Our First Eurocamp holiday in France

When I was young, my family did a lot of camping in France and Spain. And while I'm not necessarily a fan of canvas, I'm keen for my children to have outdoors holidays with lots of activities on their doorstep. I'd heard good things about Eurocamp holidays so I set about investigating the various options.

The Park we chose for our First Eurocamp holiday

It was quite daunting booking our first Eurocamp holiday. There are 242 Eurocamp parks in France alone so there are a lot of options. I can't talk about how many hours I spent trawling through all the various options and deliberating about what sort of location and park we wanted.

The Toddler Pool at Fontaine Vielle

In the end, we decided we wanted a small to medium sized park as my youngest can't walk too far. Definitely one with a water park, a shop and restaurant and ideally with a beach within a short walk. 

We eventually booked 7 nights at the Fontaine Vielle in the Gironde region of France. This one stood out to us because of the English Speaking kids camp and the newly refurbished aqua park. As we can't cope without air conditioning, we chose a Comfort XL holiday chalet with three bedrooms and outside decking. 

The water slides at our Eurocamp
holiday in France

The kids had a really lovely time and, therefore, so did the adults! Most of our days were spent in the pool with our kids burning off a lot of energy going up and down the slides and leaping in and out of the water. My eldest even made a little holiday friend which made it really special. One night we went to the Moules Frites night at the restaurant and we also played petanque and went to the gorgeous beach which was on the edge of the park.

Fontaine Vielle is a really rustic sort of park in the middle of a forest. And we absolutely loved the natural and relaxed vibe of the place. Overall we felt really safe and we really liked how easy it was to get to where we needed to be whether by the pool, in the park shop or at the beach.

We also enjoyed exploring the nearby area. Including visiting the Dune du Pilat, Andernos les Bains and a nearby bird sanctuary.

Here's what would have made the holiday better:

I think we would choose a Eurocamp holiday again, but it wasn't perfect. Here are some of the things that weren't ideal.

Coming out of the park to
the beach

- Better location for our holiday home - our holiday home was in a very overlooked location, with the outdoor decking looking directly onto the rear of another holiday home. And because we were directly facing another holiday home and we were within the forest, we got little to no sunlight on our decking or outside space. Because of this it was hard to dry our swimming clothes and we came home to everything smelling damp in our bags. I love sitting in the sunshine on holiday and that wasn't really possible with the location of our holiday home. 

I contacted Eurocamp customer services when I got home and they told me that you could request a specific location on the park. The cost varies according to the Parc but is generally between £50 to £85. They explained that it was difficult to take generic requests like "please can we have sun on our outside area". But that we could look at a map and ask for a home near the pools or away from the facilities. We will definitely explore this next time as the location of our van was very depressing!

The slip n slide

-  More space in the main bedroom and living areas: Our double bedroom was unbelievably small. You could hardly get round the bed as there was less than a foot around the bed against the walls. Another family we met also had a Comfort XL holiday home and they also couldn't believe how small their bedroom was. We also could not shut out bedroom door without moving a chair out of the way because it was in the way. I think we would opt for a premium home next time or an ultimate home in the hope that we get slightly more space.

- More kitchen utensils: The details for our property said it was a "well equipped kitchen" which couldn't be further from the truth! There wasn't even a bottle opener or lids for the pans. We were also promised a stove top kettle in the details and there was not one. Another couple we met were disappointed about there being no kettle (I mean we are English, we need our tea!) but when I asked the Eurocamp rep about it he didn't even know what a kettle was! When we first arrived we had to go an buy things like a bottle opener, a lighter for the stove, cloths and tea towels. I'm going to write a separate post on the things that I think it would be useful to pack. Otherwise you'll end up spending money on things you could bring from home.

A drink at the bar

- Multi socket extension leads: so the kids' room had one plug in there. Given their night lights, music player and fan, this wasn't really enough for us. Thankfully we had one multi socket extension lead but a few more would have been really useful to charge everything up.

If we go again, we would definitely opt for a slightly larger park and perhaps one that is close to a town or village. I've been looking at some of the parks near to Vias Plage which is an area we know well. And we were there recently when we went on our Canal Boat holiday.

Now that we have been once, I think we would be more equipped for another time. And we would know what to look for when doing our research. I hope this has helped you if you're thinking of booking your first Eurocamp holiday in France or elsewhere. If you have any tips for me, I'd love to hear them!

The beach outside our Eurocamp Park

Taking the kids on a Canal Boat on the Canal Du Midi

When I was younger, my family went on a Canal Boat holiday on the Canal du Midi in France. So for my Mum's 80th birthday this year, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and relive this very much talked about holiday. 

Adam driving the boat

On the last trip, I was 14 years old and now I have children so it was definitely going to be a different experience for me. Especially as last time I did as little work as possible on the canal boat and this time I was unlikely to be able to get away with that. My children are also quite a bit younger than I was then. I wasn't sure how successful taking young kids on a Canal Boat holiday would be.

After several family meetings and quite a lot of online research, we decided to book a boat through the company Le Boat. And a one way canal boat route from Carcassonne Trebes Port to Port Cassafieres. 

Overall it was a really lovely holiday and I think the kids mainly did enjoy it.  The whole journey was unbelievably picturesque and I could have loaded up 1,000 photos from the trip. The Canal was so well maintained and France is just such a beautiful place. Nothing beats drifting in slow go past vineyards and picture postcard buildings with a glass of rose in hand (not for the driver obviously!)

Our three boats in convoy

If you are planning on taking the kids on a Canal Boat on the Canal du Midi this is what I think is worth thinking about. 

This is what worked really well:

- The boat we chose was perfect for us. The Canal Boat that we ended up having was called the Countess. It was ideal for us because the kids could be easily contained downstairs and they could still enjoy the view. When going through locks or when it was especially hot on deck, the kids could be downstairs in the living area of the boat and we knew they were safe. Other boats had more open living areas and we would have had to worry more about them while we were manoeuvring the boat. If you are hiring a canal boat with kids, think really carefully about the living space and whether they would be safe at all times. 

The back of our boat

- The weather was perfect. We went to France over May half term and the weather was perfect for our family - about 25-28 degrees Celsius each day. So not too hot and no rain at all. 

- The lake at Homps - When we stopped at Homps for the night we went to Jouarres Lake which is a 20 minute walk from the canal. The water was quite frosty but it was a relief for the kids to splash in the water and burn off some energy. We enjoyed watching some amazing kite surfers and my son even caught a fish. Whilst in Homps we also had a delicious and welcoming meal in La Peniche restaurant.

- The beach at Vias - The final stop on our route was Port Cassafieres which is just a short trip to the beach at Vias. Vias is a place we have spent many a holiday and it was lovely to spent our last couple of days on the beach. It gave the kids a chance to burn off some steam after being cooped up on the boat. Plus there are lots of nice bars, restaurants and gift shops there. My parents had their dog with them so we chose the dog friendly beach which is beyond the Vias Plage and to the right of La Plage du Delta restaurant beyond the river mouth. The kids also loved going to the Fun Fair there.

- The BBQ on board. We did go out to eat a few times. But it was really nice to have such great cooking facilities on board the boat. We especially used the outside BBQ griddle and cooked fresh fish, sausages and grilled veggies. I think we paid £45 extra for the BBQ for the week. 

Wild Mooring

- Wild Mooring. One night we couldn't find any place to moor the boats in a dedicated mooring place.

So we ended up wild mooring. It was a *bit* stressful getting the boats into position as we had to bang our stakes into the ground and tie the ropes around them. I also didn't sleep that well as I worried all night we were going to float away. But it was so calm and peaceful

What worked less well!

 If I were to book it again, this is what I would do differently:

- Shorter journey - so we travelled from Port Trebes to Port Cassafieres which is 13h34min of navigation and 4h35min passing through locks. So a total of 18 hours of travelling time. Now, this might not sound like a lot but - as we only actually drove the boat for 5 of the days we were there - it meant a minimum of 3-4 hours of driving a day which is quite a lot of time for the kids to be cooped up. You can use this website to calculate journey times.

Distance between locks

- Fewer locks. In total we passed through 31 locks on our journey. The most daunting of the locks was at Beziers where we passed through the Fonseranes Locks which has 7 in a row. The locks were quite hard work, most of the lock keepers were very unfriendly and unhelpful and they could be quite dangerous. For this reason, the kids had to be shut in the boat while passing through them. I think if we were to book it again, we would go on a circular trip from Port Cassafières up to Beziers and back. This would allow us to do a few locks and to see some of the beautiful scenery without having to be on the boat for such long periods of time. 

A lock opening

- More time enjoying the places along the way. I think because we had so much travelling time on the boat, we didn't have that much of a chance to do unplanned stops. As every day had to be planned out. It was quite heart aching to motor through stunning French towns or past quaint and charming lock-side restaurants and not to be able to stop at any of them. 

- Take more charging banks. Unless the boat is moving or you are connected to an electric point, the boat has no electricity. On the nights we did wild mooring or didn't stop at one of the dedicated Le Boat ports, we didn't have any electricity. So when the boat was moving we frantically tried to charge mobile phones, power banks, night lights and electric fans. Bringing power banks is therefore an absolute must. 

- Outside shade - our boat had no outside shade and on a couple of days, it was really, really hot. We were provided with a parasol but it was too windy and it kept threatening to take off into the sky. A number of the boats we passed had shade above the boat driver which would have been really useful. 

Overall, the holiday was absolutely magical and you can see some of my photos and videos on my instagram account. We chose Le Boat but there are other companies that operate along the Canal du Midi.

Definitely not a cheap holiday and - as well as the cost of the boat - there are other additional costs you need to pay. You have to pay a refundable damage deposit, we paid for insurance which isn't refundable and also you pay the estimated amount of fuel you are likely to use upfront. We actually used more fuel than the estimate and had to pay extra when we handed the boat back. We opted to pay extra for wifi on the boat and we also a BBQ.

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Our journey and where we stopped

In case it is of interest, this is where we stopped each night:

- Start of Journey and First Night - Port Trebes

There is a lovely port at Trebes with bars, restaurants and shops. If you are hiring from Le Boat, you can also plug your boat into the electric, have a shower and get fresh water.

- Second night - we stopped just before Puicheric

We had a proper mooring on the canalside but no utilities so semi wild! We had a BBQ on the canalside and walked into the town for fresh bread in the morning.

- Third night - Homps

This is another official Le Boat port, so if you are hiring from them you can plug into the electric and top up with water. Easy walk to the lake and lots of bars, restaurants and shops.

- Fourth night - Wild mooring between Colombiers and Beziers

Here we banged our stakes into the canalside and wild moored. Very beautiful and picturesque but we were nowhere near anything!

- Fifth night - Beziers

We decided to stop just before the 7 Fonseranes Locks as we felt we needed to build up some reserves before attempting it! Also, because the locks are only open for a short period for the descent, we wanted to ensure we were at the front of the queue. There is a shop and restaurant there and the little tourist train goes into Beziers from the top of the locks. So we also went into Beziers for the day and had ice cream.

- Sixth and seventh night - Port Cassafieres

Another official Le Boat port and where we handed back our boat. Electricity points and water refill. About half an hour walk to the beach with bars and restaurants. We also got a taxi very easily. There's a nice restaurant and bar at the port and my parents had a lovely meal there.

Stepping back in time at the new Caboose Parlour bar in Salisbury

I don't get to go out much these days. With a business to run, two small children and a very needy dog, I mainly leave the house to do the school run, take the kids to clubs or walk the dog.

So a rare night out with my husband feels like stepping back in time. And, how apt that, this weekend, we went to a new cocktail bar that has just opened up in Salisbury with a 1920s theme called the Caboose Parlour Bar.

What a jolly old treat it was as well. This bar is run by the same couple that own Tinga and the Deacons, and like their other establishments, this place is decorated exquisitely and with a serious eye for detail and style.

And the bar is like an experience. A mix of theatre and glamour with each of the Signature Cocktails made in a unique and distinctive way. The Dorothy Parker is served with a quill and ink, the Alma Vass is presented in a metal car, the Sweet Nothings looks more like a dessert that a cocktail with sweeties, cream and flowers. 

But the absolute star of the show is the Pink Lady. This comes in a small lantern box with a pink Barbie perched on top and is infused with smoke that is added via a burner and tube. Tastes pretty delicious too.

You have to reserve a table and there is no standing. Every table was booked and we had the bar stools which was perfect because we had front row seats to watch the drama of the cocktails being made. And, while we were there, lots of people came in and were turned away.

This place is well too cool for Salisbury! It's about time we had a really impressive cocktail bar and something genuinely different and a real talking point.

The Caboose Parlour Bar also has rooms upstairs which we didn't see. But, I'd guess they are really nice.

Can't wait to go back! 

Visiting the Bombay Sapphire Distillery at Laverstoke Mill

I've wanted to visit the Bombay Sapphire Distillery for ages. So for my husband's birthday, I bought him tickets for a tour of the gin distillery (these were absolutely not bought for me of course).

I was hoping to book the Gin Masterclass for us both, but sadly, this was not available on the day, so we opted for the "Discovery Experience" instead. This is a self-guided tour of the mill which includes a complimentary cocktail for £16. It was great because you could go round the mill at your own pace and listen to the various pieces of information about the distillery and the history of Gin and Bombay Sapphire as we went round.

Our favourite bit (other than actually drinking the gin!) was going to the Botanical Dry Room and creating our own aroma profile to see what styles of gin and gin cocktails we prefer. You basically go round the room and sniff a range of the botanicals that go into gin and Bombay Sapphire. You then stamp a piece of card and it lets you know whether you prefer Pine, Spicy, Earthy, Citrus or Floral gins.

You then hand your card to the staff in the bar and they are supposed to use your card to serve you the perfect cocktail based on your preferences. Although this didn't actually work in practice because the bartender just asked us to pick a cocktail that was closest to our stamps.

It didn't matter because we both ended up trying quite a few cocktails each. My favourite one was "Rosy Rain" which was described as "a long, creamy and sherberty cocktail incorporating Bombay Sapphire, Martini Rosato, Bottle Green Rhubarb and Schweppes Salty Lemon Tonic. my husband really enjoyed the "Queen of Hearts" cocktail which contained Bombay Sapphire, white chocolate liqueur, Bottle Green Raspberry Cordial bound together with egg whites. I also loved the Gin Basil Smash and Tonic - basically, we loved them all!

We were so lucky because, even though it was September when we visited, it was such a sunny day. The distillery looked glorious in the sunshine and we were able to sit outside for our lunch and also to enjoy our cocktails. We could have spent all day sitting in the sunshine, sipping on the fabulous gin.

The only slight downside to the day was the cafe. We went there early for lunch and, although the food was delicious, the cafe itself was a bit poky and you couldn't have a glass of wine or gin with your lunch as they only served soft drinks. They did offer to box up our lunch and we could take it to the bar area to eat it, but we didn't really want to eat out of a box. Presumably, there is some licensing issue, but given that the bar is next door to the cafe, it seemed a bit ridiculous.

We stayed the night at the Watership Down Inn which was 10 minutes walking distance from the distillery. The rooms were clean and comfortable and we had a really, really nice meal there in the evening.

My favourite wines from the Naked Wines Summer Tasting Tour 2019

With some of the lovely
Angels and Archangels
on the tour - love them!

The Naked Wines Tasting Events are an amazing opportunity to try over 100 wines. You get to try new wines and meet the wine makers who tell you all about them, all for around £20. An absolute bargain in my book.

These are my favourite NEW wines that I tried this year:

The fabulous Los
Despachos from
Edgard Carter

Edgard Carter
I'd never met Chilean winemaker Edgard Carter before this year's tour. He's a lovely, polite and unassuming sort of man but who makes the most delicious wines. So great, that two of his wines have made my list:
- Sureno 2016 (£11.99) - made from a blend of Cab Sav, Carmenere, Malbec and Syrah, this smooth, silky red is full of fresh fruit with a kick of blackberry.
- Los Despachos Petit Verdot 2015 (£19.99) - Definitely not a cheap drop, but worth every penny if you want to treat yourself to a glass of blueberry and blackberry wonderfulness! 

Mauricio Lorca's Angels Selection Pedro Gimenez 2018 (£7.99)
Argentinian Mauricio is always a big hit at the Naked Wines Events. And, as always he was friendly and affable this year. I absolutely loved his Pedro Gimenez which is a completely new type of grape for me and a complete steal at £7.99. This crisp and fresh lip-smacker is like a glass of apples and citrus and perfect for a BBQ in the sunshine.

Gerd's amazing new
Pinot Noir Rose

Gerd Stepp's Pinot Noir Rose 2018 (£9.99)
Gerd really is like the professor of wine making. His Pinot Noir *8* is one of my favourite wines on the Naked Wines website and is delicious both warm and cold. So, I was fascinated to try his new rose which is made from the juice extracted from the first crush of his Pinot Noir grapes. Although this is a bit punchier than some roses (and a bit more alcoholic!) it is still light, fresh and zingy and a new firm favourite. If you're unfamiliar with German wines, try any of Gerd's range and I promise you will be impressed.

Dominic Hentall's Terra Nera 2017 (£10.99)
I love Dominic Hentall - he is always the life and soul of the party on the Naked Tour. I love his Terra Calda and his Terra Forte so I was fascinated to try his Terra Nera. I love Italian wines, but I'm more familiar with those from Northern Italy from regions such as Tuscany and Piedmont. However, this one is from Sicily so from a much warmer, sunnier region. And so the wine is big, fruity, spicy and with some vanilla from the oak barrels. This wine is great now and will probably be even better in a few months.

Sam Plunkett's Victorian Zinfandel 2018 (£10.99)

Dominic's amazing
Terra Nera

In the programme, it describes Sam as one of the nicest guy's around. And they aren't wrong. Naked Wines Australia have done this amazing podcast with him which is really worth a listen to understand his amazing journey to master wine maker. I loved his new Zinfandel which is packed with jammy fruits as well as juicy strawberries. (I also loved his Halo Effect Viognier 2016 which is a new sweet wine for me, so I thought I would give it a mention).

Ray and Eamon's picks
Every year, Naked Wine's chief taster, Ray teams up with the boss, Eamon, to champion their top picks at the "Ramon Table". All of their wines are always amazing. They had four on their table this year, some of which have been (or will be) available through the Naked Wines Fine Wine Club. I especially enjoyed the following from their top picks:
- Anna Espelt Sol i Vent 2017 (£13.99)
- Repetto Piemonte Rosso 2017 (£9.99)

Me with the lovely Mike
Paterson

I can't leave a review of my favourite wines without mentioning Mike Paterson. He didn't have any new wines on his tasting table this year, but he is such an utter legend, I couldn't miss him out. Especially as his Lay of the Land Marlborough Pinot Noir is perhaps my favourite Pinot Noir on the Website. His 2017 vintage is his best in my opinion - it's really fresh fruit forward and packed with strawberries and vanilla.

These are just a few of the wines I enjoyed this year. And, as always we were spoilt for choice. Especially as Naked Wines seems to be bringing on new wines and winemakers everyday! If you follow Eamon on Instagram, you'll see his quest to sniff out new wines from all over the globe (and be really rather jealous!).

Going it alone at the Naked Wines Summer Tasting Tour 2019

I've been with Naked Wines now for 7 years and one of my favourite things is going to their tasting events.

The fabulous Lindley
Hall where the London
Tasting was held

I attended my first in 2016 and have been pretty much every year since. You get to meet all the wine makers, chat to other Naked Wines Angels (the members) and, frankly best of all, there are normally over 100 wines to try.

One of my fellow
Archangels who
looked after me

This year, I decided to go on my own. Normally I go with my husband and some of my friends have come with me in the past. But, this year, Naked Wines had organised a meeting for all the Archangels beforehand and that, together with babysitting issues, meant I decided to go it alone.

The Tasting Tour
Brochure

Pretty nervous doesn't even begin to describe how I felt beforehand. I don't really do anything on my own these days. I would never go to the pub on my own or to the cinema. And, thanks to my small children and running my own business, I rarely even leave the house these days.

However, I needn't have worried as I was utterly looked after by the other Naked Wines Angels and Archangels. Everyone is so friendly and chatty, it really doesn't matter if you're on your own. 

If you order wine
on the tour, you get
the cost of your
ticket back. Win win.

I drank some delicious wines (I've written about my favourites on another blog post if you are interested), met some really interesting people and learned more about Naked Wines and their wine makers. I even managed to make a few notes in my Tour Programme (which I'm sure has never happened before).

I genuinely had a great time and it was quite liberating. 

Naked Wines have already released the dates for their Winter Tasting tour here. The Winter Tour tends to be slightly smaller than the summer one, but they still have over 100 wines to try, lots of wine makers from all over the globe and it's a really great day out.

You can read about my favourite wines from the Summer Tasting Tour here.

What I drank on British Airways this month

I've noticed on the last few flights I've caught, that airlines seem to be upping their booze game. 

I loved the theatre of
mixing my own cocktail
at altitude 

I was especially impressed with the range of British and exclusive drinks ranges that were available on a recent British Airways flight. 

Did you know your taste-buds are impacted by flying? No, me neither. Air pressure, lack of humidity, and even the noise of the plane's engines can apparently impact how we taste things. So British Airways has introduced a selection of exclusive drinks that have been blended specifically to be enjoyed at 30,000 feet. And, the best thing? A whole load of them are British.

OK, so the plastic cup didn't
exactly dress the drink.
But the Gin Jam was lovely
and the drink was v special

On the flight to Spain, I very much enjoyed a glass (well a plastic) of Pickerings Small Batch Raspberry Gin. This was presented with a very funky "Pinkster Gin Jam". This mildly alcholic jam is made from the leftovers from the production of the Raspberry gin and is designed to be poured into the G&T to turn it into more of a cocktail. I absolutely loved it. There was also the option of a Pickerings Small Batch London Dry Gin which was apparently blended especially by "ginventors" who trialled different recipes at different altitudes and this blend is exclusive to BA. 

I think I would like a job as a ginventor.

Whilst I tried to stop my gin cocktail from being knocked over by my children, the husband chose a Scottish beer. He opted for the Brewdog Speedbird 100 IPA which had been "specifically brewed to work perfectly in the air and adapt to the reduction in taste and smell sensitivity at high altitudes." I'm not sure whether it tasted better at high altitude, but he definitely enjoyed it and we always love a Brewdog Beer. I practically lived off their Nanny State when I was pregnant.

Great to see an English
wine challenging
more standard in flight
wine brands

Then, on the way back to a very rainy Heathrow Airport after a three-hour delay at Barcelona, we treated ourselves to a glass of Chapel Down English Bacchus. 

OK, so this wine wasn't a BA exclusive blend and not specifically made for the mile high club, but I've never tried Chapel Down wines before and it's so nice to find an English wine being displayed on an international sphere like this. And, we both absolutely loved it and I'm considering booking a winery tour at Chapel Down so I can see what else they have on offer.

Overall, we were really impressed and it's great to see British alcohol being sold by a British Airline. Maybe it's the new collaboration with M&S or maybe it's BA being brand faithful and supporting British. Either way, I'm a big fan and long may it continue!

Review: Craft Gin Club

I've been looking at gin clubs for a while. I love the idea of getting a different gin through my door each month with a selection of goodies to accompany. 

There are lots to try - some are less money each month, some come with smaller-sized bottles, some with full 75cl bottle, some with more goodies etc etc. It was a minefield! 

Of course I shared my
gin box to Insta! 

So, I turned to my friend Sarah who is the Gin-Guru behind the blog Gin a Ding Ding for advice. She has a handy review on her website of Gin Subscription services and I subsequently decided on the Craft Gin Club.

I officially bought the subscription for Father's Day (but you know it's mine) and my first box had a £12 discount so cost £28 instead of £40. I liked the fact it came with a full-sized bottle and I could switch the subscription on and off when I liked.

"Our" first box arrived in July. It was really exciting because we got lots of emails telling us it was coming and we didn't know what the gin would be or the extras included within it. And then, it finally arrived and I obviously couldn't open it because it was technically the husband's. It was so exciting I even sent him a photo of the box.

And, we were really pleased with our first box. The full-sized gin was Theodore Pictish Gin from Scotland which we had never heard of but came in a fabulous bottle. The goodies were really interesting with everything from dried Grapefruit to Salted Caramel Marshmallows. There was also a magazine packed with information about the gin and different cocktails to make using the ingredients provided.

The recommendation was to drink the Pictish gin with Fentimans Pink Rhubarb tonic water and a slice of the dried grapefruit. It was so delicious! The gin is quite spicy and, for me, the strong flavours were of cardamom, ginger and pink pepper which coupled perfectly with the rhubarb and grapefruit.

I especially loved the 3/4oz Spritz Syrup. I love an Aperol Spritz so it's nice to try a non alcoholic alternative as well as the different suggestions for cocktails using the syrup. 

Overall, we were very impressed and felt the box was exiting, interesting and represented good value for money. Can't wait for the August box! 

Welcome back (to me)

Well, it's been almost exactly two years since I last posted a blog post. What have I been doing?

I guess over the last two years, time has run away from me a bit. Since I last posted, I've had another child, moved house, we've expanded our office at work, won a local award.

Since I last blogged, my family
has expanded

I just haven't had time. Or at least, I haven't found the time.

But I was recently talking to the lovely winemaker Nina Stocker at a Naked Wines tasting event in London. She asked me if I still did my blog (which I thought was super nice of her to remember given I think I'd only met her once before). And, it made me think how much I missed having something for me away from work and the kids and the piles and piles of washing (and the boxes of "stuff" I still haven't unpacked since moving).

Naked Wines Archangel

I still drink wine (and quite a bit of gin these days), I still travel (although now with two kids in tow), I'm still an Archangel at Naked Wines (but perhaps not the most prolific contributor to the Naked Wines forums) and I still love eating out whenever I can.

Winning an award with work

My other huge passion is green issues. I am a member of the Green Party and try wherever possible to be eco friendly.

So, I *think* I still have something to say and I'm going to give this blogging lark another go. Please bear with me as I may not be regular, I may be slightly less drunk and sociable than previously, but I shall try my best. And, if there is anything you'd like me to write about, please just drop me an email. You should be able to contact me through this blog.

A tale of Albarino

I've recently fallen a bit in love with a glass of Albarino and feel the need to spread the word.

Traditionally, this grape is grown in the warm and wet region of Galicia in Spain. With the finest Albarino wines coming from Rias Baixas DOC of Spain.

It is light, crisp, citrusy and perfect as an aperitif or with shellfish. So if you like a White Rioja, why not try a different Spanish Style give this grape a glug?

We went on holiday to Spain recently and I was really hoping to try lots of this style of wine. Maybe we were in the wrong area or perhaps the wrong type of resort, but I didn't see a single Albarino in a supermarket. An absolute travesty! 

So back here in the UK, here's a few I've recently enjoyed.

Definition Albarino 2016

I'm a big fan of the Majestic Definition range. It's their own label wine and most of the range that I've tried has been pretty good quality for the price. 

This Albarino is really light, fresh and has a lovely citrus bite. Pretty pure and not overly complex, this wine is dangerously drinkable and a confident crowd pleaser. At £11.99 a bottle, it's the most expensive I've tried but I would say worth the extra pennies.

Tres Mares Albarino

Available from Waitrose at £9.99, this wine has a bit more depth than the definition one. Slightly more golden in the glass, this Rias Baixas Albarino has an apple bite of acidity. 

Some Albarino wines can be unapproachably aromatic, but this one is definitely lighter and more easy drinking.

Medusa Albarino 2016

Priced at £9.99 from Majestic, this wine has easily the most attractive bottle design out of all the ones I've tried. It is also the most complex with more aromatic and peach notes and definitely more of a honey colour in the glass.

For me, this fresh, fruity wine is best served cold and will probably be your glass of wine if you like something off dry with ripe fruit flavours.

Carlos Rodrigues Albarino

This lip smacking Albarino is available from Naked Wines for £9.99. I first tried this at the Naked Wines Tasting tour in 2016 and I definitely went back to Carlos' table for more than one taste! 

It's crisp, fresh and full of apple and pear flavours. Again, serve ice cold and this clear, light coloured wine will definitely not disappoint. I can practically smell the salty air of the sea as I drink this. Definitely zesty, definitely refreshing and one to try. (apologies for the photo, my phone is broken, normal service will resume shortly).

So, if you haven't given this grape a go, I'd really urge you to. Grab yourself a glass, close your eyes and imagine you're on a breezy terrace in Sunny Spain with a plate of salty squid in front of you. And, if there are any you think I should try, then just let me know and I'll add to my list. Cheers!