The Steeple Times

Tag: tipple

  • Dining With The Dopey Dorks

    Dining With The Dopey Dorks

    Prince Andrew and his daughter’s dining habits – and the tall tales about did-he-or-didn’t-he go to Pizza Express (Woking branch) – get this dopey dork-like pair into hot water yet again

    Prince Andrew wants to be remembered for going to ‘nanny’s day off’ eateries like Pizza Express to get a non-sweaty alibi. He likely won’t. His daughter, Princess Beatrice, doesn’t want to be remembered for going to chi-chi Mayfair munching spots like Isabel for rule breaking rendezvous. She most definitely did.

     

    Here, in yet another case of ‘like-father-like-daughter’ (no doubt guided by the advice of the childlike live-in ex-wife and mother Sarah Ferguson), these royal embarrassments have shoved their hooves into the proverbial yet again. As self-entitled and dumb as they are, will this thicko family never learn?

     

    Whilst Princess Beatrice has been slammed for ‘doing a Kay Burley’ and breaching Tier 2 Covid regulations by The Sun, the fact that her dad ‘Randy Andy’s’ Pizza Express alibi has been basically trash canned is proof that the House of York should now be the one family in Britain actually adapting Boris Johnson’s monotonous mantra. Instead of: “Stay at Home, Save Lives,” it’s time for these rotten royals to: “Stay at Home, Stop the Lies.” A Bachelors Cup-A-Soup for dinner, Beatrice?

     

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    Dining With The Dorks – The House of York should just eat at home – Prince Andrew and his daughter’s dining habits – and the tall tales about did-he-or-didn’t-he go to Pizza Express (Woking branch) – get this dork-like pair into hot water yet again.
    Dining With The Dorks – The Duke of York’s seemingly preposterous Pizza Express Woking alibi has deservedly been the source of ridicule now for more than a year. Here is a man, after all, who’s known for his love of spending other peoples’ money enjoying luxuries such as Bentleys, helicopters and private jets and for enjoying the company of the notorious skinflint Bernie Ecclestone.
    Dining With The Dorks – The House of York should just eat at home – Prince Andrew and his daughter’s dining habits – and the tall tales about did-he-or-didn’t-he go to Pizza Express (Woking branch) – get this dork-like pair into hot water yet again.
    Dining With The Dorks – Of Princess Beatrice’s dinner at Isabel, one fellow diner told ‘The Sun’: “Bea should be setting a better example. I couldn’t believe my eyes. If the royal family can’t get coronavirus rules right, what hope for the rest of us? … One of my pals saw her and started joking, ‘Orf with her head’ and ‘Send her to the Tower.’”
    Dining With The Dorks – The House of York should just eat at home – Prince Andrew and his daughter’s dining habits – and the tall tales about did-he-or-didn’t-he go to Pizza Express (Woking branch) – get this dork-like pair into hot water yet again.
    Dining With The Dorks – Whilst Prince Andrew likes to go low-key and dine at Pizza Express (Woking branch), his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson likes to live it up in ‘Celebrity Waitrose’ in Belgravia. If she simply took her family home a few ‘Meal Deals,’ she could save the House of York a lot of embarrassment. Get to it ‘Queen of Toe Sucking!’
  • The (Loss) of Ludicrous Lord’s

    The (Loss) of Ludicrous Lord’s

    EXCLUSIVE – Matthew Steeples reports on coronavirus and the lack of Arabic arrivals killing off Knightsbridge’s most expensive ‘convenience’ store, Lord’s Food & Wine of Brompton Road

    Lord’s Food & Wine at 209 Brompton Road, SW3 was a shop you only ever went into when you were drunk, deranged, desperate (or all of the above). It was grotty and grim and known only for its truly extortionate prices, but to its credit, this favourite of both High Net Worths and the homeless was open 24/7, 365 days per year. This ‘convenience’ store was reliably dreadful, but, today, it was finally locked up and locked up and shuttered for once and for good.

     

    Run by the rudest staff imaginable and featuring a pungent smell of samosas that never escaped its price unconscious patrons, here was a shop where a magnum of vodka could be had for £1,000 a pop whilst they’d flog you something as unlovely as Blue Nun for “just” £18.50 a bottle. They even sold Whispering Angel for those desperate to be “a banger” – but even that rotten rose was marked up from about £22 to an astounding £60.

     

    Aside from visits that emptied my student loan fund in the early 2000s to buy ‘Mother’s Ruin-esque’ gin that I now wouldn’t serve to even the barbarian bear slaying bitch Larysa Switlyk let alone my dearest friends, I especially remember having to walk over to Lord’s on Christmas Day last with a chain smoking twit of a girl from Tunbridge Wells. She would have been utterly unremarkable in any other circumstance, but was so desperate for cigarettes that she was ridiculously in a torrent of uncontrollable tears.

     

    Said spoilt Norah Docker-esque madam was astounded at the £18 price per twenty fags, but promptly handed me the bill for the four packs she claimed to require. I cannot say I’ll actually miss the ludicrousness of Lord’s after that after that expensive Christmas ‘gift’ to a completely pointless person, but, late at night when they eventually return, where will all the ‘gulfies’ go for their late-night fixes now that this shabby shithole of a store has been finally killed off by a combination of coronavirus and its no doubt very greedy landlord?

     

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    The (Loss) of Locked-Up Lord’s – Lord’s Food & Wine, 209 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 2EJ closes for good – EXCLUSIVE – Matthew Steeples reports on coronavirus and the lack of Arabic arrivals killing off Knightsbridge’s most expensive convenience store, Lord’s Food & Wine of Brompton Road.
    The (Loss) of Ludicrous Lord’s – On Wednesday evening, for the first time in decades, the shelves of the most overpriced ‘convenience’ store in Britain were stripped bare.
    The (Loss) of Locked-Up Lord’s – Lord’s Food & Wine, 209 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 2EJ closes for good – EXCLUSIVE – Matthew Steeples reports on coronavirus and the lack of Arabic arrivals killing off Knightsbridge’s most expensive convenience store, Lord’s Food & Wine of Brompton Road.
    The (Loss) of Ludicrous Lord’s – The last feedback from one-time customers on the very own website of Lord’s Food & Wine, 209 Brompton Road, Knightsbridge, London, SW3 2EJ before it finally closed forever was hardly positive.

  • Heroine of the Hour – Micheline Stephen

    Heroine of the Hour – Micheline Stephen

    Ninety-year-old daily martini drinker Micheline Stephen of Cupar, Scotland is to be saluted for grabbing a robber and calling him “a wee sh*te”

    Spotted on the brilliant Facebook group ‘Angry People in Local Newspapers,’ our heroine of the hour just had to be a “Dame Maggie Smith lookalike” named Micheline Stephen of Hill Street, Cupar, Scotland.

     

    Featured in an article by Jamie Callaghan in Fife Today on Monday, French born daily martini drinker Mrs Stephen “was coming out of her bathroom when she noticed someone wandering around her kitchen.”

     

    “Initially, she believed it was her grandson,” the paper reported, but, as he attempted to escape through a window, Mrs Stephen “noticed it was not my grandson, but a young man… He had a rucksack on his back.”

     

    The sprightly pensioner “tried to pull him in” and “understandably angry… hurled abuse at the robber as he fled.” She remarked: “I told him that he was a wee sh*te.”

     

    Though yet to be apprehended, the nasty little tyke got away with Mrs Stephen’s cigarettes and lighter. In turn, officers from Police Scotland sent her a birthday card when she turned 90 two days later.

     

    Today, we join those on ‘Angry People in Local Newpsapers’ raising a martini to this “legend” and suggesting a “Kickstarter for Micheline Stephen’s fags.”

     

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    Heroine of the Hour – Martini drinking 90-year-old Micheline Stephen – Ninety-year-old daily martini drinker Micheline Stephen of Cupar, Scotland is to be saluted for grabbing a robber and calling him “a wee sh*te.”
    On the Facebook group, the journalist Jamie Callaghan’s girlfriend Catriona Wilkie, joined the 50 people leaving comments about the article. One user told her: “It’s a CV moment” of his having made Angry People in Local Newspapers,” though another stated: “I have knocked off points for no mention of grankids [SIC] names, ages or other irrelevant health conditions.”
    Heroine of the Hour – Martini drinking 90-year-old Micheline Stephen – Ninety-year-old daily martini drinker Micheline Stephen of Cupar, Scotland is to be saluted for grabbing a robber and calling him “a wee sh*te.”
    Fans declared Micheline Stephen’s actions “fabulous” and one declared: “This is the most Scottish thing I’ve ever read.”
  • Reader Offer – Gilpin’s Gin

    Reader Offer – Gilpin’s Gin

    ‘The Steeple Times’ offers readers an extra special discount on the extra dry, extra sophisticated Gilpin’s Gin during Lockdown 2.0

    Gilpin’s Gin is a five-times distilled, premium London Dry Gin handcrafted in small batches with just eight botanicals: juniper, bitter orange, sage, borage, lime peel, lemon peel, coriander and angelica root.

     

    Available at 47% and an even more punchy 54.5% ABV, this extra dry gin created by Matthew Gilpin is perfect for cocktails and makes an especially fine dry martini.

     

    Gilpin’s – whom give 10% of sales to the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity – currently have a special offer for Lockdown 2.0:

     

    • Gilpin’s Extra Dry Gin (47% ABV) – £160 for a case of six including VAT and UK delivery (RRP: £236).

     

    • Gilpin’s Navy Gin (54.5% ABV) – £180 for a case of six including VAT and UK delivery (RRP: £270).

     

    As a bonus, Gilpin’s are offering readers of The Steeple Times a further £10 off these prices when they enter the promo code STEEPLEGIN at checkout. To redeem and get yourself a box full of gin filled joy for £150 (47%) or £170 per case (54.5%), please click here.

     

    Pictured top: Gilpin’s Gin is to be found in the finest homes (pictured here at Easton Neston, now the country residence of Leon Max) and the ritziest establishments (pictured here being elegantly served by Alessandro Palazzi at Dukes Hotel).

     

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    Reader Offer – Gilpin’s Gin – Lockdown 2.0 discount for readers – ‘The Steeple Times’ offers readers an extra special discount on the extra dry, extra sophisticated Gilpin’s Gin during Lockdown 2.0.
    Gilpin’s Gin is available at 47% ABV and 54.5% ABV. Once you’ve sampled its delights, it will become a must have for your drinks cabinet.
  • Schofe Banned

    Schofe Banned

    As Phillip Schofield’s book is banned from sale in Wales, we ask: “Did the temperamental telly host ‘Schofe’ have another meltdown as a result?”

    Whilst nobody was surprised when Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Kenya, Kuwait, Liberia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand amongst others banned The Satanic Verses in 1988 for supposed blasphemy against Islam, news that Phillip Schofield’s memoirs have been outlawed from sale in Wales might actually surprise.

     

    Though no doubt an affront to literature in terms of the quality and relevance of its content, an image of Schofield’s recently released Life’s What You Make It in a taped off section of a Tesco store in Cardiff appeared yesterday in The Sun. Appropriately, however, given the shocking reviews the tome has deservedly received, a notice was pinned to the shelving stating: “We are unable to sell non-essential items at this time.”

     

    We’re left wondering: Did ‘Schofe’ hit his “only fit for the bin” boxed wine as a result? If so, we can only pity those dealing with his hangover this morning.

     

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    Schofe Banned – Phillip Schofield memoirs banned in Wales – As Phillip Schofield’s book is banned from sale in Wales, we ask: “Did the temperamental telly host have another meltdown as a result?”
    Schofe Banned – With his memoirs banned from sale in supermarkets in Wales and his boxed wine rubbished as “no more palatable than fizzy Ribena,” ‘Schofe’ no doubt had another temper tantrum. Poor lamb.
    As Phillip Schofield’s book is banned from sale in Wales, we ask: “Did the temperamental telly host ‘Schofe’ have another meltdown as a result?”
    Schofe Banned – D. H. Lawrence’s ‘Lady Chatterley’s Lover’ was banned from sale in the United Kingdom for violation of obscenity laws. The ban was lifted in 1960 and one is now left wondering how long Phillip Schofield’s tome will remain on a list of banned books for.
  • Phillip Schofield – What a Plonker!

    Phillip Schofield – What a Plonker!

    All-round plonker Phillip Schofield’s wine range condemned as “only fit for the bin” and “no more palatable than fizzy Ribena”

    Known for his extremely short fuse and once described by David Dimbleby as “cretinous,” Phillip Schofield recently launched a wine range in Waitrose and on Amazon. Unsurprisingly, it’s been a total flop and was quite deservedly condemned at the weekend in The Sun as “overpriced” and “bitter.”

     

    Priced between £19.99 and £24.99 for 2.25-litre boxes, Schofield’s was slammed by one punter as “only fit for the bin” on Waitrose’s website. They added: “The wine [was] effervescing within the bag. No more palatable than fizzy Ribena” whilst another suggested: “I don’t have anything positive to say about the flavour at all. Not pleasant drinking. We failed to finish the box.”

     

    Prior to launching the range in April, Schofield quite pompously bragged to The Drinks Business:

     

    “When I agreed to this partnership, I had certain conditions; I wanted to be part of the tasting team… I wanted it to be good value. The result is something I felt I could really invest in.”

     

    Schofield – whose ‘coming out’ and alleged connections to a young man named Matthew McGreevy attracted much media attention earlier this year – unsurprisingly failed to respond to a request from The Steeple Times for comment; he was probably instead too busy nursing a hangover headache from drinking his equivalent of Sir Cliff Richard’s equally vile plonk.

     

    Pictured top: All-round plonker Phillip Schofield on a night out with his one-time ‘friend’ Matt McGreevy; Phillip Schofield’s bag-in-box wines.

     

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    Phillip Schofield – What a Plonker! Wine range condemned as “bin fit” – All-round plonker Phillip Schofield’s wine range condemned as “only fit for the bin” and “no more palatable than fizzy Ribena.”
    Sir Cliff Richard’s associations with wines, just like Phillip Schofield’s, have not always proved fruitful. In 2006, appearing on Gordon Ramsay’s ‘The F-Word,’ the crappy crooner had a meltdown during a blind tasting. After sipping one unnamed offering, Sir Cliff announced: “That’s rubbish. I wouldn’t pay for that. It’s tainted, it’s insipid, it tastes like vinaigrette. I’d never buy that.” Ramsay, responded by remarking: “Cliff, that’s your wine”. The singer is said to have answered: “Young man, go f**k yourself.”
    Phillip Schofield – What a Plonker! Wine range condemned as “bin fit” – All-round plonker Phillip Schofield’s wine range condemned as “only fit for the bin” and “no more palatable than fizzy Ribena.”
    What a Plonker – Phillip Schofield was photographed with Matthew McGreevy on a number of occasions during the latter’s youth.
    Phillip Schofield – What a Plonker! Wine range condemned as “bin fit” – All-round plonker Phillip Schofield’s wine range condemned as “only fit for the bin” and “no more palatable than fizzy Ribena.”
    What a Plonker – The television presenter with his “friend” at a later date.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=20&v=cGuoqjTg1O8&feature=emb_logo
  • Magnificent Madeleine

    Magnificent Madeleine

    Matthew Steeples suggests the utterly charming Chez Madeleine as the best place for seafood in Saint Tropez, France

    To those that aspire to be Mary Berry, Saint Tropez is famous for its Tarte Tropézienne – created in a bakery in the main square in the 1950s by Alexandre Micka, a young Polish baker, and made famous by Brigitte Bardot’s obsession with it subsequently in the 1960s – and to the flash with wads of cash, this is a summer spot that is all about hedonism and high fashion.

     

    If you want Celine, Dior, Hermès, Loro Piana or Louis Vuitton, in Saint Tropez you will find yourself in your idea of heaven and in terms of dining, the coastal town is primarily divided between restaurants that cater to tacky tourists and dining destinations that pander to the cravings of the super, super ultra rich. However, for those desiring something a little more authentic there’s a wonderful little oyster bar hidden behind a small fish market named Chez Madeleine that you simply just couldn’t fail to fall in love with.

     

    Owned and operated by a delightful lady named Garance Fonquerne and her family since December 2019, Chez Madeleine is certainly petite. With just a few bar stools, it’s a quick pitstop for some but, if you linger, you’ll soon discover the charm of this dining destination is based upon its atmosphere and jolly staff.

     

    Garance is thoroughly French, but her father runs a hair salon in London’s Gloucester Road. She was educated partly in South Kensington and as such has an ability to click with her international clientele. Here, indeed, is a hostess exceptionnelle and someone whose dining spot is deservedly buzzy.

     

    Featuring primarily a menu of oysters including the Josephine and the Gillardeau – both famously farmed by the family of the latter name since the 19th century. As you sit observing these delights being shucked, you’ll soon realise the truth of Andrew Carnegie’s quote on this most delectable of shellfish: “The first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell” as you then witness the suave staff of the ‘have yachts’ arrive to collect stunningly presented takeaway baskets of such for their masters to consume on their nearby gin palaces.

     

    Offered here also is king crab, prawns, salmon and caviar and washed down in the sunshine with a bottle of rose, you’ll also realise you’ve found the best thing in life in Chez Madeleine: A simple, yet utterly glorious culinary paradise.

     

    Chez Madeleine, 14 Place aux Herbes, 83 990, Saint Tropez, France. Telephone: +33 (0) 9 52 04 39 47. Instagram: @la.fine.equipe.chez.madeleine

     

    Pictured top: Garance Fonquerne outside Chez Madeleine.

     

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    Magnificent Madeleine – Review of Chez Madeleine, France – Matthew Steeples suggests the utterly charming Chez Madeleine as the best place for seafood in Saint Tropez, France. Chez Madeleine, 14 Place aux Herbes, 83 990, Saint Tropez, France. Telephone: +33 (0) 9 52 04 39 47.
    Magnificent Madeleine – Review of Chez Madeleine, France – Matthew Steeples suggests the utterly charming Chez Madeleine as the best place for seafood in Saint Tropez, France. Chez Madeleine, 14 Place aux Herbes, 83 990, Saint Tropez, France. Telephone: +33 (0) 9 52 04 39 47.
    Magnificent Madeleine – Review of Chez Madeleine, France – Matthew Steeples suggests the utterly charming Chez Madeleine as the best place for seafood in Saint Tropez, France. Chez Madeleine, 14 Place aux Herbes, 83 990, Saint Tropez, France. Telephone: +33 (0) 9 52 04 39 47.
  • Bow Wine Vaults Back

    Bow Wine Vaults Back

    Acclaimed restaurateur Philip Lawless to reopen Square Mile institution and haunt of city financiers the Bow Wine Vaults on Monday

    Situated next to the Sir Christopher Wren designed church of St Mary-le-Bow, the Bow Wine Vaults on the corner of Bow Churchyard and Bow Lane in EC4M has long been a favoured haunt of City titans.

     

    Like all restaurants and bars in the UK, it was forced to close for the first time ever for a significant period because of the coronavirus lockdown, but on Monday it will reopen once again.

     

    Proprietor since 1987, Philip Lawless – a well-known personality in hospitality in Belgavia, the City of London and Mayfair since he came to London in the 1950s – told The Steeple Times:

     

    “It’s going to be exciting to reopen after three months and to welcome back both our regulars and new faces.”

     

    “We have put in place careful measures to meet government requirements, but we’re glad to report we’ve got bookings for the whole week.”

     

    “In a funny way, I’m looking forward to seeing how this new experience will work.”

     

    With a bar, bistro and outdoor dining terrace, here is a place that will once again resound with the sound of City sorts at work and at play. They will be a little more socially distanced than before, but those craving the best comfort food post-lockdown will certainly be delighted that the Bow Wine Vaults will be once again be back to business.

     

    Bow Wine Vaults, 10 Bow Churchyard, London, EC4M 9DQ. Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7248 1121. Reopens Monday 6th July from 11am.

     

    Pictured top: The terrace of the Bow Wine Vaults; it will, of course, have social distancing measures in place from Monday.

     

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    Bow Wine Vaults Back – Bow Wine Vaults reopens on 6th July 2020 – Restaurateur Philip Lawless to reopen Square Mile institution the Bow Wine Vaults, 10 Bow Churchyard, London, EC4M 9DQ on Monday 6th July 2020.
    Proprietor Philip Lawless looks forward to welcoming customers old and new to the Bow Wine Vaults from Monday 6th July.
    Bow Wine Vaults Back – Bow Wine Vaults reopens on 6th July 2020 – Restaurateur Philip Lawless to reopen Square Mile institution the Bow Wine Vaults, 10 Bow Churchyard, London, EC4M 9DQ on Monday 6th July 2020.
    The bar of the Bow Wine Vaults has been a renowned haunt for City dealmakers for generations.
    The Bow Wine Vaults stand next to the church of St Mary-le-Bow, a famous City landmark. Its bells are referenced frequently in the story of ‘Dick Whittington and His Cat’ and in the nursery rhyme ‘Oranges and Lemons’ whilst, if tradition is to be believed, a ‘true Cockney’ must be born within earshot of the sound of the bells.
  • Hapless Hancock gets a Right Royal Brenda-ering

    Hapless Hancock gets a Right Royal Brenda-ering

    Restaurant critic Tom Parker-Bowles does a ‘Brenda from Bristol’ in suggesting Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s telly box appearances “drive him mad” whilst chatting to William Sitwell on his Instagram TV show ‘Biting Talk’

    “Winging it that health fella Hancock, winging it, I just can’t watch him, drives me mad,” lamented Tom Parker-Bowles on William Sitwell’s jolly twice weekly Biting Talk Instagram TV show on Tuesday.

     

    Sounding a bit like “not another one” squawking ‘Brenda from Bristol’ in his spot-on summary, the Mail on Sunday restaurant critic did indeed share the view of the nation about the hapless health secretary. Here, in Hancock, is someone Brenda would simply surmise just perfectly with her trademark “You’re joking! Absolutely weird! I just can’t stand him!”

     

    Continuing, the Duchess of Cornwall’s “quaffed” son reflected the public’s desire for simplicity in commenting: “I’ve really missed going to the pub for a pint with friends, it’s just these things we take for granted… I am not particularly interested in high art or tasting menus… I would take a rubbish pub for now.”

     

    Of the impending reopening of boozers and eateries, Parker-Bowles called for “common sense and respect” and again in Brenda-esque “we need a bit of guts to get us going” fashion added:

     

    “We all want to make sure this awful pandemic is wiped out in the end… Let’s concentrate on the positive… But, hopefully everyone will pile back in.”

     

    “This is our life, it is our joy… It is about convincing the public… This is not the time to be taking down restaurants, it is about the time to be looking for the good. This is a time that all of us come together to fight for restaurants, to fight for them and get them back.”

     

    Concluding, of to his life in lockdown, the writer shared some of his experiences and thoughts. He declared his dislike for the hideously vapid phrase “the new normal,” his desire to see friends again and announced:

     

    “I’m reading the Alan Clark’s diaries again. They’re fantastic. He wouldn’t do well today, but who knows, he might. He’d probably be on Breitbart or something like that.”

     

    Brenda would most certainly agree.

     

    William Sitwell’s ‘Biting Talk’ airs on Instagram TV ‘live’ on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at 6pm GMT. Be sure to tune in!

     

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    Pearl clad pensioner ‘Brenda from Bristol’ became the unlikely star of the 2017 General Election when she shared her views about politics with a BBC reporter. This 75-year old retired secretary spoke for the nation in remarking: “You’re joking? Not another one!” Oh for God’s sake, I can’t honestly… I can’t stand this. There’s too much politics going on at the moment. Why does she [Theresa May] need to do it?” and later added: “There’s hardly anybody in any of the parties that you’d put your life on the line for. We need somebody who’s got a little bit of guts to get us all going”.
    Hancock gets a Brenda-ering – Tom Parker-Bowles with William Sitwell – Restaurant critic Tom Parker-Bowles does a ‘Brenda from Bristol’ in suggesting Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s telly box appearances “drive him mad” on William Sitwell’s ‘Biting Talk’
    Devoted foodies William Sitwell and Tom Parker-Bowles have previously worked together on the popular BBC television series ‘Celebrity MasterChef’ (pictured above with fellow critic Grace Dent).
    Hancock gets a Brenda-ering – Tom Parker-Bowles with William Sitwell – Restaurant critic Tom Parker-Bowles does a ‘Brenda from Bristol’ in suggesting Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s telly box appearances “drive him mad” on William Sitwell’s ‘Biting Talk’
    William Sitwell’s ‘Biting Talk’ is a twice weekly “must watch” on Instagram TV. Each episode lasts 45-minutes and aside from regulars such as the cocktail maestro Farhad Heydari, guests have numbered Andrew Heald of Fishers Gin (reviewed recently in ‘The Steeple Times’) and Charlie Gilkes, co-founder of the Inception Group. Sitwell has recently launched a new venture, William’s House Wines (to be featured in ‘The Steeple Times’ shortly).
    Hancock gets a Brenda-ering – Tom Parker-Bowles with William Sitwell – Restaurant critic Tom Parker-Bowles does a ‘Brenda from Bristol’ in suggesting Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s telly box appearances “drive him mad” on William Sitwell’s ‘Biting Talk’
    Tom Parker-Bowles pictured with his mother, the Duchess of Cornwall, at the launch of his cookbook ‘Christmas & Other Winter Feasts’ at Fortnum & Mason in St James’s, London in October 2018. The event, in the store’s Diamond Jubilee Tea Salon, was also attended by Richard Bacon, Jimmy Carr, Tess Daly and Stanley Tucci according to ‘Hello!’ magazine.
  • Ask Charlie – Rhubarb & Ginger Gin

    Ask Charlie – Rhubarb & Ginger Gin

    Charlie Gray of ‘Ask Charlie’ shares her recipe for rhubarb and ginger gin; here is a recipe that everyone will enjoy making

    I am not a big drinker, but lockdown, home schooling and adjusting to this new ‘normal’ has made me turn to the bottle rather more frequently than I would normally do at home.

     

    With an abundance of rhubarb in the garden and the children sick of the sight of it, I decided to make something that I would get most pleasure out – rhubarb and ginger gin. It is so easy to make and the hardest part is waiting three weeks for it to brew.

     

    My recipe for Rhubarb & Ginger Gin follows:

     

    • 500g of chopped rhubarb – the pinker, the better as it gives colour to the liquid.
    • 2-inches of fresh ginger, cut into a couple of chunks.
    • 80g of granulated sugar (caster sugar turns the liquid cloudy).
    • 500ml of gin, I personally used Gordon’s as it is my grandmother’s favourite.

     

    Pleace the chopped rhubarb and ginger in a large jar and add the sugar. Put on a lid and leave for 48 hours, shaking occasionally.

     

    Next, open the lid and pour in the gin. Put the lid back on and shake gently once a week for three weeks.

     

    When the time has passed, place a muslin in a sieve (baby ones are the best as they have a finer weave) over a large bowl and pour out of the content of the jar into the muslin. Leave it to drip, bottle and then enjoy.

     

    I serve with Mediterranean Fevertree tonic and ice, but for some it’s just perfect on the rocks.

     

    Sussex based mother of three and lifestyle blogger Charlie Gray shares ‘homegrown skills’ and practical advice on her website Ask Charlie. Watch her videos on YouTube by clicking here.

     

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