Soup story.......

Having covered winter drinking it's time to do winter eating. Personally, I like soup ..... making it and eating it ....... smooth, creamy, chunky or broth, it's all good as far as I'm concerned. Currently, I'm enjoying Persian Chicken Power Soup by Sabrina Ghayour, by way of Gizzi Erskine out of her, Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts.

So easy, so delicious and highly nutritious. Flavoured with turmeric and lemon it is the perfect winter warmer. What's not to enjoy?

Top tip: for puffy eyes and dark circles, slap on a slice of Granny Smith for 15 minutes and let the tannic acid go to work.

Make mine a double.......

"See you later, oh and I'm not drinking this month."

How many times have you heard that since January 1st? What is it with the rush to abstain the moment the new year starts? Yes, we may all have started drinking earlier than the norm on Christmas Day (I like to start any birthday celebration at breakfast ......) and some of us even had one over the eight on December 31st, but honestly, going dry in January?

It's is not a great month and February is worse, surely if ever there was a time to crack open the Malbec or shake up a Martini it's now. It's winter, it's wet, it's dull, cold and getting colder. Isn't that what vodka is for, to get us through the dark months?

Surely spingtime is when we should cast aside the cocktail and cork the wine for a few weeks, clear up and clean out. Until then, as Withnail might say, I plan to enjoy the finest wines available to humanity.

Cheers...happy new year!!

Top tip: soup, the other tipple to get you through winter. Nigel Slater's dal and pumpkin (I used butternut squash.....) is utterly delicious.

Baby it's cold outside......

Be like a diamond in the sky this Christmas....... try a Twinkle.

Shake vodka and elderflower cordial with ice, strain and add to Champagne ........ also works with Prosecco........Happy Christmas!!

Top tip: bring back the cocktail hour.

Sleigh bells ring.......

We seemed to have gone from this......

to this........

with alarming speed and so I have decided to embrace my inner Santa, crack open the sherry and let it snow.....let it snow.......let it snow.....

Top tip: if you've never seen the American comedian Louie CK then make it your mission to seek out his show on Fox.

Birds of a feather……..

I was given Caitlin Moran’s How To Be A Woman. I was also given The
Golden Door: Letters To America by A.A.Gill. I started the first and 
found it delightfully funny, poignant, touching and informative but…..
after awhile a did get a bit bogged down in periods and pubic hair. So,
I started Gill’s book and it too was funny, poignant, touching and 
informative but …… a little bit of Gill can go along way. And so, I 
started reading alternate chapters of each book and guess what? It was just 
right.

Like eating a crumbly piece of pecorino and a plump 
fig, or sardines cooked with sultanas, I found that 
together they worked perfectly. Who knew?

Top tip: when in doubt mix it up!!