The Purple Passport

Seasoned advice for British Travellers

England

Best Food To Try When In The UK

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Planning to travel in the UK? If so, give yourself not only an exciting trip to different places around but indulge yourself on the best food that you can try only in UK. Never leave UK until you tried all their locale foods or else, you might be missing half or more of your trip.

Gone by the days when people used to think that food in the UK is bland and tasteless, try it yourself and for sure, this perception will change completely.

Best Food To Try When In The UK

There are so many varieties of food to try in the UK but just to give you a few of these appetizing food, read this article.

English Breakfast

You might have heard about their favorite meal, English breakfast as it is offered in almost all hotels and restaurants in the world. This traditional, popular meal includes, grilled tomatoes, sausage, bacon, eggs toast with marmalade, mushrooms and tea.

This breakfast will not disappoint travelers who want to get a meal that is enough to kick off their day.

Tea

Drinking a cup of tea with the people in their community, attending a sporting event such as Cricket or Football match, playing slot games in the land based casino or even UK online casinos and Casino Sister Sites, or mingling with the people can surely give you an experience you would never want to miss when in the UK. Imagine 165 million cups of tea in a day and about 6.2 billion cups of tea in a year, these figures are more than enough to make you say that tea is loved by the British community.

Salt Beef Bagel

Sure, you were never in the UK if you have not tried their popular salt beef bagel. You would never believe the long queues from stands and stalls selling this British famous food.

Welsh Tea Bread

Next on the list is the Welsh Tea Bread (Bara with Bread). This classic British tea bread must not be forgotten when in the UK. This popular bread is made of dried fruits like currants and raisins and spices. They are best served warm and in thick slices. Pair it up with butter and soft cheese, you would surely have a great feast.

Fish and Chips

Fish and chips, anyone? With more than 10,500 independent fish and chips stalls/shops, you would never find it hard giving yourself a try of this popular snack. Chips are actually not chips but french fries, and fish is most of the time either haddock or cod. Fish is battered and fried to crisp to make this popular food very delicious. Fish and chips are also perfect for healthy buffs as it is one of the healthiest snacks to try in the UK.

Haggis

Haggis is an old time Scottish famous sausage made of sheep’s organ, onion, suet, oatmeal and seasoning. At first, you may think it is weird but once you taste it, you would definitely ask for more servings. Thinking of trying exotic food in the UK? This might be a good option.

Beer

Of course, beer is too popular in the UK and forgetting to try it is impossible. If you are there, visiting one of the pubs to order a mug of beer is close to mandatory. Actually going to a pub is a way to seal your holiday night with a bang.

With too many food options, for sure, your holiday in the UK would be a feast to remember!

Hair loss treatments: 3 of the most common myths busted

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If you’re a seasoned traveller, it won’t have escaped your attention that hair loss is an issue that lots of people face across the world. Given that it affects so many of us, it’s not surprising that there’s an array of treatments available. However, some are much more effective than others – and some are completely worthless. If you want fuller locks, it’s important to separate fact from fiction. To help you, here are three common hair loss treatment myths you should know about.

1) All treatments are old wives’ tales

From standing on their head to rubbing onion juice into their scalps, some people are prepared to try anything to encourage their tresses to grow. Given the unproven nature of many of these so-called treatments, you might be suspicious about anything purporting to encourage hair regrowth. It’s important to realise though that there’s a big difference between these unscientific approaches and the highly tailored medicines now available that are backed up by detailed research.

One organisation that’s well aware of this is Online Doctor LloydsPharmacy, which recently reported a 24 per cent increase in sales of hair loss treatments this year.  Along with a number of other pharmacies, it provides the prescription medicine finasteride. Better known under the brand name Propecia, this comes in tablet form and it can help to treat male-pattern baldness. It works by decreasing the effect of a hormone called dihydrotestosterone, which can cause hair follicles to shrink, weaken and eventually die. Studies have shown that 90 per cent of the men who use it see positive results, while around two in three experience renewed hair growth.

Minoxidil is another treatment with a proven track record. Available as a lotion that you rub directly into your scalp, it can be used to tackle male-pattern and female-pattern baldness. Although it’s not known exactly how it works, research has shown it slows hair loss in approximately half of those who use it and just over one in 10 see hair regrowth.

These treatments aren’t miracle cures, but they can be effective if used correctly and on an ongoing basis.

2) Washing in cold water helps you keep your locks

The old adage ‘no pain, no gain’ might have merit when it comes to trying to get fit, but it doesn’t always work so well if you’re attempting to tackle hair loss. It has long been suggested that washing hair in cold water can minimise hair loss, helping to give people thicker tresses. The theory behind this is that the low temperature somehow encourages circulation and therefore boosts hair growth.

In reality, there’s no evidence that dunking your head under cold water has any positive impact on your locks, so unless your boiler’s packed in, there’s no reason to brace yourself for a chilly start to the morning.

3) Massaging the scalp enhances hair health

Massaging or brushing your scalp can feel nice, and some people think it has the potential to boost hair growth. Similar to the cold shower theory, this is based on the idea that it enhances circulation and therefore improves the health of hair follicles. Unfortunately though, while it might have a soothing effect on you, science doesn’t back up the suggestion that massaging your scalp will slow or reverse hair loss. In fact, if you start brushing your hair excessively, there’s a risk you’ll damage and break it, leading to the appearance of thinner tresses.

If you’d like to find out more about the effective hair loss treatments now available, you can speak to your doctor or a pharmacist.

London Vs Paris: Which capital city is the king for shopping?

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When you think of fashion and shopping, there are a few cities which usually come to mind, the first of which is probably the likes of New York and Milan, but most will probably discuss Paris and London. These two European destinations have been powerhouses in the world of fashion for many years. From the classic French looks of the 50s, the cultural explosion of the swinging sixtes and right up to the modern day, these two cities have been at the forefront of shopping and fashion for many years.

The remains then, which is the best place to go clothes shopping, Paris or London, let’s take a look.

Choice

Given that London is the bigger city, it could be argued that there is more choice across the board than in Paris. Paris has become famous for its high end chic rather than covering all areas of the fashion spectrum and it is for these reasons why London offers the best all round choice. Whether you are looking at raiding Selfridges for its Louis Vuitton or hitting H and M for the latest looks, London has all areas covered better than their French counterpart.

High End

London is not short of high end shops, you only need to stroll through Knightsbridge, Park Lane or Chelsea to see that. Whilst London may have some high end flagship stores however, it is Paris which offers the most to the high end shopper. Paris has more boutiques than anywhere in the world, plus specialist tailors and independent traders who only deal in the finest quality products.

Market Bargains

Fashion is not all about the latest catwalk clothing and many fashion pieces are best searched for in a grungy and vibrant market. Paris has its markets but nothing like those of Camden and Carnaby Street. If you are looking at digging through a market for your fashion pieces, London is the place to do so.

Highest Price

Because of the way that the sterling is right now, you could very well be paying a higher price for the same item in London rather than Paris. Indeed, you can often see the price tags in Euros and Pounds, with the Euro price almost always being lower than that of the Sterling. If you are looking to save a bit on your shopping, Paris is the best choice.

Proximity

Paris wins in terms of proximity of its shops and you will find London’s fashion areas to be far more spread out. If you have a weekend planned to do some shopping, Paris is definitely going to be your best bet.

Conclusion

The truth is, it is very close in terms of which city is the best to shop in and whilst we do have a winner, it is not by very much at all. Paris seems to be the best place for close shops, high end fashion and better prices, whereas London can offer more for everyone in terms of the shops available. The winner is Paris, but you most definitely won’t be disappointed if you do go to London. If you still prefer to go shopping in the USA, we recommend you to visit this shopping center in California. It’s by far our favorite shopping center in the USA.