It seems that wines these days are getting stronger and some of you might be looking for lighter options for those summer afternoons. We’ve sampled three Banrock Station wines at 5.5% by volume and a fourth at 12%, and these might just suit a change of regime or be the right thing for that long summer afternoon garden party.
Handling abundance in Chiswick
Sam Harrison is walking around a sun blasted garden in’leafy’ Chiswick looking like Macbeth after a particularly heavy night with the in-laws. His hands are running blood red; juice drips down his arms and gorily spatters onto the grass. He is a very happy man.
The Three Oaks: a posh country bistro opens in posh country Gerrard’s Cross
You don’t need a fast car to dine at The Three Oaks – but the chances are you’ll spot one there. Joanna Biddolph wished she’d taken her ancient Rover to the car wash before setting off for this posh part of near-London where good value, quality, generous portions and lashings of jus are always on the menu.
Foxs_biscuits_launch_Ambers
Does the world need another chocolate biscuit, asked Joanna Biddolph before confirming that we do. Fox’s Ambers fill a hunger gap none of us thought we had.
Terra Rossa olive oils
Terra Rossa claim on their packaging that they choose ‘the best olives from the finest and oldest groves in the world dating back to biblical times.’ They also claim to blend them until the ‘distinctive aroma and flavour’ are achieved. Each of the oils we tasted worked perfectly as dipping oils, that’s how we enjoyed them.
Ocado stock Reflets de France products
From this Bastille Day, i.e. today, Ocado will, we are told, become one of only a few retailers in the UK to sell the Reflets de France range from Carrefour. So if you’re a bit of a Francophile, and one of those among us who make regular trips to France to stock up on some authentic French produce (err, well and booze, of course) you might need to make that trip to Calais or Boulogne less often that you have in the past.
Champagne & Strawberries at The Mount Street Deli
On Tuesday 19th July, The Mount Street Deli will host an evening tasting of Grower’s Champagne, hosted by Tom Harrow from Wine Chap, the leading experts on wine selection. The champagnes will be accompanied by canapés created by the deli’s head chef, Mary Lewis.
Laithwaites show off their Californian wines
Laithwaites had invited media flunkies to a tasting of some of their Californian wines available to customers during the summer months. There were only fourteen wines, so this was a little more manageable than some tastings I’ve been to; wine tastings can be a little trying, for me at least, but there were several that I particularly liked.
Mustard-making and eating with Tracklements
Anita Pati finds there’s more to mustard making than you might think. She heads out into the fields and factory with Tracklement’s main Man Guy Tullberg and brings back a recipe for Sausage and Spiced Honey Mustard rolls.
Luncheon: a new Sunday lunch dining club for London.
Luncheon is a new Sunday lunch dining club from Ben Tish, executive chef of The Salt Yard group and Max Halley, a freelance food journalist.