LUXURY WINE GIFTS

Whenever I am asked to submit a contribution to a publication, rather than writing about random wines and other beverages, I prefer to have a theme, and where possible, a local connection, to engage readers and focus on our fabulous local products.

With Valentine's Day on the horizon, and the shops already full of tempting treats, unsurprisingly, I was asked to select ‘luxury’ gift; after all, don’t we all like to be made to feel special? Herein lies the problem though, when it comes to food and wine, we all have different tastes, and budgets.

For birthdays and anniversaries, I aim to give indulgent gifts; something that the recipient will find irresistible. Here are a few treats I have recently discovered to tempt you into splurging, just a little.

Better still, why not buy a smart wicker basket or hamper and fill it full of your loved ones’ favourite things, and getting that feel good factor by supporting our economy, with the added bonus of something in which to pack up the perfect picnic next spring.   

• Thunder Toffee Vodka, this unique blend of triple distilled vodka and toffee syrup will appeal to those with a sweet tooth. It comes in at 26% abv., costing £20. www.thundervodka.com
• Chalice Mead would be the ideal honeymoon gift for anyone tying the knot (mead formed part of the marriage ritual in medieval times). Set up to support our shrinking bee populations, and providing a modern twist, they have a wide range of flavours on offer, including Chilli Sting for the brave-hearted, and loads of lovely recipes. Available at £12.99 for 35ml., 13%abv. www.chalicemead.co.uk
• Flavoured gins have been all the rage for some time now but for something a little different those on offer from Cambridge based Hedgepig, are worth trying. I love it that 50p of every purchase goes towards the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. My favourite is the Wild Bullace (a type of plum) and Quince Gin. A subtly sweet drink, great with cheese. £15.99 for 50cl. 30%abv. www.fruityhedgepig.com
• For a drink that pack a real punch, Exmoor Distillery produce a 53% abv. Navy Strength Northmoor Gin, costing £44, using 12 botanicals in its single distillation to give real character. www.exmoordistillery.co.uk
• Brother’s Cider have been making cider for 14 generations, and with the recognition of allergies becoming increasingly important, their gluten free ciders, suitable for vegans are popular. For something out of norm, their latest addition, Parma Violet Cider, is available at £2 for 500ml. at 4.5% abv. www.brotherscider.co.uk
• Fans of Downton Abbey will be delighted to receive the Downton Hamper, which for £46 includes a bottle of Prosecco, and free UK delivery from  www.regencyhampers.com
• Lastly, Minehead based Roly’s Fudge Pantry will post your purchases for you and are constantly updating their usual range, great value at just £7 for 300g. minehead@rolysfudge.co.uk

VISITOR - Nov. 2019 - APPLE AND BLACKBERRIES

For as long as I can remember I have not only enjoyed, but actively sought out, sources of free food; mussels on the beach in Cornwall, wild garlic from the hedgerows, scrumping apples, pears, cherries and plums, and of course blackberries in the autumn.

Back in 1987, when living and working in New York as the chef to the British Ambassador to the United Nations, I made front page news when caught picking wild herbs from Central Park. Such was the concern of the park authorities they contacted the ambassador to ask me to desist, but not before I had fed the then French Ambassador the meal of his life!

Lest anyone be concerned about me ‘stealing’ food, it is not illegal to pick fruit from common land, or council-owned land where they are not growing fruit for the purposes of food. 

However, it is illegal to profit commercially from what you make with the harvested fruit; in recent years several local authorities have caused outcry by attempting to ban people from removing "the whole or any part of any plant, shrub or tree", effectively banning blackberry picking.

At this time of year particularly, I reap the benefits of excess produce from friends, and have been avidly picking blackberries and apples. I am sad to say that despite my efforts it seems that so many have gone to waste this year.

In addition to making blackberry and apple crumbles, jams and jellies, I have been busy making a whole range of blackberry liqueurs, using inexpensive spirits.

Commercially there are a number of options available, many of which originate in France, where the blackberry is known as ‘mure, but it is easy to make at home.

Quite simply you fill a bottle with the berries, and add the spirit, along with a little sugar if you like things on the sweet side, give it a shake and shove it in a dark corner for a few weeks. The resulting liqueur makes a great addition to champagne cocktails and is great for an unusual and gift.

Here are a few examples to tempt your taste buds.

• Lejay Creme De Mure Blackberry Liqueur (15%abv.) £12.99 (70cl.) has subtle flavours, making it brilliant as a cocktail mixer, going exceptionally well in long cocktails and with Champagne.
• Sovereign Spirits No.2 - Apple and Blackberry Liqueur (20%abv.) £18 (50cl.) is a combination of British gin, with apples and blackberries, and on the nose this smells just like apple crumble and custard.
• Whitley Neill Handcrafted Blackberry Gin (43%abv.) £20 (70cl.) is evidence that the gin craze shows no sign of abating. Tasting of fresh plump berries and hints of floral hedgerow, the base of delicious, piney juniper is followed by zesty sweet citrus and hints of black pepper. The finish is earthy accompanied by the warmth of spicy cassia.
• One Gin Sage & Apple (43%abv.) £38.95 (70cl.) is the perfect marriage of their original apple version with the earthy character of sage. An added bonus of this brand is that at least 10% of the profits help to fund water projects in the world's poorest communities.
• Edinburgh Gin Apple & Spice Liqueur (20%abv.) £16.95 (50cl.) is described as enticingly crisp, brimming with lively exuberance. The apples are macerated with
• cinnamon, then blended with Edinburgh Gin. Good with soda, served simply over ice, or in a classic Martini.
• Paddy Spiced Apple Whiskey Liqueur (35%abv.) £28.25 (70cl.) A delicious combination of Paddy's triple-distilled and triple-blended Irish Whiskey and spiced apple flavourings.
  
  As we are entering the time of year when days are shorter and the weather becomes colder, many of these offerings would make super winter warmers as hot toddies.
  
  For teetotallers, there are also a number of non-alcoholic options on the market.

• Jamun Juice (Indian Blackberry) - Basic Ayurveda £5.25 (480ml.) Ideal for those wanting to steer clear of alcohol, made from first press virgin juice, prepared from high altitude grown Jamun, also known as Java Plum or Indian blackberry.
• Monin, is a popular French brand of syrup, which in their range has a fruity, tangy Blackberry Syrup on offer at £5.79 (70cl.)
• Fentimans Apple & Blackberry Drink £1.49 (275ml.) is naturally light and fruity drink combining two quintessentially British fruits with natural botanicals to create a fresh and fruity taste.

https://issuu.com/thevisitormagazine/docs/the_visitor_magazine_issue_432_november_2019/23

MULLED WINE

When the temperature plummets there are few things more uplifting than wrapping your hands around a warm glass of fragrant mulled wine, or cider …. there is something immensely comforting about sipping hot, spiced wine when it’s freezing outside.

Mulled wine was originally designed to show off the wealth and generosity of a medieval household and recipes for it go back as far as ‘The Forme of Cury’, a cookery book published in the late 14^th century; although 600 years on the pungent results are not quite to our modern-day taste buds.

By the 19th century, in her recipe for mulled wine, Mrs Beeton includes cloves, grated nutmeg, cinnamon, wine and sugar, but declares "it is very difficult to give the exact proportions of ingredients like sugar and spice, as what quantity might suit one person would be to another quite distasteful".

The Scandinavian version of mulled wine, glögg, which has flaked almonds and raisins added, is often laced with vodka or other neutral spirits, and tends to be more potent, unlike the glühwein on offer at the famous German Christmas markets.

Working in Bath for much of this month, I have had plenty of opportunity to sample the wares of the many Christmas market stalls that have taken the town by storm (if you are not a fan of crowds then steer well clear). Sadly, when it comes to warm alcohol, these commercial offerings are often disappointing; weak and lacking in any discernable festive character; spices, cloves, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg.

At home, for Christmas drinks parties mulled wine does provide a cost-effective way of pleasing a crowd, enabling you to use an inexpensive fruity red, rather than crack open a bottle of your best claret. It is also the perfect accompaniment for homemade mince pies; I have yet to come across a shop bought one that cuts the mustard, no matter how glamorous sounding.

I usually prefer to make my own mulled wine, tweaking the recipe to suit my mood, and I have found that mulled wine spice sachets can make great stocking presents.

Delia Smith, who happens to be Mrs. Beeton’s great-grand-daughter, adds honey along with orange and lemon to her version, allowing it to simmer before serving. The citrus is a good match with the spices, and I wholeheartedly agree with her addition of Grand Marnier to perk things up.

Not to be outdone, Jamie Oliver uses a syrup base, made by putting sugar in a large pan along with some clementine juice and peel, lemon and lime peel, cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, bay leaves, nutmeg and vanilla, adding enough red wine to cover it, heating it gently until the sugar has dissolved, then boiling it until thick and syrupy. Once strained, this infused syrup can be cooled and kept to use as the base for your mulled wine.

For those less inclined towards mixology, supermarkets have been quick to jump on the band wagon, with virtually all of them offering their own ready-to-heat versions.

These were rated highly in a recent taste test conducted by the Good Housekeeping team.

Morrisons Mulled Wine, (10%abv.) £3.75 came out top. The panel loved its Christmassy flavour and were impressed by its deep, vibrant colour and its fruity, ginger aroma. Accolades all round for the hints of cinnamon, ginger and citrus, giving a delicately sweet and spiced, smooth drink with a warming but balanced kick of alcohol.

Runner up was Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Mulled Wine, (11%abv.) £6. With its deep, dark raspberry hue, and gently spiced cinnamon and clove aroma, the subtle sweetness was found to be pleasant, but the sharp kick of alcohol was slightly bitter for some.

Third in line was M&S Red Mulled Wine, (12.5%abv.) £4. This festive full-bodied wine, with its sweet, smooth finish is suitable for vegans, and has an aroma of zesty oranges and comforting Christmas berry fruits with a hint of apple. 

Most shop bought mulled wines are relatively low in alcohol when compared with many red wines on the market but can easily be perked up by the addition of your favourite spice or spirit.

The rule of thumb is to heat the wine, but not to allow it to boil, as that would destroy the alcohol, and mix and match with the other ingredients according to your own taste. Some people like to use brown sugar or honey as an added sweetening element, but these can tend to dominate; I prefer to use plain caster sugar. As for adding any kind of spirit, brandy is my first choice, but a slug of good dark rum, cherry brandy or an orange flavoured liqueur such as Cointreau or Grand Marnier can be just as good.

MULLED WINE – serves 12

Juice of 1 large orange, plus its zest

1 lemon, peel only

5oz. caster sugar

5 cardamom pods, crushed

6 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2 bottles of inexpensive red wine

6fl. oz. Stone’s Green Ginger Wine

To serve – orange wedges studded with cloves

- Add the orange juice to a large saucepan along with the zest, lemon peel, sugar and spices.

- Add sufficient wine to just cover the ingredients and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved, stirring occasionally.

- Bring to the boil and cook until it forms a thick syrup (approx. 6 mins.).

- Turn down the heat and add the rest of the wine to the saucepan, along with the ginger wine.

- Gently heat through and serve, adding the orange segments as a garnish.

TO TRAIN OR NOT TO TRAIN?

I have always been a firm believer in training, not only for my own personal development, but also in the belief that in my role as an elected member of both South Somerset District Council and Somerset County Council, that when making important decisions which will affect local residents, I must be well informed.

As a long-standing councillor, who has served on a number of statutory committees, and who has been in receipt of the appropriate training, I nevertheless feel a little aggrieved when I am required to repeat the training.

However, we can all learn something, and it is vital, for newly elected councillors especially, to receive the appropriate training in order to retain public confidence in the decision-making process. Several recent decisions seem to have given rise to public concern.

It is natural that at public committees, such as the Regulation Committee, particularly when dealing with large planning applications, that feelings will run high.

On occasion, when elected members who serve on such committees are unable to attend due to other commitments, it is possible for them to be substituted by another member.

Until today, I had understood that this was only possible if the substitute had received the appropriate training.

In an email exchange from an SSDC Officer as recently as 17th October 20219, I received the following: ‘I have checked back on the member training and as the proposed substitute has already undertaken the regulation training, any other members would have to undertake training before becoming an active member of the committee.’

At the time of writing, when five substitute members were put forward to attend today’s Regulation Committee meeting, no confirmation was forthcoming for a number of those present having received the appropriate training.

When this was challenged, the response was that this was not a legal requirement (true, but not the way it was originally put to us by SSDC), simply that members of committees should be ‘reasonably experienced’. There is of course the argument that those attending today’s meeting, many having only been appointed for the first time in May 2019, cannot possibly be experienced enough to make a decision in relation to a large development of 120 dwellings, which will have significant impact on a small market town.

I fear this is SSDC changing the goal posts. Should we be trained, or not? Surely, we must expect that those making such decisions on our behalf, not least because in relation to local authorities, and parliament, they are funded by the taxpayer, should have knowledge of the subject matter in hand?

INSPECTIONS - JUST A SNAPSHOT IN TIME

As a professional hotel and restaurant inspector for almost 25 years, it never ceases to amuse me the extent to which hotels and restaurants still get their knickers in a twist as the mention of ‘an inspector’ in the house. Such was the case recently when, in my role as a college hospitality tutor, I was observing students in a high-profile luxury hotel with a reputation for excellence.

Apparently, an AA Inspector was to be staying the night, and everyone was on tenterhooks. My own thoughts are that firstly, they should not be aware of an impending inspection, and secondly, an inspection is only a snapshot in time. With the best will in the world one person can only eat so many meals in 24-hours and sleep in just one room. No doubt they will have been given the best room in the house and will dine on the finest cuisine that is one offer.

Nowadays, as one of the ‘invisible’ women of a certain age, with very few exceptions, I am able to carry out my visits incognito. I am increasingly disappointed at the inability of the so called professionals who are unable to conceal their identity, at least until they get through the door. I recently took the Good Food Guide to task over the same issue where I know that establishments knew in advance who was coming. I was also less than thrilled to see in print a dessert described as ‘divine’, when it had been made with the cheapest own brand supermarket ingredients. Since when did the quality of ingredients, and the taste buds of those judging the results, become superfluous?

With the best will in the world, even the very finest establishments cannot possibly get it right all of the time; the general public, celebrities or not, are a fickle bunch. What matters most of all is the intention. Whilst establishments with plenty of money to spare can go all out to provide the highest standards of service and facilities, what I feel matters most is hospitality, the way in which a service is carried out. Some of my most memorable stays have been those where disaster loomed, but the attitude of those working there, and their ability to take ownership and provide solutions to a problem, came to the fore, making me feel valued as a customer.

I have a constant battle with colleagues over my assertion that the customer is always right but it is after all the customer that pays the bills.

Pleasing the punters can be difficult but is much simpler if you have accurately identified your target market and tailor your offering to meet their expectations; this is why so many of the cheaper chain restaurants remain successful in a tough market; the ‘pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap’ mentality. Expectations are low and consequently easier to meet.

We often make the mistake of thinking that in order to be the best, things have to be extravagant or expensive. I certainly like a bargain, but I value quality more. When funds allow I appreciate luxurious cotton sheets, a fabulous multi-course tasting menu, or a glass of my favourite Champagne. But equally I yearn for the crackle of the crust of freshly baked bread, or a bowl of homemade soup that makes me gasp as I inhale its aroma and take the first slurp.

My advice to anyone under threat of being inspected is to keep the information to yourself, if for no other reason than that it makes staff nervous, affecting their ability to perform well.

Being constantly on the lookout for those whose role it is to expose us, warts and all, is a mistake. None of us are perfect. You are only as good as your worst member of staff, your worst room and your worst meal. As with most things consistency is the key to success.

Whilst the inspector is receiving the five-star treatment, my focus is on how the other guests are being treated.

WSET Level 2 Wine Course - October 2019

This course is intended for those with little previous experience in the field of wines and aims to provide information on the most prominent information appearing on the label of a bottle of wine. Students will be introduced to the main styles of wines produced by key grape varieties and a number of wine regions. By the end of the course delegates will be able identify from the information on wine labels what most wines taste like. 

Session topics cover:

• understanding influences on the style, quality and price of wines
• understand basic label terminology
• name and describe the character of the important grape varieties and the style of wines produced
• identify key countries and regions for wine production of wine and their main wine styles
• identify the main types of fortified wines 
• describe wines using the Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting
• give advice on storage and service of wine and food matching
• understand the importance of alcohol in moderation

WSET Level 2  Session Overview


Session   1:  Introduction – course and examination, tasting 
technique, food and wine matching, health and alcohol and wine faults.

Session   2:  Factors influencing style of wine, and label
terminology.

Session   3:  Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 

Session   4: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.

Session   5: Syrah, Grenache and Riesling.

Session   6: Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Session   7: Sparkling and sweet wines.

Session   8: Fortified wines and spirits and liqueurs.

Session   9: Examination (50-question multiple-choice paper).

WSET Level 2 Wine Course - September 2019

This course is intended for those with little previous experience in the field of wines and aims to provide information on the most prominent information appearing on the label of a bottle of wine. Students will be introduced to the main styles of wines produced by key grape varieties and a number of wine regions. By the end of the course delegates will be able identify from the information on wine labels what most wines taste like. 

Session topics cover:

• understanding influences on the style, quality and price of wines

• understand basic label terminology

• name and describe the character of the important grape varieties and the style of wines produced

• identify key countries and regions for wine production of wine and their main wine styles

• identify the main types of fortified wines 

• describe wines using the Level 2 Systematic Approach to Tasting

• give advice on storage and service of wine and food matching

• understand the importance of alcohol in moderation

WSET Level 2  Session Overview

Session   1:  Introduction – course and examination, tasting technique, food and wine matching, health and alcohol and wine faults.

Session   2:  Factors influencing style of wine, and label terminology.

Session   3:  Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 

Session   4: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.

Session   5: Syrah, Grenache and Riesling.

Session   6: Italy, Spain and Portugal.

Session   7: Sparkling and sweet wines.

Session   8: Fortified wines and spirits and liqueurs.

Session   9: Examination (50-question multiple-choice paper).