As a wine merchant the term 5-a-day has always conjured up alternative connotations to those of my more self-conscious friends. Previously five had been a number conveniently split into red, white, rosé, sparkling and fortified, with the accompanying corkscrew and...
As received wisdom tends to influence our buying behaviour, and public perception governs more of our alcoholic consumption than we care to admit, how are we all feeling about Chardonnay these days? I am still an enormous fan, but opinion is clearly divided on the...
The wish to grow my own food whilst examining the culinary cultures of the world has had some modest even subliminal effects upon my otherwise well practised daily rituals. However, one sizeable and unexpected outcome of my gardening exploits has been the recognition...
It was some time ago, at the height of the predicted epidemic that was to become known as Bird Flu, that I became the anxious custodian of a flock of chickens. My local pub had long hosted several groups of poultry, which were allowed to range free over the adjoining...
I am beginning to think Peter Mayle’s international bestseller A Year in Provence is something of a walk in the park. His struggles with the local weather conditions, the daily choice of which beach to inspect, what to select for lunch, his run-ins with local...
