We are delighted that our new 2023 wine list has now gone to press, and is ready for mailing out to our customers this week.   Despite some difficulties with glass shortages and complications with transportation, the 2022 vintage was generally more prolific in France than the frost-depleted 2021 harvest so that, at least, is welcome news. Once again we have collaborated with our artist friend David Chandler, who this year has produced colourful images in crayon that capture both vineyards and wine-makers with charm.   There are some exciting new discoveries for your enjoyment, some ..read more

Fried Pork Chops in Cider with Hasselback Potatoes & Brussel Sprouts When I have a day to myself, I enjoy a spot of leisurely food shopping and try to innovate, compiling a dish that is new to me and that can be enjoyed à deux as our evening meal. Yesterday was such an occasion and amongst the meat offerings in my local retailer the pork chops, which I seldom cook, looked like the most appetising option. I vaguely recalled that my mum, who is a very good cook and is still going strong, used to cook pork chops in cider (we did live in Somerset) and so I thought I'd use that as my inspiratio ..read more

Beckford Canteen – Bath One of my and Mrs Yapp's preferred pastimes is visiting new dining establishments, preferably before we've read or heard much critical feedback from other people. It is something we have really missed out on since the Covid crisis and so we were delighted to get back in the game with a recent visit to the newly-opened Beckford Canteen in Bath. We managed to secure a lunch booking on a sunny Winter Sunday not having read or heard any reports from friends or critics. We were very familiar with the Beckford Group being frequent and enthusiastic visitors to the Talbot Inn i ..read more

    David Chandler: "With Valentine's Day very much on their minds, Jason and David get fizzical with no less than eight Crémants from the eight Crémant regions of France: Bourgogne, Loire, Alsace, Bordeaux, Limoux, Rhône and Savoie. After such a record-breaking, horizontal tasting, other wine enthusiasts might feel inclined to adopt a similar position, but Jason's and David's enthusiasm for the 'fizz areas' (technical term) of France remains as effervescent as ever. So, don't let the fact that it's not champagne burst your bubble. This Valentine's Day, if you really want to impress ..read more

Moules Marinière There is currently much concern regarding the sustainability of lots of seafood and the impact of over-fishing and climate change. Happily, one type of seafood is simple to both source and cultivate and remains plentiful, inexpensive, delicious and easy to cook. Bring on, one of my favourite bivalves – mussels. Why mussels are seemingly underrated is a mystery to me unless it a question of aesthetics, which I can sort of understand, although personally I have no qualms about eating bite size morsels of briny perfection. There are many ways of preparing mussels for the table bu ..read more

Sardine Spaghetti Sauce This recipe was taught to me, and served to me, by Pippa’s niece Ursula who is a resourceful and inventive force in the kitchen and a welcome visitor. This versatile store cupboard dish is useful to fall back on throughout the year.   Ingredients: (Serves 4 people) Dried Durum Wheat Spaghetti x 500g Tinned Sardines in Olive Oil 2 x 100g Concentrated Tomato Puree x 100g Small Red Onions x 2 Garlic x 3 cloves Chili powder Sea Salt Ground Pepper Chopped flat leaf parsley with olive oil and salt. Method Peel and finely slice the onions then lightly fry them (in a stee ..read more

    David Chandler: "Caught up in the Christmas rush? Of course you are! Need wine? Of course you do! In this seasonal edition, Jason and David selflessly taste six wines that have been picked by the press as wholly appropriate for the holiday season so you don't have to! Kicking off with the cream of Crémants from Domaine de L'Idylle (to mollify the peelers and preppers imprisoned in the kitchen), our doughty duo (with a starter of smoked salmon in mind), veer onto family Aubert's vivifying Vouvray. After that, it's a festive free-for-all as they round on a row of reds that will pa ..read more

Roast Chicken with Roast Potatoes and Fine Beans When our sons were younger (OK when we were all younger) I used to enjoy playing the role of paterfamilias and I would order a large, free range Norfolk bronze turkey as the centerpiece of our festive feast. These days both of our sons have graduated and are vegans and work in hospitality. It is an each-way bet whether either will be home for Christmas and if they are (which would be lovely) they won't be interested in turkey. In a way that is a relief, as it was a hell of palaver to cook the thing and a smaller, less showy meal feels more in ke ..read more

    David Chandler: "In this brutally honest edition, our aging adventurers in wine, in acknowledgement of their advancing years, doff their battered pith helmets to Jason's son, Will, who happens to be in the first flush of adulthood, rather than David's and Jason's busted variety. But the question on Jason's mind is, 'Do young people even drink wine at all?' while the question on David's is, 'When is Jason coming back from the fridge with the first bottle?' Our try-anything trio then work their way through one sparkling, one white, one rosé and two reds, that Jason believes would ..read more

The second post in our series about investing in wines focuses on some key considerations.   Part 1 listed five reasons why you might want to invest. We also recorded a 20-minute podcast on the subject of wine investment highlighting some 'dos and don'ts', which you can listen to here. 1. The wine market is unregulated, unlike financial services. That means no requirement for qualifications, no regulatory oversight other than licensing obligations, no compensation scheme, etc. Investment scams continue - earlier this year, 150 elderly Americans were duped out of $13 million in a cold-cal ..read more