WHICH ENGLISH WINE WAS THE FAVOURITE? - white, sparkling, rose or red?

Central London Wine Society held a wonderful wine and dine event at the Civil Service club on 15 June 2019. During the evening we had tastes of 14 different English white wines. All were bought from the larger branches of Waitrose supermarket in London.

This photo shows my two favourites.

English white wines. Photo by Angela Lansbury

An English sparkling white wine on the left. On the left of the picture is our starter drink, the Hattingley Valley Classic Reserve. NV meaning non vintage. A sparkling white wine which we had as our welcome drink.

Cost
It cost £24. That may compare well with some Champagnes from France, but is considerably dearer than the popular Proseccos from Italy sold in Tesco Express supermarket.

On the right was the one I liked even more, our sweet dessert wine, the Denbies Noble Harvest 2016.
Lots of sugar. 94.3 grams per liter. That sounds staggering to me. That compares with a Sauternes up to about 100-120 grams per litre. The Denbies Nobel Harvest 2016.

We were a group of about a dozen. We all voted on our favourite wines. I am out of kilter with other wine drinkers. I am a nineteen sixties girl brought up on Mateus Rose from Portugal.

My other favourite was Liebraumilch from Germany. That was in the days when wine from England was unheard of.

The final sweet wine was a universal favourite in our group. However, the starter wine was beaten in the voting by the second wine on our list.

Pairing Wines With Food
We had so many wines that it was not possible to pair up the main course wines with everybody's main courses. I ordered chicken (chicken Kiev) so white wines suited me. My husband ordered steak so he asked to have the red wine early.

The first sparkling wine I liked so much was not so striking later in the meal nor at the end of the meal, when, admittedly, it was no longer cold, nor sparkling. After all, that is the point of the bubbles, to distract you from the nasty wine.

USEFUL WEBSITES
My husband is a wine educator and gives a more technical account of the wines on his website:
http://grapedeal.com/english-wine/

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Ordering online from supermarkets - does it work?

Waitrose Calendar - if you got one last year, you could use it to mark your delivery slot.

Problem
The delivery options are great. You can get delivery in time slots, which are on the hour and on the half hour, from 7-8 am until 9-10 pm. When I looked online after mighnight, Saturday, in effect Sunday, the next day slots on Monday which were already filled and taken were 7-9, 4-5 and 5-6.

Ordering online from supermarkets sound a great way to cater for a leaving party in a studio flat or hotel suite.

However, my efforts in the UK were not a success.

I tried Waitrose. Then Ocado. They sent me a survey and asked my opinion. I said:

Firstly, keep my shopping bag full so if I accidentally close the website I haven't wasted 90 minutes.

Free Delivery?
Secondly, I opened what I thought was an Ocado offer for £30 off and free delivery and got neither. It seems that I have to spend £60 and to get special deals I have to sign up for a year which is not possible as I am retired and shall be away for more than a month at some time in the winter.

Waitrose lets you sign up with Facebook or google or Paypal. That's handy.

Waitrose and Ocado
I started on the Waitrose website, then went onto the Ocado website with different offers and now can't make out if they are the same or different as my website on Ocado disappeared and is not in my history.

I would like to be able to save products in favourites, so if I try to re-load my basket it will pick them again, but I am not sure how to do it. I think it only does that after you have completed your first shop. What if I am hopping about and want to save teh chocolate digestives whilst I look for alternatives?

When I go to close the website without completing my order, it does not offer to save anything.

Basket Price
The website should also give you a running total so you can see if you are near the minimum spend. I think I saw it once. Maybe I moved the screen and it went.

I don't know why the cookies haven't saved me. Instead, I have to start filling in passwords all over again.

How Many Biscuits Per Pack?
Some of the packs said, two pieces, or four.
However, the biscuit packs and cakes mostly don't have numbers of pieces or slices.

I have no idea how many 'family size' serves. A family of four? Six? Twenty?

I am going to a club committee meeting of about 6 to 8 people and want to take a pack of biscuits and a cake or something like profiteroles. I don't want to find I have 8 people and only 7 biscuits or four pieces of cake you can't cut without making a mess all over our paperwork.

Prices
The Waitrose / Ocado online prices are much higher than Tesco Express which has bananas under £1 and a giant box of grapes for £3. I also cannot buy a sandwich, only sandwich fillings. All day in any supermarket I can get sandwiches for £1 or from Tesco for £1.10p.

Tinned Fish
The tins of sardines and mackerel are also much more expensive than Tesco, and the baked beans.

Cheesecakes
I had trouble working out which of the cheesecakes were baked cheesecakes and which were the mousse sort which make a mess and are more like cream than cake. I would like a round cake pre-cut into slices for a party.

If you want to order a large amount, good.

Alternatives
Maybe I'll go back to the Poundland website.

ADVANTAGES FOR YOU
However, your circumstances may be different from mine. You may find that, as there advertising claims, they save you hours of time. And stop you making impulse purchases. And enable you to check your own fridge to be sure you really have run out of something before you buy it.

Useful Websites
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocado
Waitrose.com
www.ocado.com
poundland.co.uk
This sites explains that although products may overlap, the two sites are different. The article was written in 2014 as you can tell from the prices and offers.
https://www.thedrum.com/opinion/2014/03/03/battle-between-ocado-and-waitrose-shows-why-integrated-campaign-needs-more
Author
Angela Lansbury

What's cheap and what's not? England, Wales, Cambodia, Kenya, Singapore ... read more

Problem
Where can I go to get good value for money? It can be swings and roundabout, lose on some gain on another. What's cheap and what's not?

I'm going to compile a list of countries with cheap flights, seasons and accommodation, food, attractions. I'm starting the blog today and will keep adding to it. When it gets too unwieldy to read, and the seasons and circumstances have changed. I'll start another post.

You will find bargains and cons all over America, Europe, Asia, Australia.

ENGLAND
SHOPPING
GAIN
Cheap stores:
Poundland.
Poundstretcher.
CLOTHES
Primark.
Charity shops: St Luke's.
LOSE
Some charity shops seem to charge higher prices. Oxfam.
FOOD
Supermarkets:
Aldi.
Lidl.
£1 sandwiches in Poundland, Tesco Express.
Reduced prices in a reduced price area, or through the shop towards closing time - good if you are a night owl and eat late. It's on food which is reaching its 'eat by ...' date.
LOSE
You could find your fruit or hummus has gone off if you leave until tomorrow breakfast time - or even midnight, after the shop has closed and they won't accept a return next day.

CAMBODIA
GAIN
Tuk-tuks or motorcycle taxi are cheap. It is probably cheaper to hire one by the day or week than to keep taking different taxis. We were asked 6 pounds/dollars for one one-way journey but 15 for the whole day.
LOSE
The temple entry tickets are expensive. You can't just buy a ticket for Ankor Wat. About £20 for a day. We might have visited one temple a day, or two, maximum five, with an hour's walking at each if we were determined to get our moneysworth. So a three-day pass for one of us was £60. For two of us £120, paid out on day one - a lot of cash, so you might run out of cash, if they don't take credit cards or charge extra for your use of a credit card. Check the cost in advance. It might go up or down since I was there and you might be getting a reduction.

KENYA
Shared taxis.
Cheap Hostels and homestays. I haven't done this but read about it in Wikivoyage.

SINGAPORE
SHOPPING
GAIN
Cheap or good value department store with huge variety:
Mohammed Mustaphas by Little India.
MUSEUMS
TAXIS
GAIN
Use uber. Sign up and they email regular deals.
Share a taxi from some queues in busy shopping malls and stations.
LOSE
Regular taxis if you go in the Central Business District (CBD for short) especially in peak, hours, and more surcharge for after midnight. Phone for a taxi and some companies charge for an advanced booking fee for a taxi.

WALES
GAIN
Many free museums fun by the government or local council, for example, Cardiff.

SEASONAL
CHINESE NEW YEAR
GAIN
If you head for a shopping mall before opening time on New Year's Day and are first through the door of a family shop or even a supermarket, you might be given two oranges, or offered a reduction because you are the first customer and bringing luck.

RAMADAN
LOSE
You might find no restaurants open during the day. In Malaysia look for or ask for a Chinese restaurant. They are exempt (so long as they are not Muslim).
GAIN
Many mosques and other places offer free food for breaking the fast after sunset.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

Happy Day In Hatch End - A Look At Local Life

Problem

Where to go for a walk on a sunny day? Up and down the shops, of course.

A happy day in Hatch End. Blue skies. Warm in London. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.

Need an eye test? We have two opticians. 

I love these mirror like spectacles.

This little man is getting an eye test.

Look who is watching you! I spotted a turtle in a tank. "Three turtles," the assistant informs me.  in a tank. "Males," the assistant informed me. I obviously need to get my eyes tested. I was about to ask, "How do you know they are males?" But I thought the better of it.

If you want to stop for a drink, the Moon and Sixpence pub has jolly fuschia coloured flowers at the front, two smiling scarecrows, bunting advertising fruit ciders and berries. Walk through and at the back garden you'll find bench seating in the shade or the sun.

Next door at Orama restaurant the industrious staff are busy preparing for another busy evening, sweeping the street outside. Many high streets in the UK and overseas could copy.

The lorry (truck to any American readers) is delivering to Tesco Express.  I bought chocolate brownie flavour milk for an afternoon summer party. The flavoured milk keeps for a month or more. The slogan on the lorry sums up my feeling. 'We love shopping locally.'

Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Author

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. 

I have many more posts on London, England, UK, Cambodia, Romania, and destinations worldwide. Please share your favourite posts.

Christmas is Coming: last post dates; Xmas meals; Dec 18 event: Hatch End

Put up lights in gardens, post the cards, buy and decorate trees, book dinners, lots to look at and plan.

The front gardens are getting ready.

Christmas tree outside Fellini Caffe Italian restaurant.

Get fit and healthy with your pills and prescriptions from Tanna's chemists. 

Buy and post your seasonal cards in time for Christmas. This handy reminder is in Tesco Express. Last local postal times 1st class 21st December 2015, 2nd class 19 December. 

Bookings for Christmas dinners:

The moon and Sixpence pub.

 Or Pizza Express.

Or maybe Christmas at home.

A Christmas tree for the table from Tesco, at £3.

Or something from Bella's Blooms:

If you've nothing else planned, yet, Friday December 18th, note the date in your diary, Hatch End charity Christmas street event happens in Hatch End, 4-8 pm, with a sweet cart, Santa's Grotto, a raffle and horse-drawn carriage.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

After Halloween Bargains and party theme costumes and tableware

In previous years I have bought bargains after halloween, a witch's hat, a broomstick, fake fingernails, and a black glove with a white skeleton hand design on the back. A bag with a skull on it which I had rejected as ghoulish seemed very handy for collecting together all my Halloween kit at the annual Toastmasters international autumn conference which tends to fall around Halloween leading to Halloween as a theme for the celebration dinner at the weekend.
You find bargains in UK supermarkets. Tesco Express this year had reductions on green popcorn.

In the USA party shops have numerous stores.
See the party City chain.

Look for costumes for men, women and children, tableware, balloons, and life-size cardboard cutouts.

Tesco, Hatch End, November 2015.

Tesco, Hatch End, November 2015. Green popcorn.

I tried to find Halloween bargains on their website. I could not find any but I was pleasantly surprised to discover lots of Xmas party goods and they stock themes for adults of all ages including 70th birthday.

In the UK and on line also check out Aldi, Asda, Lidl, Sainsbury's, Wilko, the Co-op and comparison sites such
http://www.hotukdeals.com/tag/halloween .

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author, speaker, performer.

What to do in Fishguard: the ferry, beach, books on the sea, and sea life exhibition

Fishguard is a quaint two centre harbour and village, end of the train line, where the boat train meets the Ferry crossing to Ireland. Fishguard's fun is seeing the sea and learning about wildlife. As you walk along the front, watching children leap over the low rock, you are invigorated by the sea breeze and the sea smell, tangy, salty, sharp, evoking memories of seaweed, fishy.

The Tesco Express sells bottles of water and sandwiches for £1.10 and fruit packs if you want to go for a healthy walk. By the tills are books on the area, Wales, and wildlife.

Opposite Tesco, across the road, is a seafront path leading to a large glass-sided, two-storey building containing a cafe, gift shop and exhibition areas.
 The Information counter by the doorway has lots of leaflets and people to answer your questions. An exhibition with a tour guide for a small cost every hour or so is about sealife and has a video and aquariums.

The handy gift shop sells jewellery and scarves and items for making mould of sand, and books on birds, seabirds, insects, flowers, SAS survival.

Check out their second hand books for sale making money for the Ocean project.

Birds and books and fish and jewellery.

The bus doesn't run on Sunday. You will have to walk uphill to the Fishguard Bay hotel, where you can buy a bar lunch and read about the filming of Moby Dick and Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood.

If you really want to see the sea, you can take an afternoon trip to Ireland (Rosslare). If you are British or Irish you do not need a passport, just a drivelling license or utility bill. (Check the Stena site for up to date details.) The cost of the trip is only £5 for a foot passenger.

Next post will be about the tapestry and history.

Angela Lansbury, travel writer, author, speaker.
Author of twenty books, the latest being Larry the Talking Labrador.

Cheap eating out in England: budget breakfast, sandwich for £1

Where can you get a quick bite to eat? Breakfast bargains include the Wetherspoons pub breakfast, but, be warned, be aware, coffee is extra. But it's a large cup. So both coffee and cooked breakfast will cost you four pounds, with two pennies change. If you've got coffee at home or in a hotel nearby, then it's only three pounds with a penny change. Served until noon. Then what?

What about lunch, elevenses or an early tea, not sugared cake but something which sounds more sensible, a sandwich? If you are in a London suburb such as Harrow, you can look for a pound shop which has a chicken sandwich for £1.

I was walking around Watford's mall, Intu, and had quite despaired of finding a £1 sandwich, when I spied one on the shelves at Boots Chemist. They have cheese and mayo in brown bread. No veg, but hey, it's only £1. 

 You have to keep looking for the £1 offer section. I went past the whole sandwich section and missed it. Then I checked again and found it. The sandwich selection also includes tuna.
If you are after fruits and vegetables they have that too, but it'll cost another two or three pounds.

Want a drink in a garden? The weather forecast for London is a warm week ahead, maybe a cool drink and a little vitamin D from the sunshine in the garden at the back far from the traffic. Or at least a pavement area with some hanging baskets and pots of flowers at the front? The classic Pimms from £2.35 a glass.

What about dinner? Hungry before you get home? Between 6 pm and 8 pm Tescos, including the Tesco Express stores you see everywhere, open until 11 pm, have marked down sandwiches and other items such as yogurts.  

If you expect to use these places a lot, you can get a Boots advantage card, with extra deals for over 60s and Parenting club for members who are pregnant or have a child under three years.

Or a Tesco card.