Tastings, recipes and other news

The last bottle dilemma
There's always something a bit sad about opening the last bottle of a loved wine but, as all good things must come to an end and no wine lasts forever, it has to be done at some point. Of course there is something even sadder: opening the last bottle only to find it's gone too far. So, will it be good or should I have drunk it up a decade or more ago?  Inspired by our current promotion of Brusset wines, I pulled out the very last bottle of their... Read more...
The best bread I have made
I'm no baker. I can make an edible cake but my attempts with bread have rarely satisfied me, let alone anyone else. Last year, on our trip to the far south of Italy, we discovered Pane di Altamura, a huge, extremely well cooked bread made entirely with durum wheat. In a part of Italy known for cucina povera, this was delicious with its thick, crunchy crust and springy, tasty interior. I wanted to have a go at making it, despite my hitherto inability to make a decent loaf. What I made... Read more...
My meaty minestrone
There will be plenty who will object to this as being unauthentic but minestrone literally means "big soup" and there is no universally agreed recipe so I'm sticking with it. It's a good way to use up the remains of a (Christmas?) ham, especially if you have simmered in water before baking it and kept the water back. It's very simple: cut onions, celery and carrots into small chunks and garlic into even small ones. Add them to a large pan with some olive oil and cook on a medium... Read more...
A winning recipe for pork stew
Who doesn't love a pork stew? Just about everyone, it seems. However, we found ourselves with a little more pork than we had ordered when our butcher asked one of his team to put together a recent order and we had more than five kilos of leg rather than the two we wanted for our Christmas ham (thanks, Jamie). It's very good pork, though, and anyone in or around Norwich in need of excellent pork products (other meats are available) should pop into Archers Butchers on Plumstead Road. I used... Read more...
Wines of the Year
It's a cliché, I know but this is the time of the year when people look back over the last 12 months and wonder if they have made good use of the time so I'll be no exception. Having got to the point where the website really wasn't fit for purpose (probably a long time ago but we eventually got the message), one of our biggest achievements was building a new one from scratch in a week (yes, I know it still needs a bit of tweaking). We're back in... Read more...
Pasta with 'Nduja sauce
Spicy Calabrian 'Nduja has become quite popular in recent years. During Covid, when foreign travel was impossible, I started making salumi including 'nduja. My first batch was incredibly hot so had to be used in moderation but we persevered and found plenty if ways to use it including this simple and extremely quick recipe, good for lunch or as a starter. I think conventional wisdom dictates that it should be spaghetti or a similar maccheroni-style, dried pasta. We had this today with (home made - it is nicer but time... Read more...
Verulam Wine Tasting Club
A tasting of Southern Rhône wines with Verulam Wine Tasting Club. Wine of the night: Château Capucine, Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2009 Read more...
Emincé de Volaille au Riesling
Easy but delicious Coq au Riesling recipe to enjoy with Nada Giuseppe's Riesling. Read more...