Moving information and Big Bin End Sale   Our contractors have been busy refurbishing and refitting our new home in Sparkford, and we are sufficiently confident of their progress to announce a moving date of Saturday 15th June. That's when we will be closing for a few days in order to move lock, stock and many pallets of wine down the A303 to re-open on Wednesday 19th June. Here are a few pictures of our new digs to give you a flavour!   Of course, this epic endeavour creates an opportunity for a Bin End Sale to end all Bin End Sales. So, over Thursday 23rd, Friday 24th and Saturday ..read more

Roasted Potato Gnocchi with Asparagus Almond Spread and Hazelnuts Our younger son is back home, after 18 months working and travelling in Australasia and South-East Asia, which is a great pleasure for us. He is vegan, which means that we have to adjust our culinary repertoire accordingly. As British asparagus is in season, and we all love it, I devised the recipe below for a simple mid-week supper.   Ingredients: (Serves 3 to 4 Adults) Gnocchi x 600g (Make sure to buy dairy free gnocchi if catering for any vegans as much of it contains powdered milk as a bulking agent). Fresh asparagus x ..read more

    David Chandler: "In this episode, Jason and David must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky, And all they ask is a flight of fine wines and a corkscrew to open them by... With ABV's on the increase and the prospect of even warmer weather to come, Jason has gone coastal and lined up a half dozen wines that reflect the benign influence of the sea and upon which, you can rely for years to come, even if your hair catches fire. 1) A zingy, sharp as a razor clam, Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine from Jean-François Baron. 2) Napier vineyard's Klein Louis Darling Sauvignon ..read more

Top Tips For Your Next City Break – Sydney   Why? The Harbour City (Australia's largest with a population of over 4,600,000 people) enjoys a breathtaking oceanic location, a warm and sunny maritime climate, a wealth of great museums and galleries, a fantastic and inexpensive public transport system and offers diverse world class cuisine and wines at competitive prices.   When? The Australian summer runs roughly from November through to March and, provided you are diligent in wearing sunscreen and seeking shade, it is a great time to visit a vibrant and welcoming metropolis. Backgrou ..read more

Lamb Boulangère As the days lengthen and crocuses start to appear and blossom adorns the trees, I take solace in the fact that the season is turning and, let's face it, things are going to improve. One of my favourite traditional French recipes is lamb boulangère. This harks back to the days when people heading off to church on a Sunday would give a prepped up baking tray of the dish to the local baker who would put it in their cooling oven for the duration of the service. They could then repatriate it, wonderfully slow-cooked, on their way back from church and serve a tasty family lunch. I'm ..read more

    David Chandler: "In an absolute first for this podcast, our wine-loving friends spend several minutes drinking something that isn't actually wine. This deviation from tradition, though unthinkable under normal circumstances, is rendered unavoidable by the fact that Jason has decided to answer a question that David wasn't even aware needed to be asked - unless in a past life, his name had been Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie (i.e. Napoleon Bonaparte's wife) and the question that bothered his pretty, little head had been, "Whatever would mon petit chou like to drink, ce s ..read more

Shakshuka Shakshuka is a restorative North African dish believed to be of Tunisian origin. It is quite quickly and easily prepared and makes for a tasty lunch or light supper dish. There are numerous different twists one can deploy in its preparation so I have deliberately not looked for a recipe online as I didn’t want to get drawn in to an alternative methodology.   Ingredients: (Serves 2 Adults) Chopped Tomatoes 1 x 400g can. Medium Sized Spanish Onions x 2 Red or Green Bell Pepper x 1 Large Garlic Cloves x 4 Medium Sized Free-Range Hens Eggs x 4 Sweet Paprika x half a teaspoon Cayenn ..read more

Yapp Brothers is thrilled to announce a significant milestone in its 55-year history. Established in 1969, the company will shortly be moving to new premises after five decades in Wiltshire.   For half a century, Yapp Brothers has called Mere its home, initially operating out of Robin Yapp’s garage before moving to picturesque Victorian warehouses in the town centre in 1972. The company has outgrown these cellars and is therefore poised to move 15 miles west to exciting, modern premises in Sparkford, Somerset. The new site, located at West 303, Sparkford, Somerset, BA22 7JJ (minutes off ..read more

Kefir-ly Cultivated Last Summer, traversing la belle France on holiday, we stayed the night with our old friends Fred and Laurence Filliatreau in their delightful home, set amongst vines, at Château Fouquet, in the hamlet of Brèze, in the Loire valley. It was great to have our first familial get together since the onset of Covid and it involved the appropriate amount of good food and wine. Over breakfast on the day of our departure Fred served us some of his homemade kefir, which was refreshing, gently-carbonated and, to us novices, fascinating.   Fred duly gave us a jar of his precious ..read more

Seasonal Snackage Package and Festive Libations In the run up to Christmas we always invite a few friends and neighbours round for drinks. Experience has taught us that people like a definite cut off time and it is best to avoid trying to provide a fully catered meal. That said, a few canapés or snacks do provide some sustenance and are always welcome - even a modest selection offers variety and something for everyone. It all got consumed last time which, by my reckoning, means we judged it about right.   Wine-wise, I will be using our Sommelier Selections mixed case as my main festive i ..read more