they had plenty of notice that we were coming. Lunch was a two course choice, but inevitably they only had one course available, no home made lemonade, one chicken, one Eton mess, you get the picture. They were not prepared and we had the distinct impression that we were being given last nights left overs, except there weren't many left overs.

Chipping Sodbury, in Gloucestershire is another one street market town with the new addition of Hamptons deli and coffee shop. As soon as you walk in, the owner waves and shouts 'hello', you just know he cares and the food and service on offer reflect that. Homemade cakes and salads make this a great place to stop off for lunch or afternoon tea.

Tetbury, just up the road from Chipping Sodbury is home to Highgrove, Prince Charles Gloucestershire residence. We booked months in advance for a tour of the garden and were not disappointed. Shown round for nearly two hours in a small group, we really felt as though we could bump into Prince Charles at any minute. Whether you are a royalist or not, you cannot failed to be impressed by his mischievous garden designs and whimsical outdoor architecture, ending with the piece de resistance, a beautiful mosaic courtyard bursting with Mediterranean colour and vibrancy. We finished the tour with tea and cake in the function room, whilst admiring our purchases from the Highgrove gift shop.

The Duchess of Cornwall still has a home just over in the next county of Wiltshire, just outside the picturesque village of Lacock. The village has been used in many period adaptations and we most famously used for scenes in the BBC's Cranford and Pride and Prejudice. A great place to stay and have lunch is 'At the Sign of the Angel' where we had the most amazing Sunday Roast, served in tureens on the table. You must book in advance otherwise you will not get a table though, it's incredibly popular.

Another village that the name 'chocolate box' was invented for is the village of Castle Combe, where the Rex Harrison version of Doctor Dolittle was filmed. This is home to the Manor House, very popular for weddings due to the stunning surroundings and also perfect for afternoon tea. This is not just any afternoon tea, plates full of different shaped cakes keep coming to the table and its very hard to resist.

SANTORINI

Santorini always seems to inspires 'oohs' and 'aahs' whenever it's mentioned, but after spending a week there in June I left feeling underwhelmed. The highlight of the island and the bit that you see on all the postcards is the sugarcube village of Oia perched at the end of the island overlooking the sea. This is the place to go and see the 'amazing' sunset, and thanks to the very organised bus services on the island you can get there very reasonably and very cheaply. Alternatively you can view the sunset from the islands capital, Thira, another sugar cube style installation hanging of the side of the volcanic island. Cruise ships pull into the island and take the cable car from Thira's port up to the shops, it's 4 euros each way but there really is nothing to see in the port except a couple of small boats, and well lots of sea. Thira is pretty enough, with lots of narrow whitewashed streets, a bit like Ibiza but with no real people watching hub.

We stayed in Perissa, just round the corner from Kamari, a more commercial version of Perissa. A huge rock separates Kamari and Perissa, so you can get to Perissa by climbing over the rock (1 hour up and 1 hour down) or you can take a water taxi round there. Kamari has lots of restaurants and bars vying for your business but it is all very manmade, commercial and not very greek. One bar or restaurant looks pretty much like the rest but if you like to fall out of your villa or hotel straight onto a lively 'strip' then this is the resort for you. Perissa is a quieter resort comprising of two main thoroughfares, one on the beach (black volcanic grit and most definitely not sand) and the other is the main road through the town. All the bars and restaurants are incredibly similar in quality and price, we ate most nights at Gods Garden which was very good value for the same food that was served everywhere else, and Grandma's Kitchen was a cafe/takeaway serving fresh souvlakis and quick snacks.

We stayed at the Meltemi Hotel on the main road which was excellent value for money although the breakfast was minimal and bland, the service and rooms were what you would expect for the price. The Meltemi had a great sized pool, unlike a lot of the hotels we passed who seemed to have a paddling pool masquerading as a swimming pool so I would check the dimenions of your pool before booking if you're a keen swimmer.

TOURS, FRANCE

I was asked to film a wedding at the Chateau Reignac in Reignac Sur Indre, Loire Valley and my first task was to find the easiest way to get to Reignac from Manchester. After much deliberation, I flew direct from Manchester with Air France to Paris Charles de Gaulle, although Orly airport would have been more convenient as it lies to the South of the city, and therefore nearer to Tours. I collected a hire car and drove 3 hours south to Tours (the nearest city to Reignac), an incredibly straight forward journey with the most complicated part being how to drive safely out of the airport. Tours is a beautiful city, known as the 'gateway to the Loire' and I stayed at the two star hotel Trianon, 57 Avenue du Grammont, Tours, a little hotel that I am convinced used to be a small block of offices attached to an apartment block. It was basic, clean and the staff were incredibly friendly. The fresh croissants and exceptionally clean bathroom, made up for the office windows and curtains that slip off the rail when you pulled them across, no air conditioning that I could see either but I was only paying 55 euros a night. The hotel was a in a great location for walking up to the old part of the town, as you leave the hotel on avenue de Grammont, turn left and you're soon in Place de Jean Jaures, home to the 'Hotel de Ville', walk up the Rue Nationale where the bigger stores are located, and bear left into the old town, head to 'Place Plumereau' for all the bars, restaurants and the best place for people watching in Tours. The village of Reignac Sur Indre lies half an hours drive from Tours, driving through Sunflower fields and quiet sleeply villages along the way. The Chateau Reignac was a stunning location for a wedding with a chapel attached to the back of the Chateau. The forty wedding guests had the place to themselves and if you're the bride, you really feel like a Princess for the day. As an international wedding videographer, I am often happy to be given a plate of sandwiches to stop me collapsing from malnutrition but at the Chateau we were given the same food as the guests - scallops, veal and croquembouche and I can say, hand on heart, that it's some of the best food I've ever tasted. In 1861, the Müller family bought Reignac and with the help of Collet, the architect, re-vamped the property in neo-gothic style. Edouard Müller was the mayor of Reignac from 1873 to 1913 and deputy for the Loches constituency from 1890 to 1893. It was due to him that the little town of Reignac gradually modernised: a station, a post office, a library, a fire station and a new washhouse were all installed. Around 1900, the château boasted electric lighting generated by its water-wheel on the Indre river. However, in 1911, the Henrotte-Müller bank went bankrupt and the Müller assets were seized. The château then became the property of the Vibraye-Cheverny family until 1984.

CELEBRITY SPOTTING IN LONDON

The new Dean Street Townhouse is high glamour and low prices if you're lucky enough to book one of the 'Tiny' rooms at £95 per night. Quentin Tarantino was apparently in the restaurant the week before, but we did manage to rub shoulder's with Tracy Emin's pencil drawing as we tucked into a full English Breakfast at £11 per head. Coffee and water were complimentary as was the loud business meeting that we were within earshot for our entire breakfast. The hotel rooms are extremely cosy with what feels like fine Eqyptian cotton sheets on the bed, and a wide array of snacks and peanuts in the mini bar but don't make our mistake and scoff the nuts thinking they're free, as they're not! £17 is a lot to spend on the munchies. The bathroom is full of fragrant smelling Cowshed products which are free to use whilst in the room but you will be charged if you attempt to stuff them into your toiletry bag.

Dean Street Townhouse is perfectly placed if you're a fanatical celebrity spotter like me. Soho has always reaped great rewards for the ardent star stalker, I've seen Ricky Gervais twice, Jarvis Cocker, sat behind Ricky Hatton at Patisserie Valerie (just round the corner on Old Compton Street) whilst Bill Nighy and Michelle Dewsberry walked by, not together I hasten to add. I've sat inside Patisserie Valerie as David Bailey and his wife Catherine strolled up through the cafe, Howard Jacobson has brushed past and last time I was there the former Heartbeat actor Jason Durr was there talking loudly in a mid Atlantic drawl to his equally loud American friend. Soho is of course the home to a lot of the post production houses where everyone does their voice overs or catches up with their agents. I've seen many stars there,

Mike Leigh, Lenny Henry, and of course my good friend Russell T. Davies. He'd just jetted in from LA for a Doctor Who meeting and then was off again to his new favourite haunt, Venice Beach. You can hang outside the Groucho Club on Dean Street or the Ivy on West Street for a potential spotting but my tip is keep your eyes peeled at all times. Frank Finlay hopping on the tube and Josie Lawrence walking quickly down Oxford Street, they are everywhere.

The Jack the Ripper tour is a great atmospheric way to walk the murky footsteps of the Ripper who completed the five murders in short space of time, mainly over the summer months so apparently no fog, no tall hats or cloaks. The tour was £7 each, and a lot of filming takes place round Brick Lane, as our guide informed us that she had seen Gywneth Paltrow in costume not far from Brick Lane.

Scotts restaurant, Mount Street, Mayfair is where Nigella Lawson and Charles Saatchi are often papped dining outside. It's a posh fish restaurant, that we tried for lunch but were disappointed to see that it was mainly businessmen popping in for fish & chips, and Nigella was nowhere to be seen. Photographer Terry O'Neill did pop in though so all was not lost.