Tag Archives: wine
Feeling Fino: Win a Bottle of Sherry, Retro Poster and More from Tio Pepe
Hola! I hope you’ve been enjoying my series of posts about visiting Jerez de la Frontera in the sunny south of Spain to discover what makes Tio Pepe such a flavoursome and refreshing drink. Would you like to discover the taste for yourself? Keep reading? Continue reading
Feeling Fino: Montesierra Jamon Iberico
Since the late 1800s, family-owned Montesierra has been sourcing free range, acorn munching Iberian pigs from the dehesas (wooded scrublands) of the Sierra Morena mountains and curing them without additives or preservatives (just salt and mountain air) in the village of Jabugo and the city of Jerez. Continue reading
Feeling Fino in the Viñedos and the Bodegas of Jerez
Key to understanding what makes a great wine so distinctive is discovering where it’s grown, produced and aged. In the case of Tio Pepe – that means discovering the wonders of Jerez, from the vineyards on its outskirts to its cellars in the heart of town. Continue reading
Voyage de Fromage: Jura Food and Drink
Every meal of Voyage de Fromage was an extremely enjoyable experience of saveur locale presented with regional pride and kind hospitality. I can highly recommend the Jura as a delicious destination for even the most finicky of gourmet travellers. Continue reading
Voyage de Fromage: Discovering the Comté Difference
Chief aim of my Voyage de Fromage (aside from eating lots of yummy cheese while checking out a part of France I’d not been to previously … oh and drinking gorgeous local wines) was discovering what sets Comté apart from the many other wonderful cheeses of France. Continue reading
Feeling Fino in Jerez with Tio Pepe
Warm summer nights with a cool breeze blowing in from the nearby Atlantic, rapturous flamenco performed live and rumbling from the stage of an age-old bar with a reverberant and heartfelt wallop, irresistible tapas after irresistible tapas devoured al fresco with ample sherry to wash it all down – Jerez de la Frontera in the far south of Spain is a dream. Continue reading
Voyage de Fromage: Consider Comté
Consider Comté, an unpasteurised, cow’s milk cheese made traditionally by farmer cooperatives to exacting standards in one of the most beautiful corners of rural France to the delight of gourmands across the globe. Continue reading
100-Layer Lasagna at The Cavendish
It had been about a year and a half since my last visit to The Cavendish. But I remember my dinner there fondly. So when an invitation to come back to try newly appointed Head Chef Douglas Santi’s “100-layer” lasagna, I was all for it. Continue reading
Sideways: The Play at St James Theatre
If you loved the movie, to be sure you’ll love the play, adapted for the stage by original Sideways novelist, Rex Pickett and deftly directed David Grindely. Continue reading
Roux Farmhouse Brunch at Roux at The Landau
Luxury hotel weekend brunching in London just got a lot more luxuriously brunch-y with a new farm-to-table Sunday offering at The Langham London hotel’s Roux at The Landau fine dining restaurant. Continue reading
Good Stuff #57
Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some fine things to see, sip or savour – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Continue reading
Greek Cheese and Wine Tasting at Isle of Olive
Isle of Olive – Hackney’s home of Hellenic hospitality and great Greek food and drink – continues with its delicious charm offensive by offering wine tastings and related events. Continue reading
Cork Report | Obrigado
From ancient oak forests south of Lisbon to state-of-the-art processing facilities near Porto in the north, tracing cork’s route from the tree to the finished product turned out to be a fascinating journey across Portugal. Continue reading
Uncannily Great Dining at The Balcon, Sofitel St James Hotel
All the right points were hit seemingly with prescience during my recent dinner at the Sofitel St James Hotel’s Balcon resulting in one of the better restaurant experiences of my year thus far. Continue reading
Theo Randall at the InterContinental Reopens – Still a Great Place for Italian Cuisine
Taking stock of a decade doing delicious justice to classic Italian dishes, Theo Randall has reopened his restaurant at the InterContinental after an interiors refurb and the addition of a few new menu items. Great news! And the best news about the reopening is that Chef Randall has managed to maintain all the qualities that already had made his eatery one of my favourite places for Italian food. Continue reading
Cork Report | So Much More to Bark About
Obviously, cork stoppers are by and far the most likely application for cork. But – as a sustainably harvested crop that’s naturally fire retardant and insulating (thermal and acoustic), flexible, hypoallergenic, and impermeable to liquid and gas – there’s plenty more being done with it. Shall we have a quick look? Continue reading
Good Stuff #53
Good stuff and lots of it! Here’s the low down on some fine things to see, sip or savour – all of which I’ve recently come across and thought were worth sharing with you. Enjoy. Continue reading
Cork Report | Stop and Go
POP! It’s the exuberant sound of victory, celebration and achievement. And it starts with a simple pull of a cork stopper from a wine bottle. Continue reading
Cork Report | From the Forest
Just across the Tagus River about 30k south of Lisbon is Herdade de Rio Frio, a centuries old 4,000 hectare “homestead” with strong traditions in horse breeding, equestrianism, and polo as well as viniculture and winemaking. Within the Herdade is what was once the world’s longest vineyard – with rather delectable quaffs still being bottled from the grapes of remaining vines today. This vast expanse of land is also home to a cork forest. Continue reading
Cork Report | Popping Down to Portugal
Back in June of last year, Kemey and I popped down to Portugal for an immersive two-day crash course in one of the country’s most enduring, sustainable and biggest industries: cork. Continue reading
Fleurs des Rêves: Bompas & Parr X Perrier-Jouët at The London Edition
Dudes. Listen up. Dark forces are at work. No longer is it going to be a safe bet to selecting some nice flowers to offer to your beloved. Now – compliments of a luxury trio consisting of Bompas & Parr, The London Edition, and Perrier-Jouët – you might have to make sure your chosen blooms aren’t of the ordinary hum-drum one constant colour variety but newfangled and fascinating colour changing Fleurs des Rêves. Continue reading
Two Champagnes, One Chef | GH Mumm | Perrier-Jouët
Invited by two Champagne houses – GH Mumm and Perrier-Jouët – for an overnight visit to the Champagne region for a meet with their Chefs de Caves (Didier Mariotti of Mumm and Hervé Deschamps of Perrier-Jouët), I enjoyed a behind the peek of what goes into blending two of the world’s most celebrated quaffs and how distinctive each is. A bubbly affair to be sure, the occasion served as an excellent opportunity to discover how these wines differ, while enjoying two showcase dining experiences (one for each wine) crafted by in-house chef for both Mumm and Perrier-Jouët – Josephine Jonot. Continue reading
Dish of the Month at 108 Brasserie
Roasted whole turbot for two with trumpet mushrooms, baby onions, spinach gratin, and potato mousseline (£65): that’s February’s Dish of the Month at 108 Brasserie Continue reading