Wines Pairings for Christmas from Berry Bros. & Rudd: What do you do when you are working out what wines to buy for Christmas? It’s a time of year when you really want something a little bit special – and yet, there is such a range of food to think about, it can be hard […]
Bombay Sapphire package at De Vere Wokefield Estate
Bombay Sapphire Distillery and the De Vere Wokefield: I finished my WSET Spirits Level 1 course (passed with 100% – sorry, just had to brag!) just 2 weeks before Deborah and I were due to visit the DeVere Wokefield Estate for a night away and a trip to the Bombay Sapphire Distillery at Lavenham. I was […]
The Perfect Gift for the Foodie and Environmentalist in your life from Nudo
Nudo Adopt an Olive Tree from Italy: Buying a present for someone who is fanatical about food and passionate about the environment can be a challenge. We’ve been looking at some of the options if you are trying to find something unusual and special which will also benefit the environment and yet be a real […]
The Night Before Christmas – Review
The Night Before Christmas at the Southwark Playhouse: Are you already feeling jaded by all the marketing hype that Christmas brings? Had enough of Wham!? Seen A Christmas Carol umpteen times? Or just not ‘feeling it’? We may have found the perfect little pick-you-up play now on at the Southwark Playhouse. Written by […]
Why the wine lover in your life needs a zzysh for Christmas
Zzysh – Elite wine saving for the connoisseur: Whilst my partner Alex avidly watches the Gadget Show each week, I endure it in return for him sitting through my fix of Poldark or similar. That means that I’m not usually the right person to ask to review something technical, but the zzysh involves wine, which made me […]
Three Options for Advent – Will You Pick Chilli, Chocolate or Gin?
Advent Calendars for 2018: A far cry from the days when we’d open a window in our advent calendar to reveal a Christmassy picture, today’s offering are full of tiny gifts. I’m a bit of a sucker for a chocolate advent calendar and get one every year. We’ve been checking out some of the options […]
Steak and Malbec Night at Home Cottage, Redhill
Say Cheers to Young’s Pubs! Young’s pubs have been putting on some great events this autumn. We’d already enjoyed learning how to pluck a partridge at the game night at the Castle in Tooting, and Beavertown beer and pie pairings at the Windmill in Mayfair, so when we were invited to attend the Steak and […]
WSET – Level 1 Award in Spirits
Never too old to learn? Inspired by my 90-year-old father, who has re-started art classes, I jumped at the invitation to undertake the Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET) Level 1 Award in Spirits course. I love experimenting when making cocktails, but I know that my knowledge about some of the spirits I use […]
Donald Russell Christmas Simplicity – Day One – 12 days of Christmas
Christmas made easy with Donald Russell’s Christmas Simplicity Box I’m a keen home cook, and I like to think a reasonably competent one at that. But there are occasions when things are really hectic and it’s nice to be able to rely on great quality products that help to make life just that bit easier. This […]
Gallivanting around Rye – A review of the Gallivant restaurant
The Gallivant Rye – Fine Dining and Camber Sands: Situated opposite the beach at Camber Sands, The Gallivant restaurant offers easy access to the beautiful sand dunes, perfect for a stroll before Sunday lunch. Dog-friendly, it certainly attracted several walkers to its rather chic bar and lounge on the day we visited. Having started the […]