I get loads of messages every week asking for wine recommendations for various things – a birthday present, a special dinner, something for the fridge door – but at the moment all anyone wants to talk about is what to buy for Christmas. So this week’s wine recommendations are both around £10 and I’d happily …
I’m back! And I’m 50! We celebrated with a (very) long lunch in the garden just a few weeks ago and honestly, my fifties feel like I’ve arrived at a party I’ve been wanting to go to for ages. Even the dress code feels more relaxed. Anyway, I’ve got lots to tell you so I’ll …
It’s been a while. How are you? Yes, me too. Always tired. Could be my age, kids, work, hormones – take your pick. Anyway, it’s been a busy few weeks so I thought I’d share some highlights. First one, I’ve finished writing fiction book number three! Well, the first draft so there’s more work to …
One of the guests on Saturday Kitchen at the weekend was Caitlin Moran, talking about her new book More Than A Woman. I devoured it last week whilst mainlining tea and a Terry’s chocolate orange. And I laughed out loud. A lot. (Slightly hazardous after three kids but whatever). Basically, it’s a guide to growing …
Still feeling a little weird about them going back to school. Don’t get me wrong: I’m loving having a quiet house to myself. Thing is I seem to have forgotten how to apply myself when I’ve got the whole day to do it. Over the last six months it’s been a juggle/struggle to get stuff …
It’s been a long (almost) six months but finally – finally! – the children have gone back to school. And just like that the house is quiet. Messy, but quiet. Obviously I’m really happy they’ve gone back but it does feel very weird not having them in the house after all this time. A bit …
Last week I had a proper break. Sadly it didn’t involve a tropical island for obvious reasons but we did escape to Cornwall for a few days to stay in one of my favourite pubs on the planet. Called The Gurnard’s Head, it sits above a stunning stretch of Cornish coastline, all crashing waves, jagged …
It appears lockdown has changed me. First, there was the baking. So. Much. Banana. Bread. Then there was the Pilates. It used to be a once a week habit but I’ve been doing it almost every morning before home-schooling starts. Which is probably a good thing because a) all that banana bread and b) my …
I’ve been drinking quite a bit in the mornings lately. For work obviously, most recently with Holly & Phil on This Morning. And one of my favourite wines in the line up was an organic red blend from Puglia that comes in what looks like a giant paint tin. It’s basically bag-in-box reimagined, holding three …
Firstly, an enormous thank you to anyone who bought a(nother) copy of The Knackered Mother’s Wine Guide. I didn’t think publication day would feel quite like it did second time around but it was a really joyful day full of messages, flowers and a few happy tears. And then it was half term. I seem …
I’m definitely feeling festive and that’s not just the trifle-flavoured cream liqueur talking. The tree is up, mince pies have been made (and eaten in front of The Holiday) and I’ve even managed to buy a few presents, albeit online and maybe a little wine-fluenced. Anyway, some of you have been asking for fizz recommendations …
We’re into the second week of half term (the boys have two weeks off. TWO WEEKS! ) and we’re all still talking to each other. Maybe with the odd shout thrown in but mostly talking, thanks in part to a brilliant new book called How To Stop Losing Your Sh*t with Your Kids by Carla …
I did it! And I loved every single minute of my first Saturday Kitchen Live experience. OK so I wasn’t mad about the coral lipstick and the camera definitely adds at least 10lbs but I got to eat unbelievably good food and drink wine at 10am on a Saturday morning. With Jason Donovan! Makes a …
Remember I hurt my knee doing The Nutcracker at Christmas? (We take charades very seriously in this house). Turns out I’ve got to have surgery later this week so I’ll be sofa-bound for a couple of days post-op. For obvious reasons, I’m thrilled at the prospect of being forced to put my feet up for …
We’re nearly there. Last full week of the Easter Holidays (fist bump) culminating in a long chocolate-fuelled weekend (thumbs up). Now when it comes to finding the right wine to go with chocolate, sweet wines tend to work better than most. We’re talking tawny ports, Banyuls or Maury from France, or anything made from Muscat. …
I’ve been working away from home this week. Of course I miss the kids blah blah but there are serious upsides. Take yesterday. After work, I met a friend for a drink and a bite to eat at one of my favourite London restaurants, Barrafina (the new/old one on Dean Street in Soho). One of …
Mother’s Day soon and to celebrate I’ve got some prizes I’m hoping might appeal to anyone who’s either knackered, a mother or both. First up, sleep. Sadly not a week’s uninterrupted sleep in a kingsize bed but I do have a box of Spacemasks (thank you, Harriet) and they’re basically the next best thing. Next, wine. …
Apparently, there’s a new series on Netflix about tidying up with expert de-clutterer Marie Kondo. Now, I haven’t seen it (too busy watching the entire series of Fleabag back to back, way more fun than folding clothes). But I do know Marie’s mantra is ‘does this spark joy?’ In other words if you own something …
You know that thing I mentioned last week but couldn’t tell you about? I’ve been asked to be one of the judges for the 2019 Fortnum & Mason Food & Drink Awards. I won the Online Drinks Writer Award in their inaugural year back in 2013 and, ohmigod, the party was one of the most celebrity-strewn …
I have a terrible poker face. That whole ‘can’t tell what they’re thinking’ thing? Whatever it is, it’s usually written all over mine. In marker pen. So when I was told something exciting last week, and then told to keep it quiet until next week, my heart sank. I’m literally bursting to tell you but …
We’re off to a festival this weekend. And it’s my favourite kind of festival because it’s local, meaning I get to soak up the atmosphere and still collapse into my own bed at the end of it. (It’s the Curious Arts Festival and you can find out more about it here). Anyway, this made me …
I thought I could take it or leave it. You know, dip in and out as and when it suited me. But before I knew it I was in too deep. And now it’s a full on obsession. Yes, I know it’s ridiculous but I just can’t help myself. And now, if you don’t mind …
Earlier this week I popped up on ITV’s This Morning to talk about sugar in wine with the divine Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby. The good news is that in the grand scheme of things, wine isn’t too bad as far as sugar goes. Most are fermented dry with yeasts converting the natural sugars found …
When it comes to Mother’s Day, I don’t ask for much. Which is just as well because the Husband would pass out if he knew how much my favourite bubble bath cost (Elemis Muscle Soak, as it happens). But I do insist on bubbles of another kind on Mother’s Day. In a glass bottle, preferably …
After spending last week in London tasting around 100 wines a day (I was judging at the International Wine Challenge, not just really thirsty), I’m back and trying to get on top of things. It’s not going that well. The house is a tip, the laundry basket needs a room of its own, work has …
Well, the Menorcan mini-break with gorgeous girlfriends was a boon and I came back truly refreshed. A little too refreshed, to be honest – there was a lot of rosé. And crisps. But we swam in the sea every morning (glorious!), shopped and sunbathed a little, walked, talked and laughed until we cried a lot. …
This week, I hit 45. I know age is just a number blah blah blah but honestly, when I woke up on the morning of my 45th birthday it was the first time I’ve not been that excited about it being my birthday. The only way to describe it is feeling like I was at the …
Well, wasn’t that fun? Six weeks filled with sun and fun. Apart from the bits when it p*ssed with rain (quite a lot) and we all drove each other mad (quite a lot). But now it’s all over and the children are back at school. For the first time in months the house is quiet. An …
Sometimes my life seems like one long list of stuff to do. So for the next 10 days, I’m going to live by a To Don’t list. Here’s what’s on it. Don’t think 11am is too early for a glass of rosé. Don’t buy that pair of white cotton trousers in the French market for …
What a week. Met a deadline on Tuesday, another on Wednesday, had a flat tyre on Thursday (sorry, this is sounding like the worst Craig David song ever). But – hooray! – it’s Friday and the weekend is almost ours. It’s been quite a week so when I did get that flat tyre yesterday, I made the most …
I went to a brilliant party earlier this week (out! On a school night!), the book launch for my friend and fellow wine writer Victoria Moore’s new book The Wine Dine Dictionary. Now, I love a dictionary but this one is like my dream dictionary. Because you can look up any wine (by grape) and it gives …
I realise it’s a bit like complaining that my diamond shoes are too tight but I got hit by a crazy skier last week whilst on the slopes in Austria and now I’m on crutches with a ruptured cruise ship (I’m told it’s cruciate but I prefer cruise ship) ligament. Which, given that I’ve got …
This week sees the launch of the laugh-til-you-wee Scummy Mummies book, so to celebrate I thought we’d take a look at some suitably scummy wines. Written by Ellie Gibson and Helen Thorn, the book is a brilliant celebration of parenting failures, stuffed with hilarious confessions and top tips. For example, new parents! Save time by …
As ever, late to the party – our half term is this week. On the up side, mornings aren’t quite so early/shouty. On the down side, trampoline parks. We went to one yesterday afternoon and the kids flipped for an hour whilst I hid in a corner with my laptop, trying to hit a deadline. Honestly, you …
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 …
I’m often late to the party. I don’t mean an actual party. Just, you know, the “party”. Take parkas: only just ordered one and they’ve been around since, like, forever. Or box sets. By the time we sit down to watch something I’ve usually heard or read so much about it I feel like I’ve already seen it. Then there’s spiralising, although …
That whole bake with your kids thing? Lovely in theory, carnage in practice in my experience. Last week we spent an evening making cupcakes for a friend’s charity cake sale at school. Once the cakes were made, Middle Boy and Youngest Girl set about decorating them with everything they could find in the the cupboard. Silver …
Last Saturday night, we had our biennial School Ball. It might be a tiny village school but when it comes to parties, it goes large. We’re talking black tie, dinner, dancing. For the last ten years I’ve had a go-to dress for such occasions: jade green, very Studio 54 (in my head). Minus the horse, obviously. Problem …
Maybe it’s the back to school feeling in the air. More likely it’s the fact that I’ve got deadlines. Whatever: I can’t stop clearing out cupboards. It all started with the coat cupboard, where I found not one but two old puffa jackets I’d forgotten about. A boon because apparently they’re the only thing we …
Well, here we are. Six weeks of summer holidays. Six. Whole. Weeks. I mean, there’s lots to love. No school runs, no last minute hunts for clean school uniform and no reading book guilt. This is all good. Not so good: the permanent canteen/washing/taxi service needed to keep things ticking over. But I have a plan …
I’ve got exciting news. But I can’t share it until next week so, given that I’m terrible at keeping secrets, I’m going to have to change the subject until then. Earlier this week I helped with a fundraising event called Barre to the Bar. It involved an introduction to barre pilates for 50 people led by my friend, the …
I have Camp Bestival news: I’m doing a wine tasting on the Saturday night with the wee-inducinginly funny, gold catsuit-rocking comedy duo The Scummy Mummies. And our host for the evening is DJ Sara Cox. I know! And, if you fancy doing another (smaller) pop-up tasting on the Friday, with just me and a load of lovely …
I’m sitting here with wine on my face. Better than egg, you might think. But that’s on there too, along with some honey. My feet are submerged in vodka, my nails are soaked in gin and I’m about to pour beer on my head. With good reason: I’m testing out some booze-based beauty tricks for …
I’ve been tasting a lot of wine this week, about 100 a day, at the International Wine Challenge in London. Yesterday, an old friend and fellow wine judge reminded me of the time we tasted a flight (the fancy name for a line up of wines) of Cabernet Sauvignons from Chile together, almost twenty years ago, …
Last weekend went by in a haze of lamb, rioja and gold Lindt bunnies. Now we’re well into the school holidays and I’m mostly running on leftover eggs (chocolate, not chicken). That and wine, obviously. Talking of which, I’ve gone for more wine recommendations than usual this week given the circumstances. You know, just in case the chocolate runs out.
So, Mother’s Day on Sunday. Already looking forward to my cup of tea in bed, cards and a few hastily freshly picked daffodils from the garden. But given that I plan to be on the sofa, glass in hand whilst someone else does the washing up, I want something really lovely in my glass. So this week’s wines are freshly …
So, Half Term. I’ve loved not having to wake up to an alarm when it’s still dark outside. Eating breakfast in our pyjamas (which may or may not have been chocolate brownies one particular morning – please don’t look at me like that) has been a joy. We’ve caught up with old mates, walked the dogs, played football (actually I …
We’re nearly at the end of January *fist pump* which means I can have a glass of wine soon. So, seeing as we’re celebrating (nearly) the end of the toughest month of the year, I thought it was time for a little pick me up. I live down the road from the most lovely hotel, …
I’m sure there’ll be a year when all the presents are wrapped and the food prepped ahead of time. Just not this one. But before we part company for a bit, here are some of the wines featured in a list I put together for The Pool, a brilliant website stuffed with great articles and the …
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 …
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. …
“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 …
This is me, at the Knackered Mother’s Wine Club tasting at Camp Bestival last Saturday. We had a brilliant crowd, including a gorgeous lady who’d got married that day at Camp Bestival’s inflatable church (not making this up) and another on her hen night. There was a performance by the brilliant Scummy Mummies, Ellie & …
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? …
Last night was Book Club and no, I hadn’t read the book (it was a medical-themed book with really tiny print – double whammy). I took a bottle of English white wine in the hope it would act as a diversion – it sort of worked – and as ever the chat was 10% book, …
We’ve just returned from a few days staying with old mates in Scotland and joining us on our long journey home were a couple of new additions to our household. Meet Yankee & Zulu, our eight week old cocker spaniel puppies. Half term just got a whole lot more hectic, in a good way. Like …
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 …
I love a good handbag. And given that most of the armful I own are old vintage, I especially love the ones built to last. No mean feat when it’s not uncommon to have a bottle of wine stashed inside (for work purposes, obviously) along with the usual wallet/keys/sunglasses combo and any number of squashed …
I’m supposed to be in the cinema as I type this, watching Fifty Shades of Grey with friends (I live in the sticks, it took a while to get here). But I just didn’t have the energy: too tired. Oh, the irony! In my defence, I was out last night – Book Club – 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 …
This week, I’ve been mostly fuelled by tea and chocolate brownies. One day I will have a tin of ready-made healthy snacks to tuck into. That, and a pre-made tiffin box of quinoa salad on hand for lunch on-the-go. Just not this week. But today, with deadlines met, I dropped in to see my mum …
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 …
Friday night fizz. Small things. You know my feelings about January. I don’t much like it. Which is why it’s important to have things to look forward to, however small. As I type, the Husband is on his way back from a week in Taiwan. And he’s just texted from Duty Free to ask if I …
Follow your dreams and never give up, goes the saying (and Cara D on Instagram). So I’m going to do exactly that and not give up wine in January. Obviously I will be drinking less owing to the mince pie & madeira madness of last month but otherwise I hope to be sipping something delicious …
On a shoot last week, hat at jaunty angle. This last week has been a blur of school music concerts, nativity plays (the cowboy theme totally worked, by the way), panic baking and just-about-making work deadlines. The children are so ready for the end of term and so excited about Christmas. Me too, not least …
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 …
Ah, the school Show & Tell letter. Normally, it goes on the fridge, stuck on with the only remaining magnet with less than three pieces of paper already underneath it. Finding out which magnet to pick involves a game of fridge magnet russian roulette: one wrong move and you’ve got papers all over the kitchen …
I was going to settle down to write this hours ago. But then I started reading other blogs, some SO bloody brilliant, I couldn’t stop reading them. Like this post from Reluctant Launderer, in which she makes bread and drinks cocktails. Or this one from Claire at Crumbs (warning, it’s sad but there is cake). …
The last time we picked a winner on the blog, my mother wasn’t available to do the honours. She was on her way to the cinema ‘2 c When I wake up’. Not only does she text like a teen, she has a brilliant way of slightly re-wording things (she was actually seeing Before I …
So, I was at The London Studios earlier this week for the start of the final series of The Alan Titchmarsh Show (I’m back on as the booze hound on his Friday show) when a man walked into the Make Up room. He looked really familiar but I just couldn’t place him. ‘You know who …
Tents and festivals are not my usual habitat but this weekend I’m doing both, at Camp Bestival. My sister and I are yet to do Paper, Scissors, Rock to decide who has to share a tent with my mother (she’s a terrible snorer) but apart from that, it’s excitement all round. People have been asking …
I started a post last night, then suddenly remembered I was supposed to be baking something for today’s Sports Day. It was 10pm. I went to the fridge, took out a solid block of butter and realised it just wasn’t going to happen. And so it was I started my day with a sprint of …
She’s laughing, not sneezing. I hope. Er, not me. I know! It was the Fortnum & Mason Awards last night and my book made it to the shortlist of three for best Drinks Book. But I was beaten by a (very good, apparently) cider book (this one here and see all the results here). The party, like ohmigod the …
Credit: id-iom The funny thing about wine is that, despite being one of the perks of life, it’s often treated very seriously indeed. Which is why things like this (points to the picture) really make me laugh. And if you’ve ever wondered just how to pronounce Chateauneuf-du-Pape properly, watch this*. But if I can be serious for a …
Today, I have mostly been drinking from the bottle. Of Pholcodine, that is. What started as a sore throat is now a cold which, seeing as I taste wines for a living, is a bit of a bugger. So I’m throwing linctus (horrible word, almost as bad as moist) at the problem. That and a …
I like to think I keep up with the trends OH MY GOD I SOUND LIKE MY MOTHER. Anyway, as I was saying, I read the fashion pages in the paper, follow a few blogs, feel like I have a rough idea of what’s hot and what’s not (as they say). So when I decided …
Last week, a reader emailed to ask if I could help with some wine recommendations for her wedding in June this year. Something lovely but not too pricey. And in return, being the beauty editor of a really famous women’s magazine, she offered tailor-made beauty tips. Genius. Kate’s top three tips for Knackered Mothers everywhere: …
Bought from a junk shop in Cornwall years ago, this old dairy farm table has stayed with us through five house moves (I’m. Never. Moving. Again). And has seen countless children’s teas, dinners and Sunday lunches, not to mention the hours clocked up when covered with Airfix models on rainy Saturday afternoons. Then there’s the …
Look! It’s the new cover for the KMWC paperback, out next month. I’m rather hoping you’ve bought a copy by now *looks you all in the eye* but if you need a present for a friend for under a tenner? Voila. Also, I’m back on The Alan Titchmarsh Show every Friday from tomorrow and, it …
Pamela Vandyke Price Last week, a lady called Pamela Vandyke Price died, aged 90. The reason I know this is because she was a rather famous name in the wine world. In fact, she was one of our first female wine writers, with a column in The Times back in the 1970s and with a …
At last night’s school concert, in which Eldest Boy was playing the guitar, I was on the mulled wine. As in my job was handing it out to people as they came into the school hall. Unfortunately, I didn’t notice that the urn containing the mulled wine was on its hotter-than-the-sun setting. Which caused it …
Being married to Mr Christmas (not his real name, obviously) means the tree is up and the Christmas playlist is on repeat. Has been since Sunday. It also means that we’ve made a start on the presents which, given that there are three children, twelve nieces and nephews and a number of godchildren to think …
Nothing to do with time at the bar (if you want to know just how bad I am at bar work, read this). Rather, at Book Club earlier this week the proposed next book was being passed round the table. And when I start a new book, I check two things. 1) The number of …
So, deep breaths required when taking Youngest Girl to school for her first day last week. She was fine of course, looking tiny in her uniform, with a sweet but nervous smile on her face. And she loved it. Then, on Friday, she was knocked to the ground by the dogs, cutting her lip. Cue …
This time next week I’ll have finished recording my first ever bit of telly for The Alan Titchmarsh Show. I’m so excited. And just a little bit nervous. But with any luck, I’ll be as happy in front of the camera as my mother apparently is, announcing the winner of the Corkcicle competition: Current white …
The last few weeks have been filled with days spent on various beaches. First in Brittany, where there was also a fair bit of time spent imbibing bread, cheese and wine. And then in Cornwall, with obligatory cream teas. And more wine, obviously. So after pulling on a pair of slightly-too-tight jeans this morning I …
Seven days into the school holidays and already it feels twice that. But, loving that we can have breakfast in pyjamas and I don’t have to shout say ‘Coat! Book bag!’ seventy billion times in the space of five minutes every morning before embarking on the school run. Now we’ve got a tent up in the garden, …
I am 40 years old, married with three children and I’m really tired. I probably should have washed my hair yesterday, I’ve just noticed there’s dried Weetabix on my t-shirt, the washing is threatening to burst out of the basket, we’ve run out of milk and I think we’ve got people coming at the weekend. …
My, how time flies. It’s School Fete time again and the ‘call to arms’ letter glares at me from beneath the fridge magnet, asking for cake & biscuit donations, scones for cream teas, unwanted toys for the toy stall, decorated jam jars filled with sweets and prizes for the tombola. Now, as some of you know, I have …
So, in the words of Barry Manilow, looks like we made it. Our family half-term trip to Scotland, returning via Alnwick Castle and Ironbridge, that is. There was laughter, there were tears and there were loo stops. So. Many. Loo stops. But for all that, it was lovely. Admittedly, the children have not really had …
I won another award this week and this time I swear I didn’t even know it was coming. Well, I knew I might win something at Monday’s Harpers Wine & Spirit Awards because I’d been shortlisted. Indeed my name was called out and I stood up. In front of more than 200 people. Only for …
n. roller coaster a situation in which there are many big and sudden changes You know how I was going on about pootling last week? Well, scrap that. Pootling is off. Temporarily, anyway, due to a couple of unforeseens. Youngest Girl hasn’t got a place at the same school as her two older brothers. That …
An article celebrating 15 years of Red magazine in the latest issue looks at changes in society, technology, fashion and culture among other things during that time. And as someone who loves a celebrity – a friend of mine lovingly refers to me as her favourite star f*cker, such is my appetite for entertaining tales …
S’been a busy few weeks with book signings, wine tastings, radio interviews and writing. Amazing really, I feel very lucky. But I am looking forward to Friday, when my only plan is to wear a pair of pants on my head all day, for Red Nose Day. And in the evening, I will drink a …
It started with a tweet. Comic Relief were in the planning stages of how to mark this year’s 25th anniversary of Red Nose Day. A blogger I know tweeted back and said: ‘how can we help?’. Fast forward to Sunday and T, Penny and Annie found themselves on a plane to Accra, Ghana on a trip …
So, I did have a lovely evening last night, with these two on the right and about 200 others. We were speaking at the latest Red Network event about being your own boss. Clare, on the left, founded Howies and now runs Hiut, an incredible denim company based in Wales. Kathryn, on the right in …
Apparently, it is still January. Remember that wonderful wedding I mentioned a few weeks ago? Feels like it was months ago. But, I have developed a coping strategy to get me through and it seems to be working. It goes like this: 1. Make risotto. Spend half an hour at the stove one evening, glass of …
No, not me, silly. Not that I would mind getting married again*, having gone to the most beautiful of second weddings last Friday. If ever there was a time to have a day of pure life-affirming joy with old friends, celebrating love, then early January is it. Most of us were in tears before the …
I’m sick. Sore throat, shivers. Don’t want wine (so, quite serious). But that’s not stopped me sorting out wines for next week. First though, my Christmas List: 1. A new pair of bed socks 2. A Miller Harris scented candle (Geranium Bourbon, to be precise) A great improvement on a wheelbarrow and a new roasting …
Last week was mad, in a very good way. I won Red’s Hot Women Award in the Blogger category. I met some amazing people. And I was in the room with CLARE BALDING. This is all anyone has asked me about, so for the record: 1. She looks super-friendly (but I didn’t get close enough to say …
The proofs for my FORTHCOMING BOOK arrived last week (sorry, didn’t mean to shout), a final chance for me to read it through and make sure everything is as it should be. To be honest, I’ve still got my doubts. Not about the book, rather the fact that I might be, in fact, dreaming this …
There’s been a fair few reports in the last week, including one on how it is the mother, rather than the father’s drinking habits that shape how our children will drink in 20 years time (based largely on the fact that fathers drink in the pub, mothers at home). There was the one about baby boomers being …
Sorry, I know I have been talking about turning forty for weeks now, but my actual birthday is today and after that I promise to shut up about it. The Husband is away for work *sad face*, but my mother is coming over this evening with a Chinese take-away and I’ve got a bottle of …
Turning 40, that is. Yes, in a couple of weeks I will be passing that particular milestone with the music up and the windows down. I’m either absolutely fine about it or in complete denial. Not sure which. Whatever, here’s what I’ve learnt so far: 1. Face creams don’t make you look younger. They can …
If ever there was a place to rival the gates of Hades surely it is Peppa Pig World, as discovered today. I went with four children in tow (my three and a complimentary niece) and my mother (aka Granny La La) and it was heaving. We spent most of the time in queues, punctuated by …
Opening Ceremony? I cried. Lizzie Armitstead’s cycling Silver? Cried again. Rebecca Adlington’s 400m freestyle Bronze? More waterworks. Men’s team gymnastics? Equestrian team? FFS, that too. And then there’s the GB women’s football team…the whole thing is quite amazing. Best of all, it is happening here. Lordy, seems I have been possessed by the Olympic spirit. Just …
“Please can you tell me if there are any good lower alcohol wines I should try?” so asked the lovely Reluctant Launderer (she’s up the duff, and slightly in shock). Until recently I’ve found most lower-alcohol-than-normal wines (I’m talking less than 9% alcohol by volume, the legal limit for most wine to be called wine) about …
After watching last week’s episode of The Apprentice, I couldn’t help feeling that English Sparkling Wine had been put in a horrible dress and made to look silly. In fact, the good stuff is really good nowadays. We’ve got vineyards on the South Downs that share a similar climate and soil profile to the Champagne …
Read more “English Sparkling Wine: no longer the apprentice?”
I posted about wine speak a while ago, specifically about how much of it sounds too flowery, some of it just downright ridiculous. Which got me thinking: I’d like to include your tasting notes in the KMWC book. I’ll pick a couple of wines a month for you to try (once I’ve tasted them, obviously), something delicious …
I can’t sit still. No, not because of those (although memories of postpartum you-know-whats make me shiver to this day). I’m just not very good at doing nothing. If I’m in an empty house and I’m not working, I’m cleaning or picking stuff up and moving it from one room to another. And, ever the …
This week has been chaotic. Like, properly, stupidly, chaotic. Whoever thought it was a good idea to combine school holidays with a child’s bodyweight in chocolate clearly didn’t think it through. Same goes for holidays and working. Not a great match, as it goes. And then there was the sick bug. Two out of three …
Sun on skin. A sea breeze. Clinky drinks with ice and a slice. A chapter read in the bath (uninterrupted). Fish & chips. Champagne. Fish & chips served with Champagne. Dancing in the kitchen. An empty laundry basket. Clean plates. My one and only matching set of underwear. Having chicken stock in the fridge. Singing …
This weekend, I sat down and started work on the book. We’ve got a plan: I’ve now just got to write it. From now on, Unbearded Husband will be taking the children off for usual Saturday morning stuff (Eldest Boy’s football, walk the dog with the other two) giving me a few hours’ peace to …
Perhaps it is the influence of London Fashion Week but this weekend I became absolutely sure that a pair of bright pink jeans from Zara would complete my life. Tonight it is the turn of a pair of wide-legged sailor trousers from Boden (I know, I know. I have resisted). What is it about fashion …
Glorious, under-rated and often misunderstood: that’s Sherry. Well, not all of it – there’s lots of sweetened stuff that tends to cast an unfashionable shadow over the rest – but the good stuff is really, really good. So when my friend Hannah asked for some Sherry recommendations I vowed to do a post on them. …
Two booze-free days a week, that’s what we’ve been told by a group of MPs. I think that’s a sensible idea, not least because it gives us time to plan – on the wine-free days – exactly what we are going to enjoy a glass of on the non-wine-free days. In fact, a friend asked …
I had planned a short post about my new year’s resolutions, but given that mine are hideously unoriginal (eat less/move more/shout only when absolutely necessary) I point you to Potty’s declarations of intent. I love them, especially the one about chocolate and wine, where she suggests a little of the good stuff is usually better …
I love Christmas. Family, friends, food, wine, laughs, late nights and slight indigestion just about sums up mine. But as much as you hold loved ones close at Christmas, you really miss the ones that aren’t here. So, here’s to the person or people you are missing this Christmas. Thinking of you. Current white in …
Last night, as I shoved unsolicited advice about sparkling wines down your throats, Tara tweeted asking for some still wine recommendations, especially reds, for Christmas. So, since she asked, here’s what I’ve got in for next week: Whites in the fridge: Tesco Finest Argentinian Chardonnay 2010, £5 on offer, Tesco I shipped in some NZ …
Last week, I spoke at a wine industry seminar about how to make wine more engaging for people buying it. Ahead of the talk, I turned to you lot to save my little-larger-than-I’d-like backside. I emailed some of you and asked via the BritMums forum if anyone had any views they could share. The response …
Last Friday night, I was asked to do a wine tasting in the village hall for 60 people to raise funds for the village twinning association. We’re twinned with Hautvillers, a beautiful village in the Champagne region. In fact, Dom Perignon, the monk who ‘discovered’ Champagne is buried here (even though technically the whole bubbles-in-wine …
I never did see the Kevin film. Turns out The Help started at the same time so we chose schmaltz over shootings. Cried on and off for two hours and loved it. What we do need to talk about, however, is how to broach the subject of booze with our children. How young is too …
Actually, I can’t talk about Kevin because I haven’t seen it yet but I am off to see it tonight, at the lovely cinema I told you about where you can take your wine glass in with you and the seats don’t make you feel like your head will be itching by the end of …
Fancy Dress parties and me do not have a happy history. There was the time Bearded Husband decided we should go as Derek & Clive to a New Year’s Eve party. As other girls glowed in beautiful dresses, I sweated profusely in a Mac, flat cap and men’s shoes. I even had a ham sandwich …
Next week, after 16 years of continuous employment (bar three maternity leaves), I am going freelance. It is either going to be the best thing I ever did, or a really, really silly thing to do. Let’s see, shall we? With huge thanks and a bear hug to Hugh MacLeod. Current white in the fridge: Porcupine …
When I was six I stepped on Mickey Mouse’s tail accidentally (on purpose) to increase my fancy dress chances at the local village fete, only to come second. From that day, I resigned myself to the fact that I am just not one of those competition-winning type people. Until now, that is. Since I started …
I am 39 years old on Sunday. Totally fine with that. What I am not fine with is my birthday wish list. I wrote it down earlier this week. It looked like this: 1. A wheelbarrow 2. A new roasting dish That was it. Pathetic. I am sharing it with you now in the hope …
Shortly after 12am this morning, at the International Wine Challenge Awards Dinner in London (click here for results), I was on the dance floor in high heels and Westwood. And I was actually Shakira. In bed by 2am, awake by 6am, back home from town by 8am ready for the school run. For just a little …
Actually, gone fishing, crabbing, shell-seeking, rock-pooling, sand-in-sandwiches picnicking and all that. We’ll send you a virtual postcard, but can’t promise to post it before we get home. In the meantime, here’s what I’ve just packed in the food box: Current white in the fridge: Maurel Vedeau Sauvignon Blanc/Grenache, £4.74, Tesco.com Uncomplicated Southern French blend of …
Watching the news this week has been shocking, depressing, awful. People’s lives and livelihoods have been wrecked. It felt just a little bit wrong but I was glued to the TV, distracted only by twitter. Last night found me bingeing on opinion pieces, with a Newsnight chaser. Tonight there is a Question Time Special. Cue …
I’ve been blogging away for the last few years, recommending a couple of wines every week, whatever I happen to be drinking that I think you might like too. I’m now wondering whether you might want to buy wine from the site. You tell me what you want and I’ll source it exclusively for the …
So there I was, standing in the middle of an H&M clothes shop and all I could think was I’VE LOST IT. I just didn’t ‘get’ the clothes. Everything looked too small, too trendy, too….too…teenager-y. Still, I refused to give in graciously and picked up something to try on. Then I saw the escalator and …
Tonight, the 6yo Boy had his school disco. It was a 5.45pm drop off, £1 entry, all drinks & snacks included and an hour of wall to wall dance floor fillers. He really did dance like no-one was watching. He and his friends went BONKERS; they busted moves, laughed their heads off and generally had …
I’ve been away from home for a few nights, spending the days working on a wine stand at the annual London International Wine Fair. Cue much swirling, sipping and spitting whilst surrounded by hundreds of bottles of wine. Now I’m home and have been cobbling a vicar’s outfit together for my son to take to …
A recent study claimed that we couldn’t tell the difference between cheap wine and expensive wine. When asked to decide which was which, only 50% of respondents got it right. Weird, because in my experience, give someone a £5 bottle and a £10 bottle and most people can differentiate. We might not always prefer the …
So I think we’ve established that this blog is about wine and me. Mostly me. As if I needed any encouragement, I was asked to attend a BMB blogging event last week in London where a select handful motley crue of blogging mothers were given cameras and a lesson in how to vlog (that’s video blogging: I know, who …
Heroines, I’ve had a few: Nightingale (Florence & Annie), Nigella and any number of Jilly Cooper characters included (the ones who weren’t obviously pretty but then became ravishing once drenched in Diorissimo and tight on thunderous G&Ts). Another heroine is Jancis Robinson MW (Master of Wine), a walking wine authority. Jancis started Wine Relief in 1999 and has helped raise nearly …
I’m not a huge sports fan. I once asked Andrew Strauss if he was following the Ashes. I was making polite conversation, the Ashes was in the news at the time and I had no idea who he was. Obviously. But tonight, I watched The Arse whoop Barca’s backside and it was great fun. It was just …
I’m friends with VB. Not that VB (seriously though, have you read Mrs Beckham’s interview in this month’s Vogue? She’s fab). This is Very Bored, or Very Bored in Catalunya to give her blog its full title. Luckily, boredom drives her to write very funny stuff. It also drives her to drink (in moderation, obviously) and she knows lots about good Spanish …
I’ve had a complaint from a reader – a reader!* – who’s asked me not to bang on about how bleak January is, about dieting or not drinking (as if). She wants wine recommendations and a laugh. That’s me told. So, I’m not a big spirits drinker: vodka makes me feisty, gin makes me cry, whisky makes me think …
I’ve always dismissed the Christmas round robin letter idea. Even worse, an e-Christmas card. But this evening I found myself replying via email to a group of old friends who are now placed all over the world and realised that summing up all the important news in one’s life is actually a very good exercise. Here’s mine: Eldest …
We arrived back from the eldest boy’s swimming lesson tonight to see the house looking like this: No doubt tomorrow, bearded husband will put on the Christmas play list and that will be that. Until January. This week’s white in the fridge: Jean Claude Fromont Chablis Premier Cru 2008, £8, currently half price, Tesco Wine Club …
I’ve been watching Nigellaah cook on telly this evening. I love her. And, I. Want. Her. Kitchen. I have kitchen envy! How did it come to this? Surely I want the never-ending supply of jewel-coloured cashmere short-sleeved jumpers? Or, at least, the multi-millionaire husband and his art collection. Actually, no. I just want that kitchen. Although, must be said, the faux dinner …
I’ve been to a Christmas Fair tonight in the local Stately. I drank warm white wine and discussed cushions. I bought socks and a magnetic dartboard as presents. This is what warm white wine does to you. Stay clear. This week’s white in the fridge: The Reach Sauvignon Blanc 2009, £6.49 on offer, Tesco A reader – a …
I went out on Monday night. It doesn’t happen often so I made the most. I wore an adored emerald green dress (Ghost), nail varnish (Rouge Noir), matching underwear (old vintage Myla) and really high heels. On Tuesday, I wore track suit bottoms, couldn’t walk properly and had two mouth ulcers. My body has decided to slope about doing everything at half-speed ever since, leaving …
India Allsopp (or was it Kirstie Knight?) recently wrote about putting one’s relationship with husband/partner first, followed by that with the children: the couple are the cornerstone and unless that relationship comes first, the edifice will crumble. In short, adult time is essential to keep everything together. For me, the idea of eating tea with my 1, 2 and 6yo is not …
Life is too short for lots of things. Stuffing a mushroom, for one (Delia). Too short to be livin’ with stress, for another (Dizzee Rascal). Agree with both Delia and Dizzee but my own personal favourite, unsurprisingly, is that life’s too short to drink bad wine. Someone I know, let’s call her Josie, went to buy emergency wine …
I had to work last Saturday at a wine fair, leaving bearded husband with the three children from 8 in the morning until 8 at night. When I got home, the children were all in bed, the (ready made) fish pie was in the oven and the house surprisingly tidy. There was even a glass of wine with my name on it. I …
I don’t get big festivals. There was a massive festival on the Isle of Wight at the weekend and a friend came back complaining of feeling old. That’s because you are twice as old as most people there! I said. To myself. Of course, we go to Glastonbury every year and watch all the bands’ best bits without getting …
Half-watching How To Look Good Naked whilst slowly sewing name tapes to school uniform sweatshirts/trousers/polo shirts before eldest boy goes back next week, I started thinking about my own failsafe rules. So here it is, the KMWC guide to how to look good naked: 1. Dim lighting Er, that’s it. Perhaps not enough mileage for a TV show, granted. Current white …
Following two weeks away on holiday (we did a Bromsgroves, Mrs T), I feel somewhat restored by my break from the norm. A bit of sun – tans fade, wrinkles don’t blah blah – and a couple of snatched half-hours with my book and I’m happy. Determined to not fall back to pre-holiday ways including 1) talking to my children …
Dear Celebrity Masterchef, I thought I could do it. I thought I could go cold turkey, perhaps even use the time I used to spend with you doing something more productive. Perhaps take up the hem on the trousers I bought over a month ago, maybe finish the book I have been reading for the last two. Of course, I’d forgotten …
A friend told me today that she is on a new regime, wine-free Monday to Friday (same friend who thought this site was called the Naked Mother’s Wine Club, told her to be careful when searching that one). Later, a Twitter humour-twin announced she was having a glass of Champagne tonight for no particular reason. In turn, I admire both the restraint and sybaritic …
Someone once said – probably Germaine – that beyond a certain age, women become invisible. I’d always assumed that referred to women my mother’s age* but a funny thing happened last week that made me think it might happen sooner than anticipated. As I walked out of Topshop on Oxford Street (see how I’m fighting it?) a young hipster stood with a microphone doing …
Someone once said – probably Germaine – that beyond a certain age, women become invisible. I’d always assumed that referred to women my mother’s age* but a funny thing happened last week that made me think it might happen sooner than anticipated. As I walked out of Topshop on Oxford Street (see how I’m fighting it?) a young hipster stood with a microphone doing …
I. Am. Knackered. And I definitely can’t top my John Torode story from last week. So, if you don’t mind, I’ll go straight to the wines. Current rose in the fridge: Clos Clementine 2008, £10 Hot weather demands pale rose, preferably a really good one from the Cotes de Provence region. Rose wine is made from red grapes …
Picture the scene: drinks reception for work, unfamiliar surroundings, friend introduces you to another friend. You greet them with great familiarity, you know you’ve met them before. Conversation starts. Brain shouting where have you met him before? What is his name? Weird, he really looks like that bloke who does Masterchef. Oh f*ck. It is that bloke who does Masterchef. The one you’ve never met …
Saturday night was fun, if a little wierd. I returned from eldest son’s School Ball with a splinter in my foot from shoes-off dancing. My husband returned with a painting having bid for it in the auction. I think he had the fizz equivalent of beer goggles for art on with that one. Fart goggles, perhaps. We got home, navigated our way through …
My mother and I went to the cinema last night to see The Swedish Film With A Really Long Name, currently showing in cinemas (the type of cinema where you can take your glass of wine in with you, naturally). Now, I loved Wallander but TSFWARLN was a three hour version but without Kenneth Branagh. And the furniture wasn’t nearly as …
There are few things more dull than being stuck with the man who talks to your boobs rather than face at dinner but there is someone who trumps him in my experience: The Wine Bore. The WB uses wine knowledge like a weapon, beating those around him into submission with presumed superior wine powers. I’d be mortified to be labelled as such but if you ever catch …
I was described as ‘organic’ the other day. By a hairdresser. It didn’t really register at the time but I think I’ve realised what he meant. Call me shallow – you wouldn’t be the first – but I used to have much better hair/eyebrows/clothes/shoes. Now, I wouldn’t say I’ve completely let myself go but I’ve definitely had to …
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