I remember a time when Halloween wasn’t really a thing. Not any more. And, I’ve realised, resistance is futile. When I suggested that perhaps we, y’know, scale back this year’s Halloween extravaganza – ridiculous spooky tea at ours before visiting neighbours to claim the kids’ bodyweight in Haribo – it was met with (funnily enough) …
So I won’t go on about it but I went to New York. For the weekend. With no kids. I know. I walked in Central Park desperately hoping to bump into Tom Hanks (I didn’t), window-shopped in Soho, stayed out late in Brooklyn and drank Old Fashioned like it was going out of…you know what I mean. We …
So that’s January almost over and done with. Thank goodness; it’s been exhausting. But I have JUST the thing for anyone in need of a little r&r. Lime Wood, in the New Forest, is one of the most gorgeous hotels I know and their Herb House Spa is positively d-r-e-a-m-y. There’s a spa day for two up for grabs …
Remember when I did a dry January? I do, all too clearly. Anyway, the thing I found tough was not the not drinking so much as finding something non-alcoholic and interesting to drink in the evenings. Given that we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to choosing a glass of wine, it’s surprisingly difficult to …
First of all, THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone who’s ordered a case (or more) of our first ever KMWC exclusive wine case. It’s absolutely flying! Lots of you have already tucked in (I expect nothing less) and I’m loving hearing what you think of the wines. If you can, take a picture with bottle in hand …
Another week in London for me this week, working at the International Wine Challenge. And in the evenings, I’ve gone crazy. Sort of. On Monday, an old wine friend treated me to dinner at Noble Rot, a new restaurant in Bloomsbury. Nothing rotten about it at all, rather it’s the most fabulous place for wine along with …
I posted this picture of Wonder Woman on Instagram to celebrate this year’s International Women’s Day. I’m the one in the red t-shirt and blue dungarees. I was six years old, on holiday in Florida. And as you can see, I was in complete awe of Wonder Woman’s fabulousness. I loved that she could fly, had a …
Last week, I sent an email to everyone who subscribes to this blog asking what else you might like to see on here. I’m properly overwhelmed by the response so thank you – THANK YOU – for being so amazing. I love how many of you want, among other things, more on food and wine, on best deals …
Yesterday was One Of Those Days. Came back from the school run to find the puppies had escaped from the kitchen, tearing through the bins on their way out before moving on to Youngest Girl’s cuddly toy stash. Opened the front door to utter carnage, like a horror version of The Teddy Bears’ Picnic. Stuffing everywhere. …
According to new alcohol consumption guidelines issued last week, drinking more than 14 units of alcohol a week is bad for us. From now on we’re advised to drink no more than seven glasses of wine a week. If pregnant, it’s nothing at all. And you know that thing about wine being good for you in moderation? …
Ah, new year’s resolutions. Mine remain pretty much as they did last year. And the year before that. And the year before that. Basically, be healthy-ish and only shout when absolutely necessary. Usually, I’m an everything-in-moderation-including-moderation kinda girl. Except this year, for the first time ever, I’m going dry for January. No booze will pass my lips until …
Last week, I was given a couple of pheasants. We’re surrounded by them at the moment: every morning on the school run they saunter across the road looking so very now with their glorious autumnal colours, their white neck collars giving them a faintly religious air. I wasn’t sure how to cook the ones I was …
Went to watch Middle Boy and Youngest Girl in their Harvest Festival show earlier today. And it really was a show, including a song called ‘Rock & Roll Harvest’. My favourite Neil Young song is Harvest Moon, but this came pretty close as harvest-themed songs go. Funnily enough, one of the first posts I ever …
So, this time last week I’d just filed a story for the paper. It was a bit of a deviation for me because it wasn’t about wine. Rather, it was about how I met my husband. And though I realised a fair few people would read it, nothing prepared me for the response to the piece. …
So, the ‘news’ that Victoria Beckham was spotted leaving a London Fashion Week party with a suspicious wet patch on her trousers was dismissed with a simple ‘4 kids 50 cocktails no brainer’ text from my sister. (We do discuss other more serious issues on occasion. Mostly stuff like this, though). And we sympathised because …
Normally, I write a weekly post for this blog fairly late at night. But given that I’ve now got an extra half hour in the mornings I never knew I had, I thought I’d write this one early. Fuelled by granola, obviously. Yes, my stocks of granola are like Willy Wonka’s gobstoppers: never ending. Compared …
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast”, said Alice. Or rather, Lewis Carroll did. Well, turns out I sort of know what he means, now that my alarm goes off at 6.15am in order to get Eldest Boy out of bed and ready to catch the bus to his new …
You’ve got to love a chorus that goes Ba De Ya. Earth Wind & Fire sang about dancing in September when, according to them, there never was a cloudy day. A little wide of the mark given the past week but a great song nonetheless. Anyway, September in this house is all about early mornings …
If I ever get my arse into gear and write the fiction book that floats around in my head from time to time, this would be the title. But for now, with the nightmare juggle that is school holidays, work and trying to not let the house go to ruin, this just relates to my …
This has been a cracking week for your wine questions (one of the things I love about writing this blog is being able to help with them). Here are some of my favourites: 1. Which are the best wines to look for in a French supermarket? 2. Why is my glass of chablis so yellow? …
So, I went to Lake Como last week. I won’t go on about it (much) but SERIOUSLY. One of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. And we had a Very Famous Person on our flight out. I realised something was up when one of the air stewards practically exploded with excitement and mouthed to …
I went to a big blogging conference in London last Friday, BritMums Live, to speak on a panel. Along with English Mum and Honest Mum, we were asked to talk to an audience of bloggers about our stories and how we’ve gone about building our blogs. And I got to meet Ella Woodward from Deliciously …
Last Saturday, we went to a local fete in the grounds of a nearby stately. It’s one of my favourites, complete with dog show (including a dogs-who-look-like-their-owners round), a Punch & Judy show and a myriad of stalls including cake, plant and bottle. I won a bottle of Amaretto on the latter, which was a …
‘Where’s your wee wine gone?’ asked Eldest Boy earlier today. He was referring to the wine I’ve just made. As a wine buyer I spent much of my time in cold cellars tasting wine samples from tanks but until now, I’d never made my own wine from start to finish. Granted, the grapes came in …
I know it’s what’s on the inside that counts but when it comes to wine labels, I’m a sucker for a good looking label. Whether it’s wine, a book or something in Anthropologie (make that anything in Anthropologie), liking the look of something is what makes me pick it up in the first place. And …
Last week, when everyone went Fifty Shades of mad about a certain film, I tweeted that my abiding memory of the book was the wine descriptions. Specifically, how delicious they sounded (there was definitely a cool, crisp Chablis at some point; and I think there was a Sancerre and a Pouilly Fume too, always perfectly …
Every year, on or around the 25th January, we do Burns Night. I’m married to a sort-of-Scot (my father-in-law was born and brought up in Edinburgh; the Husband’s more of a Hampshire Highlander) so Burns is big in his family. One year, my sister-in-law and I took on the cooking with the help of Pippa …
I do love a nativity play. I was once Angel Gabriel to my husband’s Joseph. We were five years old at the time and I remember thinking that, even if I wasn’t Mary, at least I had a speaking part. Tomorrow, it’s our children’s turn. Apparently there’s a cowboy theme (me neither) and Middle Boy’s …
Unsurprisingly, January does not rate as one of my favourite months and not just because seemingly everyone’s off the booze. And the whole new year’s resolution thing is anathema to me. Or on the words of someone much funnier, a new year’s resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other. I …
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