February recipes: Batch of the day!

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Here’s a taste of Suzanne Mulholland’s The Batch Lady: Cooking on a Budget, out now, published by HarperCollins

She says in the introduction to this book: “As I became a busy working wife and mum I realised that those skills are also very much needed in our home environment too. We’re constantly playing the juggling game that is modern day life, and it can be stressful as we try to manage budgets, feed our families well, and get nutritious meals on the table that offer variety and keep everyone happy. That, combined with trying to reduce packaging, reduce food waste and eat less meat, can have our brains spinning.

“This book was packed full of hearty recipes designed to fill your freezer (and your belly!) with tasty food that could be put on the table with little fuss. My second, The Batch Lady: Healthy Family Favourites, focussed on making the comforting family food we all love a little bit healthier.”

Roast butternut squash with a couscous crust

Prep: 10 minutes | Cooking: 70 minutes | Serves: Four

Ingredients:

• Glug of olive or vegetable oil
• One large butternut squash, topped, tailed, cut into quarters and seeds removed
• ½ cup (100g) couscous
• ½ cup (120ml) boiling water
• 100g feta cheese
• Juice of one lemon
• Two heaped tbsp pesto
• Eight cherry tomatoes, cut into quarters
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil, for roasting

Roasting butternut squash in this way brings out its natural sweetness and delicious earthy flavours. Bulked up with fluffy couscous this is substantial enough as a main meal, but would also work as a side dish or even a dinner party starter.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Add a glug of oil to a lipped baking sheet. Place in the oven to warm.
2. Once the oil is hot, add the butternut to the tray, turning to coat in the oil as you do. Bake for 40 minutes, turning halfway through, until the squash is golden and just tender.
3. Transfer the couscous to a large bowl and pour over half a cup (120ml) of boiling water. Cover and set aside for five minutes, then fluff the couscous up with a fork.
4. Crumble the feta into the bowl, then add the lemon juice, pesto, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

If you’re cooking to eat now… Spoon the couscous mix over the roasted squash and return to the oven for another 30 minutes. Divide the wedges between serving plates and serve. Zhuzh it up with a good drizzle of balsamic glaze.

If you’re making ahead to freeze… Set the squash and couscous aside until cooled to room temperature, then transfer the squash wedges to a large freezer bag and the couscous to a smaller bag. Seal the couscous bag and then place inside the bag with the squash before sealing. Label and freeze flat for up to three months.

Then… Remove the squash and couscous from the freezer and place in the fridge to defrost, ideally overnight. Once defrosted lay the squash on a foil-lined baking sheet and spoon over the couscous. Transfer to an oven preheated to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4 and bake for 30 minutes, until piping hot all the way through. Serve as above.

Mexican beef nacho topper

Prep: 10 minutes | Cooking: 8-10 minutes | Serves: Four

Ingredients:

• Splash of vegetable or olive oil
• One cup (115g) frozen chopped onions
• 1 tsp frozen chopped garlic
• 250g minced beef
• 1 x 30g packet taco seasoning
• 1 x 395g tin mixed beans in chilli sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato purée 
• One cup (175g) frozen sliced peppers

To serve:

• One 200g bag lightly salted tortilla chips
• One cup (90g) pre-grated Cheddar cheese
• MAKE IT Veggie! Replace the beef with a plant-based mince of your choice.

Cheesy, spicy and loaded with flavour, this is the ultimate sharing dish for when you have lots of hungry mouths to feed. If you’re feeding more than four, this is easy to scale up by simply doubling or tripling the ingredient amounts.

Method:

1. Heat a splash of oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions, garlic and mince and cook, stirring, for about five minutes, until the onions are translucent and meat browned.
2. Drain any excess fat from the pan, then return to the heat and add the taco seasoning, beans, tomato puree and sliced peppers. Give everything another stir to combine, bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and leave to cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes. Remove from the heat.

If you’re serving now… Preheat the oven to 180˚C/350˚F/gas mark 4. Transfer the tortilla chips to a large baking dish and warm in the oven for five minutes, until crisp. Remove from the oven and ladle the chilli over the top. Scatter over the grated cheese then return the dish to the oven for 6-8 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Put the dish in the middle of the table for everyone to enjoy. Zhuzh it up… Scatter over some fresh coriander and serve with guacamole and pickled jalapenos alongside.

If you’re making ahead to freeze… Leave the beef chilli to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a large, labelled freezer bag and freeze flat for up to three months.

Then… Remove the bag from the freezer and leave to defrost in the fridge, ideally overnight. Once defrosted, tip the beef chilli into a large saucepan over a medium heat and reheat, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, until piping hot. While the chilli is reheating, warm the tortilla chips then assemble the Mexican Nacho Topper as described above.

We’ve got a copy of The Batch Lady: Cooking on a Budget by Suzanne Mulholland to give away.

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Star Q&A: Kate Mosse

Liz Nicholls

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Best-selling author Kate Mosse OBE shares her thoughts ahead of her Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries tour at a theatre near you

Q. Hello Kate! How are you?

“Very well, thank you for asking! I’ve just become a grandmother, so loving everything about that.”

Q. It’s wonderful that you’re shining a light on previously overlooked trailblazing women. Can you tell us a little about any of your favourites?

“There are so many amazing women – from every corner of the world, in every period of history – but I love the extraordinary footballer, Lily Parr, who scored more than 1,000 goals in her professional career in the early 1900s, and also the legendary 18th century pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Reid, who were fierce and uncompromising – my next novel, The Ghost Ship, is partly inspired by their story.”

Q. What was your favourite book as a child?

“So many, but certainly The Golden Hamster, a beautiful story for young children about being true to who you are (a hamster, not a rat or a cat or a mouse). My beloved, and much missed Dad, used to read it to me at bedtime, and I still have that 1960s edition. I also loved The Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingalls Wilder for their sense of freedom, the amazing descriptions of the American mid-west in the 1880s and 1890s, and the feisty, principled heroine of the books herself.”

Q. And how about now – who is your favourite author?

“I try to avoid ever answering this question – too many of my friends are writers – but, going back in time, certainly Emily Bronte, Adrienne Rich, Rider Haggard and Agatha Christie would be at the top of the list.”

“It’s quite a challenge starting a new career as a performer at the age of 61!”

Q. Do you enjoy touring?

“I’m excited and nervous – what if nobody comes or my voice gives out – and it’s quite a challenge starting a new career as a performer at the age of 61! On the other hand, you have to keep having new challenges and pushing yourself. I’m not ready to hang up my boots and sitting dozing by the fire quite yet. I’m really looking forward to meeting audiences and hearing all the amazing women from history they would like to celebrate. The tour is about starting a conversation, having a great night out in the theatre, and putting some incredible women back in to the history books.”

Q. How well do you know the parts of the South East where you’re on tour?

“Very well. I grew up, and live now, in Chichester, so one of our days out was always to Guildford. My aunt and uncle lived in Woking, and my son-in-law comes from a beautiful village in the Surrey Hills. So, it’s home from home. Also, the Guildford Book Festival is one of my favourite festivals. I was lucky enough to go to university in Oxford, so I had three years of getting to know not only the city itself, but also the amazing countryside around about. The joy of being on tour is not only meeting audiences from all over the country, but also getting to know new parts of our beautiful country. Every day before the evening show, I’ll be out exploring.”

Q. What is your first memory of music?

“My fabulous Ma had an LP of Nancy Sinatra’s Swinging Safari, and I adored it and dancing along with her. In those days, you had to drop the stylus on to the record, listen, and then start again…”

Q. Who would be your dream dinner party guests?

“So many of the women I’ll be celebrating in my show – so, as well as those I’ve already talked about, the great British composer Ethel Smyth; the extraordinary 13th century Mongolian wrester princess, Khutulan – who was the inspiration for Puccini’s opera Turandot; Pauli Murray, one of the ‘freedom riders’ along with Rosa Parks who changed the racist ‘Jim Crow’ laws in America in the 1940s and 1950s; Josephine Cochrane who, in 1893, invented the dishwasher (yes, really!) Eunice Newton Foote, who discovered global warming but saw her discovery attributed to the men who came after her; and perhaps Beatrix Potter, to talk about her amazing work in conservation as much as her writing for children.  Oh, and of course, my own great-grandmother, Lily Watson, who is at the heart of the Warrior Queens tour, who I would have loved to have known.” 

Q. How much do you love life in West Sussex and why?

“I’m a Chi (Chichester) girl, born and bred, and it’s where all my family live.  So, my whole life – apart from a few years away at university, then working in London – has been spent in and around Chichester and Fishbourne.  There is something for everyone – amazing woods and beaches, incredible art galleries and an internationally-renowned theatre, the canal and Roman Palace, history and folklore, music and community. I can’t imagine living anywhere else.” 

Q. Can you tell us a bit about your first impressions of Carcassonne and how you fell in love with it, changing the course of your life?

“We first bought a tiny house in the shadow of the medieval city walls of Carcassonne back in 1989 and, from the moment I first saw the extraordinary ‘crown of stone’ sitting on the hill above the river Aude, 52 towers and turrets, two rings of defensive walls, everything stepped in history, I fell in love.   I didn’t intend to write about Carcassonne but, little by little as I read history about Languedoc and learnt about the people who had lived there in the 13th century, the ‘whispering in the landscape started’ … that’s to say, I started to hear the voices of characters and the outline of a story.  Those whisperings became my novel, Labyrinth, and since then, almost all of my fiction has been a kind of love letter to this beautiful corner of southwest France.”

Q. What advice would you have for any woman out there who has always dreamt of writing a book? “Do it! A little writing every day, just so you start to get your muscles used to the process, that’s how a novel or biography takes shape. Don’t worry about how good it is, or quite where it’s going, just get some words down. Soon you’ll have a sentence, then a paragraph then, before you know it, a chapter. Once you have a rough draft, then you have something you can start to edit into the novel you’ve always wanted to write.” 

Q. If you could make one wish for the world, what would it be? “That we all share the same planet. So, more kindness, more remembering how to listen and respect one another’s point of view – even if it’s not the same as our own – more attention to saving the planet, and a return to public service not self-interest built on values of decency, honesty and equality.  I’m still an idealist and believe that we can all work together, we can leave the world in a better state than we found it.  And most of the women I’m celebrating in Warrior Queens did precisely that.” 

Book at katemosse.co.uk/events 

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David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny in Woking

Liz Nicholls

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David Walliams answers some questions ahead of the theatre adaptation of his book landing at New Victoria Theatre in Woking from Wednesday 9th February to Saturday 12th February

Calling all families! The coolest Granny around is coming to Woking from Wednesday 9th February to Saturday 12th February.

The West End production of David Walliams’ Gangsta Granny is being brought to Woking by the producers of the hit stage shows, Horrible Histories and Billionaire Boy.

Inspired by Walliams’ own granny the show follows Ben as he dreads going to stay with his cabbage-obsessed granny every Friday. But what Ben doesn’t know is that Granny has a secret – and Friday nights are about to get more exciting than he could ever imagine, as he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime with his very own Gangsta Granny!

David Walliams Q&A:

Q. What inspired Gangsta Granny?

“When I was a child I would spend lots of time with my grandmas. Sometimes I would selfishly think spending time with them could be boring but when I got them on a subject like living in London during World War II when bombs were raining down, they would become very animated and I would be enthralled. I realised everyone has a story to tell.”

Q. What were your grannies like and are there any elements of their characters in Gangsta Granny?

“There was definitely a smell of cabbages in one of my grandmas’ houses. The other did break wind like a duck quacking when she walked across the room.”

Q. Many people would say there’s a special bond between children and their grandparents, why do you think that is?

“I think grandparents love being grandparents because they get to give the children back to the parents! Children love spending time with their grandparents because they love hearing their stories and being allowed to stay up past their bedtime.”

Q. When did you decide to write children’s fiction and what encouraged you?

“Ten years ago I had an idea for a story. What if a boy went to school dressed as a girl? I thought it would be a thought-provoking children’s book. That became The Boy in the Dress, the first of my children’s novels.”

Q. What are the delights of writing children’s fiction?

“The only limitation in a children’s book is your imagination. You can take children on magical journeys in books that many adults would be reluctant to go on.”

Q. And the challenges of writing for children?

“Children love to be scared but it can’t be too horrifying. Children love to laugh but it can’t be too rude. You always have to be the right side of the line.”

Q. You’ve often talked about Roald Dahl, what do you think makes him special?

“I think Dahl’s books always feel a little bit forbidden. He manages to balance the humour and scary elements in his stories perfectly.”

Q. Which Dahl books do you particularly like and why?

“The Twits is utterly hilarious and I love that it is a children’s book with no child characters.”

Q. Which other children’s writers did you enjoy as a child and why?

“I loved Dr Seuss books as a child, especially ‘Green Eggs and Ham’. His books are like nightmares come to life. They are rich and strange and utterly unlike anybody else’s work.”

Q. What do you think children enjoy in your books?

“I imagine they like the humour and that I don’t patronise them. I deal with quite big topics, crossdressing, homelessness, grief. I know children are a lot smarter than most grown-ups think.”

Q. What were your feelings on seeing Gangsta Granny adapted for the stage?

“It’s a huge thrill seeing Gangsta Granny have this whole new life on the stage. It has already been a TV film. People seem to really like the story. In fact, Gangsta Granny is my best-selling book by far and the stage production is brilliant.”

“There is lots of action in Gangsta Granny, especially when they try to steal the Crown Jewels.”

Q. Do you feel there are any particular challenges or difficulties with staging Gangsta Granny?

“There is lots of action in Gangsta Granny, especially when they try to steal the Crown Jewels – so it’s quite a challenge for the Birmingham Stage Company to bring those scenes to life, but they do it so wonderfully well.”

Q. Are there any scenes you particularly like seeing on stage?

“I like the characters of Ben’s mum and dad. Their obsession with ballroom dancing is very funny brought to life in the play.”

Q. Why were you keen to work with Birmingham Stage Company on the adaptation?

“I saw their Horrible Histories show which was superb. I loved the humour and the interaction with the audience, so I knew they were the right people to stage my book.

Q. What do you hope children will take away from watching Gangsta Granny on stage?

“The moral of the story is ‘don’t assume old people are boring just because they are old’. In fact, they are likely to have had a much more interesting life than yours. Talk to old folk, listen to their stories. They are bound to be full of magic and wonder.

Q. In what way do you think experiencing the stage show will differ from their experiences when reading the book?

“The great thing about seeing Gangsta Granny on stage is you will get to share it with an audience. So hopefully you will laugh and cry along with everyone else. That’s what makes theatre so special.”

Q. What do you think are the elements that make up a good theatrical production for children?

“Those for children need to be fun and fast-paced which Gangsta Granny certainly is.”

Q. Strictly Come Dancing raises its head in Gangsta Granny – would you like to be in the show and, if so, how do you rate your hopes of holding the glitter ball?

“I can’t dance at all (as you might have seen in the TV adaptation of Gangsta Granny when I tried to dance with Miranda Hart). So I would say my chances are less than zero.”

Gangsta Granny was adapted from David Walliams’ book by Neal Foster, actor-manager of Birmingham Stage Company. He has also directed the show. The show is suitable for ages 5+ and duration is about two hours.

Tickets from £13, fees apply. You can book tickets by calling the Box Office on 0844 871 7615 (Fees apply. Calls cost up to 7p per minute, plus your phone company’s access charge), Groups Booking Line 0207 206 1174 or online at ATGTICKETS.COM/Woking (fees apply).

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M&S Food launch new breakfast range

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M&S have just launched their biggest ever breakfast range from its own label for the first time, offering a range of tasty new cereals, granolas, porridge, breakfast toppers and breakfast pots to brighten your morning

Start the day right with an Eat Well breakfast from M&S Food – our clever product developers have created lots of new tasty cereals and breakfast toppers – complete with the health benefits you’d expect from Eat Well – for all the family.

Some have even been given the professional footballer seal of approval thanks to Eat Well’s partnership with the home nation football associations. Midfielders Mason Mount and Jordan Henderson and defender Eric Dier have all picked their choice for breakfast.

Mason Mount’s choice
Jordan Henderson’s choice
Eric Dier’s choice

Not only do we have some brand new cereal-ously tasty Eat Well options but we also have porridge, granolas and a new breakfast pot.

Our breakfast boffins have also added more Made Without options, alongside Vegetarian and Vegan options to cater for special dietary requirements – so no matter who you are we have a breakfast FOR YOU.

Sarah Jane Large, Product Developer, M&S Food, said: “At M&S we are constantly listening to our customers on what food and new products they would like to see across our Foodhalls. We know that most people have the same breakfast every day and think that’s a travesty! So, we wanted to inspire them to try something new this New Year and while we were at it completely overhauled our entire range to make it healthier and EVEN tastier.

“In particular our new gut health products taps into 48%* of Brits who are interested in breakfast items that support digestion and gut health – so we have introduced some great options for them.  Our new Eat Well Plant Kitchen High Protein Vegan Choco Crunch and Made Without Wheat Triple Chocolate Crunch also mirrors the trend that although people are looking to be healthier, they just can’t beat that sweet chocolate fix – just mix them with your favourite milk or alternative for a breakfast that feels like you should only have on special occasions!”

It’s not just chocolate and gut health that are trending at breakfast. Taking inspiration from our American friends across the pond, dessert flavours in the morning, yes in the MORNING, are also on the rise. And as the home of the food hybrid we HAD to get involved – so have introduced Eat Well Pecan Pie Flavour Porridge and Made Without Wheat Maple Syrup Flavour Porridge to our breakfast line up. And hey, who says you can only have it at breakfast anyway!

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Kids eat free with Tom Kerridge

Karen Neville

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The Butcher’s Tap & Grill is inviting under 12s to eat for free on Mondays to Fridays, 3-5pm

Spoil your kids at The Butcher’s Tap & Grill on Spittal Street Marlow, where kids 12 years and under eat for free Monday to Friday between 3pm-5pm.

Young guests can enjoy a range of tasty dishes such as a Hot Dog Topped with Fried Onions, Tender Chicken Goujons or Mini Cheese-Burger (or plain) all served with a Pot of Fries and an optional side of Coleslaw. Plus, kids can pick a choice of fruit and a soft drink such as apple or orange juice.

There is no minimum spend, or sneaky extra terms and conditions, simply turn up with your tots and leave the rest to us!

Adults may want to enjoy a pint or glass of wine from the bar or indulge in an early dinner with a range of burgers, hot dogs and steaks to choose from or just have a little nibble from the Bits ‘n’ Bobs menu.

So, when schools out and your munchkins have the munchies you know where to go.

The Butcher’s Tap and Grill

15 Spittal Street
Marlow, Bucks, SL7 3HJ
www.thebutcherstapandgrill.co.uk

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Planning for the future

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Get your financial affairs in order with a Will or Lasting Power of Attorney

Many of us have made New Year’s resolutions and yours may include putting your affairs in order. This means thinking of the future by putting Lasting Powers of Attorney and Wills in place and also considering Inheritance Tax planning.

Lasting Powers of Attorney are documents which allow you to appoint attorneys to help you with your property and financial and health and welfare affairs. You may choose your spouse, partner, children or trusted friend. If you have an Enduring Power of Attorney, it may still be possible to use it although it only covers Property & Financial matters. Lasting Powers of Attorney can be registered now and used whether or not mental capacity is an issue for property and financial matters. You can make your own decisions about your health and welfare all the time that mental capacity is not an issue.

Wills should be reviewed every 5-10 years or in the case of a life changing event, whichever is sooner. There are differing Will structures which can be tailored to suit your wishes concerning the distribution of your estate.

Probate matters will include advice regarding the preparation of an Inheritance Tax account if required. A Grant of Probate is usually required to release or transfer assets from an estate.

Ensure matters will be simpler for your families by putting the correct documents in place. Please contact Potter Owtram & Peck LLP Private Client department for assistance. Call Haslemere (01428) 642321 or email [email protected]

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A day in the life…

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Nurse turned care home manager Susie Green shares her memories of life as a care home manager in A Most Precious Gift

“I wanted to give people a little peep at what happens through the front door of a care home” says Susie Green of her new book A Most Precious Gift.

Susie invites us to walk through the doors of a care home with her as our guide, as the care home manager, home to the elderly, vulnerable adults and for many their final home.

Share some of the tales she tells of horror and heartbreak but also many that will make you laugh and smile alongside many you will find unbelievable. Pigeons, relatives, a ‘lady of the night’ turned carer, incontinence pads and emotional farewells all form part of daily life in a care home.

Susie started her nurse training in 1978, qualifying in the early 1980s. She has worked on general wards, as a GP nurse and a school nurse. She spent the last six years of her career as a care home manager, turning struggling homes around.

 “I knew I had stories and tales that happened in my time as a care home manager that just had to be written down,” she explains. “Nursing is a career that is so hard to walk away from, I missed it terribly and felt guilty for ending my career so I thought it would help to write my tale.

“My inspiration came from the care home staff, service users, families, owners and multi-disciplinary teams and social services I worked with. Some characters I will never forget.

“I wanted people to understand the life and responsibilities in the role of a registered care home manager. I wanted to give people a little peep at what happens through the front door of a care home.”

A Most Precious Gift is a token of thanks to all staff who work in care homes and for those who showed their commitment and empathy working through the Covid pandemic.

She adds: “This little book will touch hearts and give an understanding of what it means to work in care homes, the people we meet and those we care for, and those we work with.”

Susie lives in a 17th century cottage in Oxfordshire with her husband, two whippets Albert and Annabelle and a very large British Shorthair cat called Eric and as she says in the author’s note for her book: “You will smile, be touched, be horrified and perhaps shed some tears.”

A Most Precious Gift is published by The Book Guild, ISBN  9781915352361, and is available now for £7.99.

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Hear clearly

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Try ear microsuction as a way to help hearing loss

Any readers who have experienced painful or blocked ears will know how troublesome it can be. The loss of hearing resulting from a blocked or damaged ear can leave us disorientated, imbalanced or even socially isolated.

Ear wax (cerumen) is a normal product of the ear canal. It is produced by glands in the skin and traps dust, dead skin cells and whatever else ends up in the ear.

A build up of wax can be due to small ear canals, skin conditions such as eczema, or overuse of earbuds which push wax deeper into the ear. GP Practice Nurses used to provide ear syringing (flushing the blockages with warm water) but increasingly this isn’t provided.

Ear microsuction is the procedure to remove wax from the ear safely. In hospital Ear, Nose and Throat clinics it is how we clear ears for examination, treatments and as part of surgery. Using a microscope and a miniature suction device, wax and blockages can be removed safely and precisely within a few minutes. Patients who particularly benefit are hearing aid users, in whom a build up of wax can cause feedback and discomfort.

If performed by trained and experienced professionals, this is an excellent way of keeping ear canals clear. If you have blocked, painful or itching ears, this treatment could be a simple fix and avoid the wait for a GP appointment.

Mr David Walker MBChB FRCS (ORL-HNS) MSc Consultant ENT Surgeon, EarLab, Haslemere

Contact 01428 870111 or earlab.co.uk

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Raising a glass to Australian wine

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Our wine columnist Giles Luckett is on a mission to raise January spirits with these wizard (wines) of Aus!

Hello, and a belated Happy New Year.

While for many people January can be a trying month, for the wine trade it’s a time of excitement and discovery. With the Christmas rush a distant memory and stocks as low as many people’s moods on Blue January, this quiet sales month gives wine professionals the chance to get out and taste. While tasting invitations are already piling up like pizza leaflets, there’s one that’s a big red-letter day in my calendar: 24th January and the Australia Trade Tasting.

I’m part of the generation of wine lovers who got to know wine thanks to Australia. In the late 1980s they exploded onto the scene, offering big, bold, fruit-bomb wines that were about as reserved as an Aussie backpacker in an Earl’s Court pub at closing time. They were a revelation. Affordable and accessible, they offered budding wine students the chance to get to grips with a range of grapes and styles.

Fast forward 30 years and Australian wines have matured and now boast a raft of examples that are fit to rank with the world’s best. Wines such as Penfolds’ Grange Hermitage and Bin 707, Henshke’s Hill Of Grace and Mount Edelstone, Leeuwin’s Art Series, and Wynn’s Michael Shiraz should be on every fine wine lover’s tasting wish list. And beyond these super stars there remain hundreds of exceptional wines that encapsulate Australian wines’ founding principles of individuality, brilliance and value. So, here are some suggestions for alleviating the January gloom with a taste of Australian wine excellence.

My first recommendation is the Robert Oatley Signature Series Chardonnay (The Co-Op £11.50) Oatley produce wines in various parts of Australia with the emphasis being on producing ones that have a “taste of place”. Modern in origin and outlook – the winery was founded in 2006 – the Signature Series Chardonnay is a fine wine at an affordable price. Pale green gold, the use of oak is well-judged and the nose is focused on fruit and floral tones. In the mouth there’s an immediate freshness and lift from apple, white peach and melon tones, before richer, fatter vanilla and honey comes through. The whole thing is rounded off with crisp acidity and touch of savoury minerals. Sophisticated is the word that leaps to mind, this is a far cry from the ‘bottled sunshine’ Chardonnays of old.

Next up is a wine that’s as leftfield as its much-missed creator, Taras Ochota. I had the pleasure of meeting Taras in London and his home in the Adelaide Hills before his untimely death at the age of 49. He was a maverick, a devout punk – wines such as Fugazi and In the Trees are named after bands and songs he loved – and one of the most talented winemakers of Australia’s modern era. Ochota Barrels Weird Berries in the Woods (Indigo Wines) Gewurztraminer is, for me, his best white.

I’ll be honest, usually Gewurztraminer isn’t my cup of tea. I find the combination of lychees, black pepper, sickly lavender honey, and tinned peaches about as lovely as it sounds. Taras, however, managed to tame these wild elements to produce a dry, elegant, complex wine that flows with oriental fruits with hints of spice and add a dryness, and a cleansing acidity that make for a memorable glassful.

Jacob’s Creek were one of the first brands to make it big in the UK wine market. Their wines have always been good value make for a great buy when popping into a corner shop for a last-minute bottle. Their Reserve Adelaide Hills Chardonnay (£6, Amazon) is on another level though. Adelaide Hills is a cool climate region that’s making some of the most exciting wines in Australia. This fantastically well-priced wine offers a smoky, crisp, elegant example of Chardonnay. Peaches, pears, stonefruit, and a touch of grapefruit make for joyful drinking.

I’ll leave the whites with a Riesling. Australia is rightly proud of its dry Rieslings, with examples from the Clare or Eden Valley being as good as the finest French and German efforts. One I’ve always liked is the Tim Adams Riesling (Tesco £10). This Eden Valley wine offers an intense nose of limes, grapes, and citrus mingled with apple blossom. In the mouth its precise, clean, and poised, with a lovely combination of white berries, green apple, pear and citrus fruit, with minerals on the long, dry finish.

Australia arguably offers the most consistent and consistently good value reds in the world. From entry level wines such as Koonuga Hill Shiraz-Cabernet (Waitrose £7.99) to the likes of the mighty Hill of Grace (£250 Berry Brothers & Rudd), Australia has it all. I’m going to start my red recommendations with a pair of Cabernet Sauvignons from revered producer Wynns.

Wynns’ wines are classically styled and are made to reflect the vineyards from which they are made. Founded in 1891, their years of experience shines through their wines which are always beautifully crafted and offer an exceptional drinking experience at all levels.

My first wine is The Siding Cabernet Sauvignon (Tesco £15). This is produced in the Coonawarra region which is famed for its iron-rich terra rossa soils. This soil gives wines minerality and an extra level of complexity and depth, something Wynns have taken full advantage of. The Siding offers fresh, intense notes of blackcurrants, mint, mulberries and raspberries on the nose, while in the mouth fleshier notes of black cherries, roasted meat, plums and dried herbs come through. Medium-bodied but with powerful intensity, this is one for the hearty winter dishes.

Providing a fascinating contrast we have the Wynns Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Majestic £25). Same grape, same producer, very different results. This is Aussie Cabernet showing its elegant, nuanced side. While the characteristic blackcurrants, mint and cherries are present, there’s also plums, earthy spices, these are all low-key, seamlessly integrated and nuanced. This is a fine wine that deserves respect. If you’re drinking it this year, I’d decant it or at least give it several hours open and serve it with fine red meats or baked cheeses.

Good Australian Pinot Noir was once a rarity. This notoriously fickle vine was once ‘a nice idea’ as one Australian producer caustically described Australian Merlot. These days great examples abound, and one of my favourites is the Yering Station (Waitrose £12.99). Based in the cool Yarra Valley in Victoria, Yering Station has established a reputation as one of Australia’s leading Pinot producers. The 2016 has a fragrant nose of plums, raspberries, with highlights of flowers and spices. In the mouth this gentle, medium bodied wine gradually reveals layer upon layer of black fruit flavours intermingled with creamy oak and touch of jamminess to the finish. This has to be one of the best value Pinots on the market, and it well-worth seeking out.

My last red is another Cabernet and another wine from Western Australia, the Robert Oatley “Signature” Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (Taurus Wines £13.99). This is Cabernet in the Bordeaux mould. The benign climate and exceptional soils of Margaret River give us a Cabernet whose emphasis is on elegance and complexity rather than power and drama. Deeply coloured, the nose is a quiet riot of fresh blackcurrants, eucalyptus, black cherries, spices, and smoke. The silken palate is packed with fruit, but everything is sedate, unhurried and poised. Like a great Bordeaux, it deserves time and fine food to appreciate its charms.

“I was lucky enough to spend some time in Tasmania on my last trip to Australia”

And finally, a fizz. Well, I couldn’t write a column and not mention at least one sparkling wine, could I? I was lucky enough to spend some time in Tasmania on my last trip to Australia, a region that is probably the most exciting in Aus. Cool, damp, and undulating, it’s ideal for sparkling wine production and Jansz Rosé (Fenwicks £15.99) is a fantastic wine. Pretty in pink colour, the vibrant red berry and yeast nose is followed by a fresh, tangy palate that leads with raspberries and strawberries, before darker, richer notes of dried cherry, rhubarb, and yeast come through.

Right, all this writing and meandering down wine memory lane had given me quite a thirst so it’s on to the practical for me – well, I need to have my palate in shape for the trade tasting, don’t I?

Next time out I’ll look at some reds that will banish those winter blues.

More soon…

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Recycle your tree and help hospices

Karen Neville

Posted on

Round and About

Squires Garden Centres have advice about what to do with your tree after Christmas

A real Christmas tree is one of the most significant purchases for many families during the festive season, and this is perhaps even more of a reason to make a conscious effort to treat it in a sustainable way after Christmas.

‘Real’ Christmas trees are 100% recyclable; they can be shredded into chippings which are then often used locally in parks or woodland. Local authorities have drop-off points or special collection of ‘real’ trees in early January, so it is worth checking services available – just remember to remove all the decorations first!

In addition to local drop-off points for recycling trees, there is also the National Christmas Tree Collection, the flagship event of JustHelping, the service benefitting local hospices and charities, with service users paying a donation to have their ‘real’ Christmas tree collected – in relevant locations, Squire’s Garden Centres promote the service to customers. In 2022 the charity raised over £975,500 for over 108 charities, hospices and community organisations.

Other creative ways to consider recycling a ‘real’ tree include:

Mulch the needles – remove branches and shake off needles and they will decompose over time

Wood compost – if you can’t get the tree shredded locally with ease, branches can be removed and trunk dismantled into small chunks, quickening up decomposition

Use the tree as a stake – removing needles, the trunk can be used as a useful garden stake for flowers or vegetables

Wildlife habitat – remove tree branches and use to thoughtfully set up a shelter in the corner of the garden for wildlife

Creative coasters – the tree trunk can be cut into small circles for rustic coasters, sanded down and sealed (to avoid sap leaking) and decorated if desired

‘Pot Grown’ Trees (with roots) – are a great, sustainable investment as they can be planted in the garden afterwards for an outdoor tree next year, or nurtured in their pot or re-potted in a bigger one if necessary and brought in again for next Christmas

Sarah Squire, Chairman of Squire’s Garden Centres, said: “Real” Christmas trees are a sustainable crop – while growing they absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. After Christmas cut trees are totally recyclable and pot grown trees can be enjoyed again next year. Local tree collection services can also be a win-win with trees being sustainably recycled and community charities benefitting too.

“As Christmas draws to a close, we can all think about what we do with our tree, committing to a collection service or re-purposing in the garden to help nature and wildlife – and absolutely avoiding festive waste in landfill.”

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