My Veganuary: Oat Lattes, Discipline and Harrods (2023 Update!)

Posted on by Chris Carra

UPDATE: I first wrote this article in 2019 after finishing my first ever Veganuary. Now, it’s 2023 and I have been vegan for more than four years, so I have updated the article a little. I have also added a new section at the bottom to reflect. Enjoy!

Happy New Yea… hang on, I’m a few weeks late.

If you are slow to the party, for the first three weeks of 2019, I have been living as a vegan, after committing to participate in Veganuary. I wrote a short post about it back in December.

In this follow-up post, I am going to summarize my experiences with Veganuary – the good and the bad – as I approach my final week. Here goes.

Trying to Adapt to Veganism

Before the month began, I didn’t look up the ins and outs of Veganuary.

There is an organization / charity / something that spearheads the movement, and I’m sure they had their own rules, but I didn’t sign up to do it officially. The thought of another unread email sitting in my inbox was enough to put me off.

No, I went about things my own way.

One of the many vegan dishes I made. This was the Mexican bean, tofu, quinoa dish I mention below.

I decided I would not be eating meat (…obviously), fish, eggs, cheese, milk or honey, or any products containing those items. No milk chocolate, no brioche buns, no flatbreads and so on.

And I am pleased to say that I have succeeded. I have eaten a purely plant-based diet for the last three weeks.

Completely free of animal products? Well…

As I mentioned in my initial post, I take a daily grapeseed extract tablet as a natural assistance to slightly high blood pressure (family history) – the shell of that is made with gelatin. Of course that isn’t vegan, although I wasn’t going to stop taking it for the month.

I have also been a little flexible with alcoholic drinks. Not that I have drunk much alcohol in January, yet I turned a blind eye to a few beers which may or may not have contained isinglass (a fish by-product used in the beer refining process).

So I potentially drank some dried fish bladder, but I’m not going to beat myself up about it.

Enough About Restriction… What DID You Eat?

As many people know, even before Veganuary, I wasn’t a big meat eater – maybe a burger once every few weeks or some fish if I ate out. Oh yeah, and my dad’s Bolognese sauce. But it wasn’t like it hit January 1st and I suddenly had to replace ALL my meals with meat-free alternatives.

Chickpea salsa and vegan feta on my jacket potato at Bluebell, Tycoch.

Aside from not eating much meat, I was already eating many vegan dishes. For example, three-bean chilli, bean stews, a LOT of oats, and that kind of thing. My regular protein powder is vegan too (I prefer the taste).

But to this list I added some new recipes. One was a high-protein Mexican dish made with tofu, quinoa and beans (as pictured at the top of this page).

The other was a warming paprika-spiced bean, courgette and vegan sausage casserole, which was a particular favourite. I also made a one-pot cajun bean and rice… thing. Nice.

The main meal I found tricky was lunch.

The dishes I mention above were usually reserved for evening meals, and a few times I found myself lost at lunchtime. My pre-Veganuary staple was egg and avocado with toast, but that was obviously off the cards.

So I did what any freelance writer would do – worked from cafes and let somebody else make lunch for me.

What About Eating Out During Veganuary?

It’s fair to say that, in Swansea, we are not spoiled for choice when it comes to decent vegan places. Greasy spoon cafes, sure. Vegan restaurants? Not really.

However, there are some decent vegan-friendly places in Swansea, if you know where to look.

The Big Vegan from Crumbs, Uplands – I had this a few times!

In no particular order, I found that the best places for me – which offered a decent choice – were Crumbs Kitchen (Uplands), Bluebell (Tycoch), 1825 Coffee Shop (Dylan Thomas Center), and Arthur Neave (Walter Road).

(2023 update: Sadly the latter two cafes no longer exist, although places like No. 18 is a great vegan place).

Others that I dined in at least once and had a good vegan selection include the Croeso Lounge and Boo’s Kitchen, both in Mumbles. While the food was good, these two in particular were pretty expensive for what you were actually served.

I am a quantity over quality guy…

A Veganuary Trip to London

‘Bollocks,’ I said to myself, ‘I forgot I was going to London.’

I realised that, on the second weekend of Veganuary, I would indeed be staying in London for three nights.

Vegan fish and chips! Basically battered lemon tofu… and chips (which are vegan anyway)

Thankfully London is a hip, happening city (hipper and more happening than Swansea at least) and there was plenty of vegan fare to keep me full.

On the first night I was treated to a home-cooked vegan meal, which I was originally scared wouldn’t fill me up (people tend to underestimate how much I eat). Yet it was delicious and very filling. A cauliflower curry of sorts…

Me enjoying my burger and beer with friends in the upmarket Islington restaurant.

The next night we visited a suave new all-vegan restaurant that had newly opened up around the corner (I was staying in upmarket Islington). I can’t remember the name, but this was a winner. I had a plant-based burger which came with kale crisps. It was not very photogenic for the slightly-steep £15 price tag (which explains the absence of a photo), but it tasted nice at least.

We also visited The Coach and Horses in Soho, which claims to be London’s first vegetarian pub. Upstairs sat a hidden tea-room, which served a good selection of vegan food (as well as veggie dishes). This is where I had the good old tofish and chips, as pictured above.

Tough Times and Potential Slip-ups

Oh Harrods, you tempting bastard…

Things weren’t always easy in Veganuary – there were a couple of tough times.

And, when I say ‘tough times’, this is in relation to my usual day-to-day life. I’m not comparing my frustration over not being able to find an oat latte to, say, living in a war-torn country or something equally distressing. Just low points for me during the month.

The first came in London.

After visiting the Churchill War Rooms in the morning, it dawned on me that is was 1pm and I was starving. Now, when I’m hungry I get angry (traditional ‘hangry’ behaviour) and it became an immediate rush to feed Chris before he said or did something he’d regret.

We marched down Birdcage Walk towards Buckingham Palace, where I knew restaurants and cafes were located. Irritatingly, none of them seemed to offer vegan options, apart from one, but it was around £20 for a bowl of pasta.

Not happening.

I eventually found some hipster place just down the road serving plenty of reasonably-priced (for London…) vegan food. Disaster averted… just.

However, that spell was the first time all month where I was a bit pissed off that I was doing Veganuary. I was that close to just caving and eating a cheese pizza. But no – if I commit to something, I commit to it.

About an hour later I was having second-thoughts again though. We had popped into Harrods – I love browsing the food hall there. To my delight, they were offering a range of free samples. Cheese… no! Meat… no! Dammit, none were vegan. I love food and I really love free food.

Lovely vegetarian (but annoyingly not vegan) tasters in Harrods…

I eventually stumbled across some little balls of nut-coated Vegetarian Indian somethings… I picked one up, then asked the assistant ‘these are vegan too… right?’

She checked a pad of paper… ‘Sorry, no – there’s a little bit of milk in the mixture.’

I hurled the little ball of food across the room and headbutted the glass counter until the police arrived and escor… No I just put it back, thanked her and cursed Veganuary once again.

The Conclusion

Despite a handful of frustrating moments, Veganuary has been pretty simple. It’s not over yet, but I doubt there will be many problems in my final week.

Before I conclude, I can’t say it’s had a dramatic impact on my health. But remember that I was eating vegan around 75% of the time before anyway. My energy levels are the same and I’ve made good GAINZ in the gym. No problems here.

Will I continue being a vegan? Yes and no.

Firstly, meat. I have no great desire to eat it. Of course, there will be a time where I do – whether I end up in at a social event where they didn’t cater for vegans, or attend a BBQ, or somebody gives me a free burger.

However, I will not be rushing to the butcher on February 1 for one of everything. It’s not really something I am craving and the health, environmental and ethical benefits of not eating meat outweigh it.

I will also definitely be cutting down on eggs and products containing eggs. Reading about the egg industry angered me (I won’t go into detail here, but it’s pretty horrific) and it has made me reconsider the several eggs I ate every day before Veganuary. Again, I may have one now and again, but it’s not something I am craving.

An oat cappuccino. Well worth a try.

Milk-wise, I have really enjoyed drinking oat lattes and putting oat milk in my coffee. It tastes much nicer than regular milk. It’s much creamier! If I end up in a scenario where there is no oat or soy milk, then yes – I’ll have a splash of cow’s milk in my coffee, otherwise I am happy to keep drinking vegan.

What this all boils down to is that I will be incorporating more of the vegan lifestyle into my already relatively vegan lifestyle – just with a little flexibility (in case the Harrods scenario presents itself again).

Part-time vegan? Yeah, let’s go with that.

Veganuary Reflections: 2023 Update!

I can’t believe I first wrote this article in 2019! It was great to take a nostalgic look back at a time of transition.

I can’t believe that I ended it saying I would be a part-time vegan. That didn’t happen!

Instead, I became fully vegan and remain plant-based over four years later. I started reading more about veganism and realized that it aligned with my ethics more than eating animal products. The health negatives of eating meat and dairy were also on my mind.

Then, as the months went by, more vegan alternatives seemed to be released and veganism became even easier.

So I stuck with it.

I have still had my frustrations and slip-ups over the last four years. For example, eating out in non-vegan places is always irritating when the establishment only has one vegan choice. Often something uninspired like bean burger or stuffed beetroot. 🙄

I still haven’t eaten meat and I don’t plan to. However, I have sometimes eaten a product that contains milk or eggs, due to being a little lax with my label reading. As I said in the original post, I am not going to beat myself up about it.

As for health, I am still making good gains in the gym (I deadlifted 200kg in 2022) and participating in competitions like Turf Games. I feel strong and athletic, and veganism is certainly no hindrance to my goals.

On the subject of health, one thing I mentioned in the original article was that I was taking a grapeseed extract tablet for my high blood pressure. I no longer take this as my blood pressure is considerably lower thanks to following a vegan diet for the last four years!

Yep, there are health benefits of doing Veganuary as well just ethical peace of mind.

As for Harrod’s, I am heading to London in July 2023, so I will write another update on whether Harrod’s offers vegan chocolates, treats and drinks. Stay tuned for that.

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

In the meantime, if you did enjoy, you may enjoy content from my other website, Planet Health. For example, in a recent post I discuss bird shit in brandy, bull’s penis, and an array of other unusual hangover cures from around the world!

Let’s Start Veganuary!

Posted on by Chris Carra

This January I have decided to give ‘Veganuary‘ a go. Usually I snub any themed months (things like Movember, Dryathlon, etc), but I find veganism resonates with me very strongly.

I am passionate about animal welfare, the environment and my health – so it made sense to give Veganuary a go! It’s only for 31 days, so it’s not going to change my life, but I am looking forward to it.

For those who aren’t aware, ‘Veganuary’ means going vegan for the month of January.

For those who aren’t aware, ‘vegan’ means eating no animal products – no meat (obviously), no dairy, no eggs, no butter, no cheese, no honey (bees produce honey of course…), and so on.

Why, You Crazy Bastard… Why?

This is the question I get asked quite a bit.

However, I’ve read and watched a lot about the vegan diet and I know how healthy it is. It’s not a fad diet, it’s simply about eating no animal products.

‘But where will you get your protein from!?’ Beans, nuts, quinoa, soy, hemp, fruit, vegetables, protein powder… Honestly, if a gorilla is naturally ripped just eating leaves, I’ll probably be alright. (I won’t be eating any leaves however).

The vegan diet is naturally low in saturated fat, better for your digestive system, full of nutrients (providing you aren’t just living off chips), and comes with the added bonus of not having to distress animals. Not sure about you, but this is important to me.

I won’t go into details, as there are loads of websites with info on veganism, but when you see some videos of what actually goes on in the meat and dairy industries, it disturbs you. It disturbed me anyway.

Will It Be Difficult?

Possibly. There are a few things I may find a bit tricky (more on these in a sec). However, to this point, I have actually already been eating vegan around 70-80% of the time – I just find it fits my lifestyle quite well. Of course, then I’ll go and have a burger and a cappuccino, which will ruin in.

So to do a month won’t really be too difficult, considering the majority of my diet is already very plant-based.

Things I will miss include eggs – I tend to eat a lot of scrambled eggs. I will also have to replace the splash of milk I put in my coffee, while I’ll have to shun real cappuccino as well (soy cappuccino doesn’t sound that great).

I am also going to London for a few days to visit friends in the middle of the month. However I know London has more vegan-friendly places than Swansea, so it shouldn’t be too tricky to find somewhere to eat.

How Seriously Are You Taking It?

For the month, I will be very serious indeed. I have bought all the vegan protein powders and bars I will supplement with, and have also stocked up on everything from fruit, veg and grains to tofu, vegan sausage and BEANS. A lot of beans.

However, I am aware that my current grape seed extract and garlic tablets feature gelatin capsules. I have slightly high blood pressure (family history of heart conditions), and I am not going to stop taking these effective supplements for the month. However, everything else will be plant-based.

Unless you are a militant vegan, you can probably understand this decision.

Are You Giving Anything Else Up?

Nope. I’ll still be drinking alcohol as often as I usually do (which actually isn’t that often these days). I’ll also be working out as I usually do – there are loads of vegan athletes, so there’ll be no issues with energy or muscle growth.

And That’s It… For Now

I’ll be back during the month to update (unless I die of malnutrition on January 2nd – it probably won’t happen)!

Wish me luck (I won’t need it) and keep up to date with me on Twitter or Instagram.

An Inside Look at My New Book

Posted on by Chris Carra

Within the next few weeks, my latest book – Swansea City Match of My Life – will be released.

What better time than now to share a few facts about it?

Here goes…

It’s called Match of My Life. Let’s start with the obvious one! I didn’t come up with the title as it is part of Pitch Publishing’s popular Match of My Life series. The book features 16 chapters and each chapter is based on an exclusive interview with a Swansea City player past or present, where they discuss their favourite game in a Swans shirt. You get a behind the scenes look at some of the club’s most important games – the friendships, the tears, the fights, the goals and the glory – as told by the men who created these moments.

It took nine months to write. A lot of that was spent tracking down the players, arranging interviews, making follow-up calls (a few follow-up meetings too), transcribing interviews, and – of course – writing the book itself. Of course, this was all done in between my day-to-day freelance writing jobs.

It was completed in February 2018. This was before Swansea were relegated from the Premier League, meaning a few chapters still have reference to the Swans currently being in the top flight. There was no reason to amend these sections as it reflects what the players felt at the time, so I have left them in. Who knows, maybe the Swans will be back there in a few seasons!

In total I interviewed 16 players. In the order that I interviewed them, the players who contributed their stories to the book were: Mel Nurse, Leighton James, Alan Curtis, Wyndham Evans, Roger Freestone, Alan Tate, Vic Gomersall, John Toshack, Matthew Bound, James Thomas, Dai Gwyther, Michael Howard, Lee Trundle, John Cornforth, Leon Britton and Nathan Dyer.

They were all great guys. I couldn’t pick a favourite player as they were all top class in their own way, taking time out of their busy lives to speak with me and share their stories.

The forward was written by John Hartson. What a legend and a big Swans fan. John was a lovely guy to speak with and he contributed some Swans stories of his own to the book, which just enhance an already great read (if I say so myself…)!

The book will be available everywhere. As with my previous two, Match of My Life will be available online as well as in store in Waterstones, HMV, WHSmiths, independent bookstores and the rest. It should also be available in the Swansea City club shops. Pitch Publishing are great when it comes to getting it seen, so you should have no trouble finding a copy.

The stories are awesome. Such as Mel Nurse recalling the build-up to his debut match in 1956; John Toshack’s 1981 squad selection headache; Wyndham Evans tackling his childhood hero; Leon Britton sharing his tales of the South Wales derby; and John Cornforth remembering the moment he was left in his pants at Membury services.

But you will have to wait until the end of the month to read them all!

Remember, you can still pre-order Swansea City Match of My Life. Details of book signings will be released shortly.

 

A Day in the Life of a Freelance Writer

Posted on by Chris Carra

Anyone can call themselves a freelance writer – just like I can call myself a freelance heart surgeon.

Thing is, I don’t get any work as a heart surgeon. As a freelance writer though, I can barely keep up.

A lot of people ask me ‘What do you actually do?’. It’s hard to say in a succinct sentence, so – for those curious about what I typically do as a freelance writer – here’s a quick breakdown of an average weekday for me.

6.30am

I tend to wake up pretty early these days as I’m most productive in the morning. I try to avoid my phone for as long as possible, although will eventually turn it on and check emails soon enough. Around 7am I have breakfast, or a light snack if I am going to the gym.

By now I will have turned the computer on and will start replying to emails and prepping whatever writing work I’m doing that day.

7.30am

On most Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday mornings I tend to go to the gym to do weight training. If not I will start work at 8am.

9.30am 

If I went to the gym I’ll be back by now and will be ready for my main bulk of work. At this time I’ll usually head to one of my favourite cafes, pop my headphones in and get to it. There’s no typical work day, as my projects differ from week to week.

The bulk of my work today is writing text for the website of a new leisure complex opening in Russia (obviously in English – my Russian is shit). However, before I head out, I have a quick Skype chat with the client who updates me on new changes to the website that I need to consider.

10am

At the cafe I’ll spend a few hours working on this project, although my publisher has unexpectedly sent me the proof of my new book. It’s been edited, proofed and formatted and it’s great to see it all take shape with photos and design.

However, there are a few issues with the photos I requested. This means I have to break from my writing work to look for new photos from a different agency, then forward the reference numbers so they can be added to the book. There are some issues with a few areas of text in the book too, but I don’t have time to go through the entire thing, so add it to the to–do list for later in the week.

12pm

In addition to the website writing, a different client has just emailed me an urgent page of text they need me to look over. It only takes 15 minutes to read and tweak, and I send it back to them.

12.30pm

I usually have lunch in the cafe I spent the morning in. I try not to do this every day as it ends up being a costly way of eating! If not, I return home and make something simple (scrambled egg, smashed avocado and sourdough toast from Kristy’s Bakery is my usual!).

I’ll try not to work while eating, although if I’m really busy I will eat at my desk.

1pm

I find I am the least productive in the early afternoon. So, if I need to go shopping for food, meet a friend for coffee, or sort non-work-related stuff out, this is the time I’ll do it.

Today I am trying to fix my desk chair which has been wobbly for some time. I use glue instead of nails and immediately regret it.

2pm

I am back working, spending another few hours on the Russian leisure complex writing, which has taken up a lot of time.

However, I also spend around 45 minutes preparing a press release for an American software company. I do a lot of work for them and if they need something urgently, I’ll try to prioritise it. I’ll edit this later and send it to them for approval.

4pm

I’ve spent most of the day writing that website and fatigue is setting in. So I call it a day on that project, ready to pick it up tomorrow where I can finish it off.

I now move onto writing a blog post for this website (which is more of a hobby than actual work) as well as replying to some emails. Perhaps I may send a quick book pitch to a publisher. I have no new books planned at the moment, so like to test the water to see if the interest is there (July 2018 update: I am now working on my fourth book for major British publisher Haynes – more details to follow).

6pm

I am usually fed up of staring at a screen by now and, if it’s a Wednesday or a Friday, I head to Titan Conditioning in Swansea University. That’s one of the reasons I love exercise, because it’s one thing I don’t have to do on a computer…

7.30pm

I return home, shower and eat. I need to reply to some emails that have collected over the last hour. These are mainly from people I work with in America (as this is early afternoon for them).

8pm

My evening relaxation is usually either watching a few episodes of something lighthearted on NetFlix or DVD (Bob’s Burgers, King of the Hill, American Dad, etc). I only ever watch comedies – I can’t be bothered with depressing dramas or reality TV.

A couple of days a week, I will play Battlefield (1 or 4) online with friends on the PS4. I try to keep this to an hour or two as I have been staring at a screen for long enough in the day. If the mood takes me I’ll also have a can of craft beer, although I don’t drink much during the week.

10pm

I’m knackered. I’ll usually check my phone to see if there’s anything urgent from clients (I hope not, because I don’t want to turn my laptop on at this time). It can usually wait until the morning anyway. I usually drift off to sleep by around 10.30pm.

—

Of course, sometimes I will have a ridiculously busy day where I don’t go to the gym or cafes. On these days I just sit at home in front of the screen from 8am to 8pm and barely move. But then, sometimes I have a quieter few days, where work isn’t flying in. Perhaps on these days I will wake up a little later, go shopping, or meet someone for lunch.

Working for yourself as a freelance writer gives you great freedom, but just as much insecurity and headaches. But I wouldn’t change it!

Hopefully this has given you some idea of what I do on a day-to-day basis. If not, go back and read it again.

 

My Guitars

Posted on by Chris Carra

For those who don’t know, I have played guitar for around 17 years. I’m no Eric Johnson, but I’m not bad. ‘Decent’ – that’s the word!

As a teenager, playing guitar was my main activity, alongside being moody and awkwardly trying to speak with women. In fact, I used to play in a punk rock band (we played a couple of Battle of the Bands-style gigs, had some ‘artistic differences’, then broke up, naturally).

While I don’t play as intensely these days, I still have ten minutes most days and always get a buzz when I walk past a new guitar shop. I’ve also developed a bad habit of buying guitars I don’t need, then selling them at a loss a few weeks later. Shrewd.

Over the last few years, I have streamlined my collection down to a respectable four guitars. This is likely to change the moment I press ‘publish’ as I’m always on the lookout for something else. But, for now, let’s take a look at my current collection.

Martin Dx1RAE (Steel-String Acoustic)

We begin with my most recent acquisition, purchased second-hand in March 2018. This steel-string acoustic is an excellent affordable model from the iconic American brand, Martin. Similar to Fender and Gibson in the electric guitar market, Martin proves the pinnacle of the acoustic guitar world (along with Taylor).

I’m really glad I went for it. I had sold a pristine Taylor Mini and a beat-up old Art and Lutherie dreadnought to make room (and free up some cash) for it, and now it’s my only steel-string.

I found it on Gumtree for around £375, which is great considering the RRP is still £650ish. When I went to Cardiff to collect it, the guitar was in a tired condition. While there were no scuffs or scratches on the body, the neck was green with a kind of mould (it had been in a student house after all), the strings were disgusting and the action was way too high. So I took it home, cleaned and conditioned the fretboard, sanded the nut to lower the action, then added some Elixir strings. Now it’s perfect. Apart from a tiny ding on the side, it looks and plays like a brand new guitar.

Most interestingly, for a mid-range guitar like this, it’s actually made using very little real wood. While the top is solid spruce, the back and sides are made from a High Pressure Laminate. This is essentially a hardboard with a photo of rosewood printed onto the body. It sounds ridiculous, but works very well and is becoming a popular thing for the guys at Martin, who keep their costs down and tick some environmentally-friendly boxes.

Martin also uses a birch laminate for the neck instead of a solid piece of wood. For me, this makes no difference to playability or stability, and it actually gives the guitar a unique look. Finally, the fretboard is made of Richlite instead of ebony. Richlite is another eco-friendly paper-based material Martin uses and, again, doesn’t detract from the playability or the overall rich, warm and resonant tone this guitar offers.

Kramer Assault 220 Plus (Electric)

I bought this one in early 2017 and it remains my favourite guitar. It was in the window of Cranes Music in Swansea for ages. Every time I walked past, I lingered to look at it – especially as it was on offer for around £350.

However, a few weeks later, when I genuinely considered splashing the cash, it had gone up to around £450! I was gutted. The price didn’t drop again and I decided I wasn’t going to buy it until it did.

However, I couldn’t let it go. Something about it just called out to me. So I asked the manager if he could do a deal and take it back down to the £350ish it was at in the January sales. After a little time he decided that he could do it for around £370. I snapped it up!

This guitar is fantastic. Not only does it look incredible with that neon green-coated Les Paul-shaped mahogany body, but it plays like a dream, especially with the typically Fender-esque 25.5″ scale length. The neck is mahogany and satin-finished, which I love – a much nicer hand-feel than gloss. All frets are easily accessible and the strings bend with ease.

The tone is also a big step up from my earlier Ibanez RG450dx – it’s powerful and aggressive thanks to the duo of Seymour Duncans (an Alternative 8 at the bridge and a 59 Classic at the neck). It does feature coil-splitting and various tone controls, but I am one of those players who keeps it on the bridge pickup, tone all the way up, volume all the way up! Not one for subtle tones then.

Hudson ProjectBass (Bass)

I don’t play bass. But I do mess around on bass. Essentially I have a small repertoire of basslines I know and love (Beer, Roots Radicals, the Frasier theme song…), and will pick it up and have a noodle around when I have five minutes.

I bought it just after Christmas 2017, again from Cranes Music in Swansea. Now, I am fully aware that Hudson isn’t a brand to get too excited about. They make basic, affordable guitars. But that’s exactly what I wanted with this bass. The fact that it looks pretty cool and plays very nicely helps! I don’t actually have a bass amp, so I just play acoustically. Still, that works for me to satisfy my bass needs.

Hudson HI-CL (Classical)

This is another affordable guitar also bought in Cranes, a few years back. This time it’s a nylon-stringed classical model for my classical/fingerstyle playing.

It was under £100, is made entirely of laminates, and is pretty basic. However, the fretboard is nice and wide, the playability is excellent, it’s bound on the top and back, and the tone is very acceptable. I’m no maestro when it comes to classical guitars, but this feels much more than a basic starter instrument. A keeper!

Check back, as I will update this page when I end up buying another!

My Coffee Haunts

Posted on by Chris Carra

I love coffee, even though these days I tend to drink more decaf than the actual good stuff. I even had a… tea the other day (gasp).

And, as a freelance writer, I’d rather work from cafes than go stir crazy (or stir crazier) at home.

In fact, much of my working day is spent hopping from cafe to cafe, using free Wifi, drinking coffee and sneakily eating a bar of chocolate I’ve snuck in…

In Swansea we have some brilliant cafes, but not all of them are great to work in. Some make you feel like you have to drink and go (useless for somebody who likes to linger like me). Some want you to order coffee after coffee after coffee (again, I can only handle a few). Some are packed with kids (and for working it’s pointless when you are surrounded by children).

So, I wanted to give a shout out to a handful of cafes I regularly visit – some more often than others – to do work.

1825 Coffee Shop (Marina)

This one isn’t that well known, although it certainly has its regulars (me being one of them!). Tucked away inside the Dylan Thomas Centre, this small coffee shop serves good coffee in a peaceful atmosphere. The Wifi is strong, there’s ample places for me to plug in my laptop and the staff are friendly, although I know most of them personally, so I always feel I get good service!

The food is also great, so a quick and healthy lunch there is usually on the cards at least once a week. Well worth a visit, especially as you can pair it with a wander around the Dylan Thomas Museum, which is housed in the same building.

Brewstone (Uplands)

Aside from 1825, Brewstone is probably where I’ve spent the most time cafe-wise. It’s very trendy (way too trendy for the likes of me), comfortable (although it does get uncomfortably warm at times – probably thanks to the huge pizza oven in the middle), you can linger as long as you like, the coffee is good, and the staff are friendly.

Many of them know what I want before I ask, which is handy! It’s also a nice place to have a beer in the afternoon, if coffee gets too boring.

Brynmill Coffee House (Brynmill)

This little coffee house sits between the two parks and proves a great place to have a few coffees and do a little work. The staff in particular are very friendly and the homemade cakes are a nice treat. While the atmosphere can be very peaceful at times, it’s a popular place for students and families with children, so it can get quite noisy.

This is why I visit it slightly less than the first two on this list, while parking also poses a bit of a problem, especially when the students are around.

Arthur Neave (Uplands)

This has been a new find for me and another great one to add to the roster. In fact, as I write this blog post, I am sat in the back room with a peppermint tea (don’t worry – coffee is on the way next). Like Brewstone, Arthur Neave is very trendy and do great coffee. The staff are also very pleasant.

In my opinion, the food is a bit more accessible than Brewstone, so it’s a good place for lunch, although not the cheapest. It’s a good evening venue too, as they serve authentic tapas and a good wine list. You could literally spend all day here.

Hoogah (Brynymor)

Hoogah isn’t a place I spent a lot of time, but it is on the Official Chris Carra Cafe Route. It’s a relatively new place (2017), with a Danish-inspired vibe. The coffee is great, the staff are nice, and the atmosphere is pretty calming too.

I visit less often due to the parking problem and the fact that I’ve had a few Wifi problems the last few times I’ve been there. Still, it’s definitely one I return to.

Bluebell (Tycoch)

This isn’t a cafe that I visit as regularly as the others, but it makes this list because I always find parking, the coffee is good, the service is great and they do my favourite lunch – a jacket potato!

Like Brynmill Coffee House, this one seems popular with mums and babies, which isn’t a favourite working atmosphere of mine. I don’t always feel I can linger as much here. Still, well worth a visit!

 

Time for a Change!

Posted on by Chris Carra

Right – cup of coffee, laptop, WordPress… Let’s do this!

It’s been a while since I’ve updated this website, which acts as both a hub to bring together some of my writing work and a severely underused blog.

Most readers will know the years of blogging work I did on ForzaSwansea – which won best Sports Blog in Wales in 2012 – and SwanseaOnAPlate, which eventually morphed into TasteSwansea magazine. These days I write for neither of them, although I am genuinely pleased they are still going without me.

Why now?

While I do my day-to-day writing work for several different companies around the world, supplemented by my occasional book-writing, it recently hit me: I have nowhere to blog about the random things I want to blog about.

Recently I’ve missed writing random reviews of places in which I’ve eaten (both the good and the bad), places in which I’ve drunk, the video games I’ve played, the guitars I’ve bought, the things that annoy me, and the general musings of a full-time freelance writer.

So I’ve decided to restart writing about all those things on this blog!

While this is technically the same blog as I’ve always had (you can still see posts from a few years ago), it’s actually a completely different website, which has been rebuilt to offer me an easier-to-control magazine-style theme. This should make it easier to categorise the things I write about.

What I’ll be writing about

As I mentioned, I miss writing about random things, so expect a blog full of different topics – from guitar and video games, to food, drink and fitness.

When I’ll be writing

Sometimes I am very busy with other work and books, but for the times I have a spare five minutes, I will be back blogging here, just for fun.

What’s the point?

Same point as anything I write – to entertain and to allow me to vent!

When I started ForzaSwansea I just wrote because I liked writing about football. It eventually led to an award and a trio of Swansea City books, but they weren’t my ultimate aim from the site.

When I started SwanseaOnAPlate I also had no final goal – I just wanted to write about places I’d eaten at in Swansea. After a few years this turned into TasteSwansea magazine, which was a great project to work on. But by the end of my time with the magazine I felt I no longer had the enthusiasm.

So now, full of renewed vigour, I am back to blogging in my spare time. Whether you read this blog every day or this is the only time you drop by, thanks for visiting!

NEW BOOK: Match of My Life

Posted on by Chris Carra

Hello!

It’s been a while, but I’ve been busy working on my latest book, which I am now pleased to announce – Swansea City: Match of My Life!

This is a fantastic collection of stories from 16 iconic Swans players, reliving their favourite games in a Swansea City shirt. There are contributions from absolute legends including Alan Curtis, Roger Freestone, Leon Britton, John Toshack, Alan Tate, Wyndham Evans, Lee Trundle, Mel Nurse, Matthew Bound, Nathan Dyer, John Cornforth and more! Includes a brilliant foreword from John Hartson.

It’s been an incredible journey and I can’t wait for everyone to read it. While my first two books were fantastic (if I say so myself…) this one is another level.

It will be available in August 2018 from all good retailers. Stay tuned for details of publication and the launch.

Cheers, Chris

Forza Swansea – End of an Era

Posted on by Chris Carra

Here’s a very, very brief post to confirm that I am no longer in charge of ForzaSwansea.com.

After six very enjoyable years, I made the decision to pass control to a new party in November 2016, after being unable to commit to updating the blog regularly. This is down to other writing projects and clients that I have to dedicate more time to. And I’d rather see the blog carry on into the future than to just die – no blog should go through that!

Thanks to everyone who has read the blog over the past six years, it was great fun to work on and wining the Best Sports Blog in Wales at the Wales Blog Awards 2012 was just fantastic. I recommend you still visit Forza Swansea, as they have some fresh new writers charting the goings on at Swansea City.

Keep checking back here for more on what I am up to!

Cheers, Chris

 

Chris on BBC Radio Wales

Posted on by Chris Carra

I was invited to speak about Swansea City on BBC Radio Wales Sport earlier this week, which was broadcast live from the freezing cold dugouts of the Liberty Stadium.

You can check out the full show, featuring Lee Trundle, Abigail Davies and myself (I feature throughout the second hour) by heading to the BBC iPlayer.