Whenever I’m working on a cafe deli branding project I always come back to this beautiful artisanal deli in Verona. I think that it says everything that you want to say to passing customers. It’s a great inspiration. I have my favourites in London too, like La Fromagerie and The Natural Kitchen in Marylebone or Lina Stores in Soho, but G Albertini in Verona, for me, sums up the essence of a great deli.

What can I say about Daylesford that hasn’t already been said? I was sat on an exercise bike in the gym recently reading Alex James’ new (rooster-on-his-head cover photo) book and even he’s a fan (I guess that has something to do with his new cheesy/foodie thing…). It certainly is close to a religious experience, not only for a foodie but also for a ‘brand-ie’.

I guess that the thing that strikes me as a ‘brand’ person is the total attention to detail. There is that basic rule of thumb that a good brand – eg one with fans who go off and tell others about it – is to deliver what you promise. And whether it’s the products, or the interiors, or the packaging, it certainly does just that. My girlfriend walks around whispering “wow!” at the food and I do the same about the packaging that it comes in. I guess that I need to get out more! Or certainly further than the Cotswolds.

And with that in mind If you haven’t gotten over to Kingham yet you should. And don’t worry about not being able to find it easily, being situated as it is in deepest rural Gloucestershire,  because I’m not joking when I say that how close you are can be measured in relation to the regularity of sightings of well groomed ladies in 4x4s. Once you’re up to 3-4 sitings per half mile you know that you’re pretty close…

Having rebranded leading Oxfordshire estate agency Finderskeepers in 2012 we were asked to refresh the brand again over the last few months. The original rebrand of the 12 branch lettings agency was a massive success in terms of positioning it as the refreshing alternative to the UK national estate agency chains. We employed vibrant use of colour to help the brand stand out. Nowhere more obviously than on its vehicles and boards. The result was the rebranded “agency boards seemed to be everywhere” according to market research. Their brand recognition went through the roof.

That said, not wishing to stand still, were were asked to refresh the brand and give it a slightly more elegant feel. The result was that all the original identity assets were retained but given different emphasis – the mauve grey principal brand colour taking even more prominence with the rainbow stripe being used in a more subtle way. Once again the reaction has been more than positive. In fact we’re regularly told “we simply love that brand!”. This week it was by another Oxford agent!

We were mooching around Geneva for a couple of days, the sun came out and the light was stunning…

Great place… great ambiance, great food, beautiful presentation. La Fromagerie on Marylebone High Street is one of those places where you just want to go to ‘hang’. It has that feel of rightness. It’s cleverly branded, in fact I met the designer recently as she’s a friend of the owners of a new foodie brand that I’m doing that’s due to open in the new year in Covent Garden called Champagne + Fromage. But back to La Fromagerie, this brand works because it’s understated – right for its’ market and target audience. It’s the sort of place to mooch on a Sunday, or read the papers on a Saturday morning or a coffee during the week. But as with all good brands of course it’s built on the quality of its products and in this it excels.

Fantastic brand difussion. Great preppy inspired interiors and clothes at lower price point. And even the carol singers were living brand! I love this brand.

I always stay in Verona before I head over to Mantova to meet up with my old friends Gian and Roberto. These places are so relaxed in September and October when there’s hardly any tourists and the locals go about their business in the golden light of the Autumn sunshine. And yes, this is where you see the real style of the Italians – lots of cyclists but wearing Armani and Prada not sportswear!

A flying visit in order to do the Julian Schnabel show at the Palazzo Corre. I love Venice out of season.

Tom Aiken’s cafe overlooking the quad at Somerset House is one of my favourite ‘watering holes’ – good food, classical architecture and prime spot to watch the ice skating at Xmas!