AFTER we add seaweed, pink peppercorns and manuka wood, my partner Steve and I decide 15 ingredients is probably enough and it’s time to get bubbling.

It might sound like we’re in a Hogwarts potions class – but we are, in fact, students at Piston Distillery’s Gin School.

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And we’re impressed with the resulting concoction, which we proudly name Curious Gin-cident – although this might be down to the four G&Ts we sampled earlier. Gin school costs £150 for two (Pistondistillery.com) 

(Nep)tune in

A taxi whisks us back to our base for the weekend – Neptune Apartments, a Grade-II -listed Georgian building on Cheltenham’s prestigious Promenade.

Each apartment is named after a Cotswold town or village, and ours, The Painswick, is a beautifully decorated one-bed with high ceilings, intricate cornices and very cool lighting, plus a fully equipped kitchen, breakfast bar, comfy sofa and two huge TVs.

We’d like to move in and never leave, but we’re lured outside by the promise of award-winning burgers.

You might have seen The Beefy Boys on TV with Tom Kerridge last year, as they built up to opening their third restaurant here in Cheltenham.

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The juicy PBJ Boy, £12.80, comes with two smashed patties (but you can add more if you like), cheese, bacon, bacon jam and chipotle peanut butter, and is totally moreish – as are the poutine fries, £9.50 (Thebeefyboys.com).

Picking up steam

The next morning, we stop off at The Find for a Full Monty breakfast bap, filled with local ingredients, £10.50 (Thefind.co.uk), then head to Sudeley Castle, 20 minutes’ drive away, to walk it off.

Henry VIII’s sixth (and last) wife Catherine Parr lies entombed in the chapel.

Plus, there are beautiful formal gardens, and quirky life-size animal sculptures to spot in the pop-up Animal Ark exhibition. Entry costs £22 per person (Sudeleycastle.co.uk).

At Cheltenham Race Course station, we jump on a steam train (part of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway) and choo-choo our way to Broadway, a chocolate-box-pretty village.

Here, Cotswold Trading has perfect gifts of locally made body lotion and pampas coasters (Cotswoldtrading.com), before we scoff Tisanes Tearooms’ scones with jam and cream, £3.60 (Tisanes-tearooms.com). Day rover tickets on the steam railway cost £26 per person (Gwsr.com).

Later, we venture to Mr Cambray’s Curiosity – a cafe/bar full of nooks and crannies – (Mrcambrays.co.uk), before sharing plates at Japanese restaurant Kibou, where highlights include chicken thighs with sriracha-mayo dip, £10.90, and an amazing soy honey tuna tartare poke bowl, £15.90 (Kibou.co.uk). 

Once home, we nibble on Cotswold brie from Cheltenham’s The Cheese Works (Thecheeseworks.co.uk), relax with a Curious Gin-cident and tonic, and toast a great weekend. 

FANCY draining a stein without emptying your wallet?

We have rounded up Europe’s best-value Oktoberfest hotspots.

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A survey by travel giant Tui has revealed the cheapest city break destinations to enjoy a pint.

And Jacob Lewis shares where to find the tastiest beers at prices you will raise a glass to.

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WHY settle for one type when you can have dozens?

Prague’s beer scene is overflowing, with pints from £1.86.

The Czech capital is a paradise for beer lovers, packed with interesting bars, and boasting a host of microbreweries and centuries of brewing history.

From traditional pilsners to strange craft concoctions, the city has got something to tantalise every taste bud.

Three nights’ B&B at the Ibis Praha Mala Strana in Prague is from £356 per person, based on two sharing, including flights from Birmingham on October 25 with 22kg checked baggage.

See jet2citybreaks.com.

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THIS city serves up bargains faster than you can say “cheers” in Romanian (it’s “noroc”, by the way).

With pints for as little as £1.50, Bucharest is a beer lover’s budget-friendly dream.

It has an 18th-century brewing heritage, but is not afraid to put modern twists on old favourites.

And it is another great option without raising your credit card bill too much.

Four nights’ room-only at the 3* Hotel Trianon in Bucharest is from £565 per person, based on two adults sharing, including flights leaving London Heathrow on October 19 with hand luggage only.

See tui.co.uk.

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PARTY along the Danube without sinking your budget.

Budapest’s nightlife — especially its ruin bars — is legendary, as are beer prices.

You can get a local pint for as little as £1.20, or enjoy craft beers starting from £1.70.

The best part? Many Budapest breweries use locally sourced ingredients, including native hops and Hungarian barley, providing a true local flavour.

Three nights’ room only at the 4* Soho Boutique Hotel in Budapest is from £285 per person, based on two adults sharing, including flights departing London Gatwick on October 21 with hand luggage only.

See tui.co.uk.

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WHILE not the cheapest, with a pint averaging £3.50, Munich is the spiritual home of Oktoberfest.

Rub elbows with lederhosen-wearing locals in the city’s massive beer halls, tents and gardens.

The atmosphere alone is worth the admission price.

Steins of traditional Bavarian brews, oompah bands and pretzels the size of your head . . .  it’s the ultimate Oktoberfest experience.

Three nights’ room-only at the Holiday Inn Munich-Unterhaching is from £217 per person, based on two sharing, including flights from London Gatwick on October 16 with hand luggage only.

See easyjet.com.

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BRACE yourself, beer lovers — pints here average £8.61.

Iceland’s capital boasts a beer culture born from Prohibition.

After a total ban from 1915 to 1989, it is now celebrated.

From microbreweries to bars serving quirky, volcanic-inspired brews, Reykjavik proves that sometimes, quality trumps quantity.

Just remember to budget accordingly.

Three nights’ room-only at the 4* Hotel Island Spa and Wellness in Reykjavik is from £554 per person, based on two adults sharing, including Luton flights departing October 13 with hand luggage only.

See tui.co.uk.

RYANAIR passengers will have to follow new boarding pass rules next year – and it isn’t good news.

The low-cost airline has confirmed that paper boarding passes are to be scrapped in 2025.

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Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary confirmed that they would phase our the physical boarding passes by May, saying that as many as 60 per cent currently use mobile passes.

Currently, Brits can get a boarding pass at the airport with the airline.

But passengers are charged £55 if they forget to check in and download their boarding passes before arriving at the airport.

The new rules would mean there would be no option to to check in at the airport at all, with the desks scrapped.

He said: “Our goal is to eliminate check-in desks at the airport, just like we’ve done with luggage counters.

“Everything will be managed through the app, making the process fully digital and eliminating paper entirely.”

The scrapping of the desks would also mean the scrapping of the £55 fee.

He added: “I’m one of the last remaining people still showing up with my piece of paper.

“It also means, once we get everybody onto the app, nobody will ever again pay for a boarding pass at an airport – the airport check in fee will be gone. 

“So, I think it will be a smoother, easier journey for everybody.” 

Some countries, however, require a physical print out of the boarding pass, such as Morocco, Turkey and Albania‘s Tirana, so it isn’t clear how this will be affected for passengers who forget to print one.

The Ryanair website currently states: “If you depart from a Moroccan airport, a digital boarding pass will not be accepted.

“You must carry a physical printout of your boarding pass, and you’ll need to present this boarding pass at the Moroccan airport check-in facility.”

Ryanair has also increased their luggage fees this week.

The airline previously charged up to £38 for anyone booking Priority upgrades at the airport, which come with a 10kg suitcase and hand luggage bag.

New rules could see passengers charged up to £60 if adding this after booking flights or at the airport.

A spokesperson said the fees depend on the route and travel dates selected.

Earlier this year, the Ryanair boss warned that flight prices will soar this Christmas.

Due to passenger caps at Dublin airport, he said that flight prices could hit £422, adding he will “make a fortune” this Christmas.

It’s not the only outlandish way the airline wanted to make money.

Previous Ryanair plans included paying £1 to use the onboard toilets.

And the airline even proposed standing cabins and scrapped armrests to reduce the weight of the plane – saving them money.

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