It’s not a fashion parade…

Or so my mother used to say to me when hurrying me out of the door to get to school on time. But that is exactly what it was. The length of our skirts, the carefully picked holes in our jumpers…we might have all been in school uniform but there were ways to mark ourselves out, or rather blend in. Now I’m doing the school run and eldest boy takes great care over his collar, each morning carefully shaping it to look casually unshaped. I haven’t uttered my mother’s words to him yet – I’ll try to resist, I like the fact that his collar gives him confidence – but am sure it is only a matter of time. As for what I wear on the school run, read this and tell me it’s not a fashion parade…

Current white in the fridge:
Guentota Estate Chardonnay/Viognier 2009, £4.99 on offer, Tesco
The Chardonnay grape got a bit of a bad name (and not just because it was used as a first name in Footballers’ Wives, spawning a thousand baby Chardonnays). Most were put off by excessive oak (or rather oak chip) flavours that were all the rage when Australia was on the equivalent of wine steroids. These wines are mostly a thing of the past. This Argentinian one is big and bold but with just the right amount of sunshiny melon and tropical fruit flavours. The splash of Viognier adds weight and spice too. I’ve had this with grilled sweet peppers tonight and it was delish. Apparently, Evita got her wines from here for State dinners. Not sure how good her palate was but she always did good Dior. 

Current red on the side:
Long Country Cabernet Sauvignon 2008, £4/bottle half price, Tesco
I bloody love Chilean wines. You always know you are going to get great value for money. You always know you are going to get something you’ll want another glass of. And you always know you’ll be able to stick your nose in the glass and play ‘name that fruit’. In this case, it is blackcurrant. And ripe plums. Oh, and a whiff of chocolate. And a tiny note of cinnamon. This is made from grapes grown in the vast Central Valley region, one big fruit bowl really. Tried and tested with rib of beef on Sunday, drunk from little carafe tumblers in the garden. Magical.

Sunny daze x