Are you bored of the usual turkey and Christmas pudding? Looking for festive food inspiration?

Then head to Taste of Christmas for some top seasonal cooking tips from celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.

We’ve got a pair of Taste of Christmas tickets to give away, along with dinner for two at Gordon Ramsay’s fantastic York & Albany restaurant.

Today’s the first day of our Christmas Advent Calendar competitions. Look out for more daily prizes between now and Christmas Day!

Enter now for your chance to win Taste of Christmas tickets and a meal for two

Yesterday I got a sneak peek at One New Change – London’s newest shopping centre – opposite St Paul’s Cathedral on Cheapside in the City.

When it opens next Thursday (28 October), One New Change will have the honour of being Central London’s largest retail destination. It contains 60 stores over three floors (mostly high-end high street such as Reiss, Hobbs and Kurt Geiger) as well as several restaurants and food outlets, including Jamie Oliver‘s Barbecoa, an M&S Simply Food and a Gordon Ramsay restaurant (the latter is due to open in a few months’ time). Plus there’ll be office space for 3,000 workers.

I was impressed by the One New Change development. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Jean Nouvel, the structure is predominantly steel and glass, which reflects and reveals the stunning St Paul’s in myriad ways. I also liked the fact the brown and red-tinted glass seemed to pay homage to the 70s styling of the nearby Barbican.

I was taken up to the roof – a huge space that’ll be open to the public and gives access to an incredible London panorama that takes in the London Eye, The Shard, The Barbican, the tip of The Gherkin and, of course, St Paul’s. (Photos from the roof are embargoed until next week so I can’t share them yet. But check our Flickrpool from next Thursday: www.flickr.com/groups/visitlondon)

Best of all, One New Change is handily located a short(ish) walk from VL Towers. I think I’m going to be a regular visitor!

When the hotel reopens on 10 October (10.10.10) it will boast two luxurious new River Suites, a completely revamped River Restaurant, a glamorous new Art Deco bar and a rooftop swimming pool.

Afternoon tea will be served in a stunning winter garden under an ornate glass dome, and the Savoy Grill will re-launch under the operation of Gordon Ramsay Holdings.

For more information see www.the-savoy.com

Tickets to London Restaurant Festival events went on sale today.

At this morning’s launch, chefs were announced for the prestigious London Restaurant Festival on the London Eye event. They will include Gordon Ramsay, Angela Hartnett, Daniel Boulud and Giorgio Locatelli and the other famous faces you see in the above picture.

You can now buy tickets to London Restaurant Festival events including:

• Gourmet Odyssey – a culinary tour of top London restaurants

• The Big Debate – AA Gill and Jonathan Meades versus Janet Street-Porter and Rosie Boycott argue the motion: Is French Food A Spent Force?

• The Big Quiz – Get your friends together and book a table for this foodie fight at Le Café Anglais

• London Restaurant Festival on the London Eye - The ultimate pop-up restaurant with the best views in town!  (Each 10-person-capacity capsule is sold as a whole. Individual bookings are not available.)