Daily Post

In Memoriam ; Peter Elson Keeps Firmly On the Level with a Walking Tour of Liverpool's Titanic Sites to Celebrate the British Titanic Society's First Official Visit Next Month

MANY youngsters' first brush with the tragic legend of the Titanic are probably similar to that of David Hill. "I saw a picture of an astonishing scene in a book of my father's. A huge ship was spectacularly up-ended, her stern high in the air," he recalls.

A Best Seller

MEATBALLS have been our best seller at the Olive Press since day one, it is a wonderful dish with a little smoked bacon and tomato sauce. However for today's recipe I thought I would create a more oriental version. These would be wonderful served with some stir-fried noodles or even dropped in a broth full of lemon grass, spring onion, Chinese mushrooms, or anything oriental for that matter. They do not take long to make especially if you have a food processor.

Freshen Up Your Taste Buds for Spring

IN THE dull tail end of winter, what we need is a bit of colour and spice to remind us that spring is now almost in our grasp. There is only so much we can take of hearty winter fayre. It may warm the cockles and have abundant comfort value, but what it has in warmth it lacks in vibrancy and zing. Below are two recipes intended to dazzle with both taste and colour, perfect for shaking of the winter blues.

Take Five . . . Turkey Joints

Tesco turkey breast joint, pounds 6, or pounds 9.98 for two, 600g Butter basted with pork sage and onion stuffing, it was juicy and delicious.

The Essentials

IT SEEMS brains are something you're born with, after all. New research shows that the bigger the baby is when it's born, the brainier it is likely to be. Four thousand people were given cognitive tests at ages eight, 11,15, 26 and 43. The results show that bigger babies tend to do better at school and are cleverer in adulthood than their smaller peers.

Hot

PETER KAY appearing in Doctor Who. He's already just about the most popular comedian on the planet, now he's set to conquer outer space. WATERLOO Road. The BBC's new teacher drama is gritty and the performances are spot-on.

Not

Did you know? IN MANY shops, you can buy milk for less than you can buy water?

Questions ; Will Jameson, 26, Is Originally From Bristol and Now Lives in Liverpool City Centre

What is your Philosophy of life: Stay positive, plan ahead but be ready to go with the flow. Idea of happiness: Being somewhere tropical miles away from the UK, with no mobile and no internet - just family and friends.

Hotel Mirrors the Days of the Great Liners

THE inaugural Liverpool visit of the British Titanic Society's annual convention will take place at the Britannia Adelphi Hotel, Ranelagh Place, Liverpool, next month with accommodation for the 150 delegates. On Friday evening, April 21, there will be a public auction of Titanic memorabilia and related souvenirs, admission by catalogue' on Saturday there will be a public open day with sales stalls. Built from 1911-14, the Adelphi is an exact contemporary of Titanic. The property was specifica...

At the Bar ... ; National Pub/Bar Writer of the Year

ONCE, if you'd said that a delegation of top food and drink writers was coming to Liverpool to sample the city's culinary delights, the average outsider - and, if we were honest with ourselves, Scousers too - would have guffawed as long and loud as Charles Penrose in his rendition of The Laughing Policeman. It's a different story today with Liverpool's pubs and restaurants coming up on the outside as long-odds favourites to win in the Image Handicap Stakes.

Live Like a Star On a City Break ; Sam Lister Enjoys a Luxury Weekend in a Discreet Boutique Hotel in London

IT BOASTS the ultimate fashionable London address, is footsteps away from the most glamorous and exclusive shops and is the regular home-from-home of a host of A-list stars. But Durley House is not, I was told, a place where paparazzi hang around waiting to snap celebrities in various states of dishevelment.

Deal of the Week

WITH bookings for package holidays in Summer 2006 down by 20%, Turkey is set to offer spectacular value for visitors who refuse to be deterred by alarm over the bird flu epidemic. Thomson is cutting its Turkey programme by 20%, and Thomas Cook putting its programme "under review", major operators are switching planes to Spain's mainland and islands on the assumption that travellers see western Europe as a safer bet.

On Country Matter ...

I SHOULD have been searching out my first wheatear of the spring, but as a bitter wind tore across the snow, bumping into a polar bear seemed more likely than finding a summer migrant. The snowfall on Saturday night had blanketed the marsh, so it wasn't surprising that I saw two redwings, rather than wheatears, foraging along the Coastal Road north of Southport.

What's It

Q. THIS vase is 31cm tall and is made from fine English bone China. It has tw o14ct gold rings and the pheasant is painted by MJ Pledger. On the base of the vase is written "The ring-necked pheasant vase by Maurice J Pledger, made exclusively for the Danbury Mint in Stoke-on-Trent, Royal Grafton Fine English Bone China Established 1876. I still have the original box that it came in and the date stamp is 16/01/1984. Could you tell me more about this? P Woods, Anfield

A Capital Career ; a New Book Details How Albert Pierrepoint Fulfilled a Childhood Dream by Becoming the Official Executioner. Laura Davis Reports

MOST little boys, when asked what they want to be when they grow up, reply with jobs like fireman or racing driver. When 11-year-old Albert Pierrepoint's teacher told him to write down his desired profession, he earnestly provided a more unusual answer - "When I leave school, I should like to be the Official Executioner ..."

Mother's Day Gifts Everyone Can Afford

DO YOU have a green-fingered mum who can't wait to be pottering around in the garden in spring? If so, there are hundreds of gardening gifts for Mother's Day on March 26 for every budget, from beautiful plants to tools and patio trinkets.

Plant of the Week ... Madagascar Jasmine (Stephanotis)

Six of the Best

Hightown, pounds 349,995 LOCATED in a highly sought after area, this executive detached property has a walled garden, double driveway and an integral garage to the front and delightful landscaped gardens to the rear with a brick paved patio area.

New Homes: Butts Green, Warrington

BUTTS Green is a prestigious development of 149 homes from Bellway Homes. The site has recently been awarded the Building for Life, Silver Standard award in recognition of its commitment to the specific design brief set out by English Partnerships and to the government's agenda for high density houses and sustainability initiatives.

New Homes: Balmoral Gardens, Halewood

THERE are currently some tantalising offers at Barratt Homes' Balmoral Gardens development in Halewood. Up to pounds 56,000 has been knocked off luxurious two bedroom apartments and a spacious five bedroom detached property.