Three great National Trust houses

On our way to our alternative holiday (our river cruise was cancelled due to unusually low water levels on the Danube) we called in at the first of three large National Trust houses we visited whilst away.

Stourhead, in Wiltshire, is a Palladian villa built in the 1700s and owned by the Hoare family until 1946 when after losing their only son in WWII Sir Henry and Lady Alda Hoare gifted the villa and it's beautiful grounds to the National Trust.

Stourhead

It was Henry and Alda who were responsible for restoring the villa as previous generation had suffered financial difficulties during the agricultural decline and the house had been shut up. Sir Henry and Lady Alda lived in the small cottage whilst the house was being restored.

The Gateway adorned in autumn colours

There were so many grand rooms full of beautiful paintings and great pieces of furniture. I'm always very taken with inlaid work, carpets and intricate designs on wallpapers or hangings. It must be my arty side that draws me to them.

This was stunning, my photo does not

do it justice really

Such detail, amazing craftsmanship

Each room was full of great paintings, furniture and ceramics

Stourhead is also famous for its grounds with undulating paths through woodland, lakeside walks and a collection of statues, temples and follies.

Beautiful grounds especially with autumnal colours

It was quite a long walk round the lake and with the paths meandering up and down the hills it was too far for me so we only had a small stroll. However I did catch a glimpse of the Pantheon through the trees.

The Pantheon 

It was a beautiful place to visit, I can imagine Stourhead looks wonderful any time of year but I especially enjoyed the red, oranges, yellows, browns and greens of autumn.

Pumpkins in the garden greenhouse 

Whilst on holiday we visited Kingston Lacy, a large country house built in 1660s. John and Mary Bankes owned much of Dorset and lived at Corfe Castle (you can read about our visit here in a later post). The castle was destroyed during the English Civil War, John was killed and Mary fought for her castle and land. It was their son Ralph that built the house and generations since have filled it with treasures: famous paintings, Chippendake furniture and the keys for Corfe Castle.

John Bankes

Mary Bankes holding the key to Corfe Castle 

The rooms were filled with so famous paintings by Rubens, Van Dyke and Titian to name just three. Huge beautiful paintings, kept in low lighted rooms, that came to life as the Guides shone their torches on the detail.

Amazing detailed art - original Rubens'

Three eldest children of Charles I - copy of a Van Dyke

The painting came to life under the Guide's torchlight

One room in the house was dedicated to Egyptian times, full of relics collected by William Bankes during his Egypt tour in 1818. The intricate work and hieroglyphics were amazing, especially when you think how old they are ..... but for me they belong in their own country rather than as treasures in an English house.

Egyptian treasure

High in the attic space were two rooms decorated like tents in the Napoleonic War. It s said they were designed for the Duke of Wellington to remind him of the battle, not sure that was a memory he wanted on his many visits to this great house.

Tent bedroom 

Walking around it felt so homely in this house, mainly because the furniture all belonged there. It wasn't a house made to look like it's age it really was exactly as it had been lived in. I especially liked Henrietta's bedroom, very much like today's popular floral designs.

Henrietta's Bedroom 

The third house we visited was on our way home, Lacock Abbey. A real mixture of a building that has been used for many things, including a film set for Harry Potter and Pride & Prejudice.

Lacock Gateway 

The Cloisters corridor - Harry Potter was filmed here

Outer barn

The Cloisters and outer rooms are superb examples of medieval architecture and date from 1232, although some were demolished and replaced in 1400s.

In Tudor times, when monasteries were dissolved, the building was turned into a Country House with a large estate including Lacock Village. Italian design was popular at this time which accounts for the addition of the octagonal tower.

Beautiful architecture 

The entrance and Great Hall are the final parts of the tour. The hall takes your breathe away, not because of its opulent furnishings or paintings as it doesn't have any .....its huge walls are filled with Gothic statues. A very different style to the rest of the house and dates back to the 1700s. I love the story of the goat and his sugar cube.

Stunning Great Hall Gothic statues

As well as the Abbey there is also the Fox Talbot Museum, although we did not visit due to time. William Henry Fox Talbot was the first to create an image on a photographic negative. He captured an image of one of the windows in the South Gallery, unfortunately he did not realise how important his discovery was and did not patent the idea so made no money from his discovery.

The first camera 

It is an expensive business being responsible for the upkeep of the House, Estate and Village and when Matilda Talbot unexpectedly inherited it in 1916 she had to sell some of the treasures to improve the tenants village homes. She gave Lacock to the National Trust in 1944.

Lacock Abbey

Three great houses, all very different, all full of history and interesting details. We are really enjoying being members of the National Trust and whilst on holiday visited a few other smaller properties which I'll be blogging later.

I'll finish this post with my favourite photo of all our National Trust visits  - Hubby and I silhouetted in the Cloisters at Lacock Abbey 

Cerne Abbas Brewery

As always when on holiday or somewhere new I search online maps for vineyards and breweries. We found two of the first (more about this in another post) and one of the latter ...... Cerne Abbas Brewery.

If you haven't yet met the Cerne Giant you may be surprised! At 180ft tall he is Britain's largest hillside chalk figure ... and is certainly a talking point!

Cerne Giant - looking a little faded 

The earliest known mention of this outstanding figure is 1674 and there have been many suggestions as to who he is from Hercules to Oliver Cromwell. Myths surround the Giant, not surprisingly most refer to fertility: Wikipedia as always has plenty of information.

Hubby and I have decided all the best vineyards and breweries are to be found down a narrow grass middled lane..... this was no exception. Cerne Abbas Brewery was tucked away from the main road but will soon be nearer the Giant as they are moving nearer the village.

We had no idea about their beer, draught or bottled but discovered they use local organic barley, green sand-filtered water and no chemicals. For a small brewery they have quite a range of beer. In the few years they have been brewing have won many CAMRA awards and been featured on Saturday Kitchen and Radio 2.

We purchased a variety including a litre of coconut beer, yes really. It was fabulous, it will be the final tasting at our next Scout Wine Event, probably paired with rocky road chocolate.

Our Cerne Abbas beer 

Last night we opened our first two: Watercress Warrior and Bottle Blonde.

Very different to each other but both very very nice, the Blonde being more hoppy and the Watercress having a peppery note.

Thank you Cerne Abbas Brewery, it was a pleasure to meet you, good luck with the move and we will certainly pop by when down your way - cheers!

KWV Wines

It was certainly a week of wine for me last week, as well as being chosen to be a judge at People's Choice Wine Awards I was also chosen to be a taster for UK Wine Hour. 

Sorcha Holloway is the founder of #ukwinehour which as you can see from having a hashtag is a Twitter event - every Thursday at 7pm UK time. 

It is such fun each week, although I confess I don't always manage to be there or be there on time but as it's a hash tag it is so easy to read back through everyone's comments. 

Each week there is a focus and last Thursday Sorcha had arranged Marco Ventrella to answer tweeted questions with KWV wines generously sending bottles of their wines to selected tasters, me being one. KWV wines are South African and this year celebrate their 100th anniversary #KWV100

The wines arrived the week before, as I was only expecting a bottle I was very surprised when a large box arrived, even more surprised when inside was a bottle of Laborie Blanc de Blancs, KWH The Mentors Petit Verdot and a bottle of Cruxland Gin with its very stylish leather strap cap cover. 

Wines received for UK Wine Hour 

If someone is kind enough to send me a bottle of wine to taste and review I feel it is only right that I do it justice and so on Thursday I had great fun photographing the three bottles, preparing food pairings and cocktail ingredients. 

Making the most of the sunshine to display the
ingredients ready for my gin cocktails

Just being Hubby and myself for the tasting we decided to make it last all day ..... in other words pacing ourselves! 

It's always interesting to pair food so I put together a cheese and charcuterie platter to enjoy with Laborie Blanc de Blancs - the platter consisted of:

Brie   Stilton   Salami   Chorizo   Dried Ham   Walnuts   

The Blue cheese was good but we both agreed the salami was superb, the fatiness in the meat being cut through by the bubbles..... 

... ah yes the bubbles, great golden colour with a fascinating edge of green. The brioche aroma with hints of butter lead to a mouth of toastiness and a nutty finish. Having recently holidayed in the Champagne region enjoying a variety of fizz I have to say this bottle of Blanc de Blancs from South Africa was superb.

Our selection from Hotel Chocolat and Green & Black's chocolates that we brought home from our Manchester trip made a perfect dessert with the Laborie especially the truffles dusted in cocoa.

Next task was to decant the KWH The Mentors Petit Verdot; this is a grape I really like but have, as far as I know, only had French wine before. Quite a heavy red at over 14% this Stellenbosch Petit Verdot looked so inviting in the decanter.

Breathing nicely

With a couple of hours before UK Wine Time we decided to have some fun experimenting with Cruxland Gin - what a surprise to discover this was made from grapes and 9 great ingredients. It was hard to decide which mixers to use to enhance what looked like being a great gin. 

The magical nine!

I tried a hibiscus mixer from Merchant's Heart and Hubby tried apple, elderflower and a touch of soda. Both drinks were good but did nothing for the gin, certainly didn't add to any flavour from the ingredients. After much thought and discussion we both decided it was best neat with ice so all the nine could be savoured. 

7 o'clock ..... time to tweet!

Oh my goodness what fun, I have no idea how many people were asking Marco questions or tweeting about their tastings but the hour just flew by. Hubby ended up reading the tweets on his iPad whilst I posted the tweets on my laptop, it certainly made for a very jolly evening .... of course we were tasting the Petit Verdot too.

It was so deep in colour, aroma and taste. Plenty of rich fruits, a touch of violets on the nose and a rich, juicy cherry flavour giving a great finish.... we both loved this one. It was similar to the French wines I have had but this had more depth and is a wine I will certainly buy again as would many other Tweeters.

Thank you Sorcha for the opportunity to taste and review these three superb bottles from KWH Wines. Thank you Marco for all your interesting tweets and videos.

It's sherry week this Thursday - log on and follow #ukwinehour for an hour of chatting with fellow wine enthusiasts, it certainly makes a great night!

People's Choice Wine Awards .... I was a judge .....

..... in Round 1 and Round 2 !

Earlier in the summer a competition was launched to find judges for Round 1 of this special choice award. Why is this award so special? Because it is people from all walks of life choosing which wine is the best in each category.

People who all love wine, from those enjoying a glass at home with friends to those appearing on tv to share their knowledge with us all. With various levels of wine qualifications, mine being zero, the judges all had one thing they equally shared ... their enthusiasm about wine!

Brilliant artwork by cartoonist Tony Husband

I was so surprised when Janet Harrison emailed to say I had been selected as a judge for Round 1. Run by Janet, founder of Cracking Wine and The Fizz Festival, this is the second year these awards have been held, this year having more than double the number of wines entered.

People's Choice Wine Awards is quite active on Twitter, a social media app through which I have chatted and met some lovely people. Being a judge in Round 1 was a chance not only to review wine but also to meet a few of my fellow tweeters; some old friends, some new, all great wine peeps VinoViews, Wine Buffer, Just Perfect Wines and TerriandRex

Over 200 bottles were submitted for judging; submitted by high street supermarkets, independent wine shops, importers, suppliers and producers in the 20 categories listed below. The categories underlined were the wines I tasted and reviewed; Table 3 hosted by Lee Middleton was such fun, everyone having different backgrounds but all enjoying the challenge of scoring each wine.

Cheers !!             Photo @jonshootsthings 

Table 3 with our wines to taste and score

The award categories were:  

    

Out of the Ordinary       Boxing Clever        Fabulous Fizz - Champagne

     Fabulous Fizz - Sparkling Wine (Rest of the World)       One Man and his BBQ

Party Central        Food Friendly Wines - Red for Lighter Meals     Pizza Night

Girls Night In      Fabulous Fizz - Sparkling Wine (UK)        Heavy Duty

  War of the Rosés      Food Friendly Wines - Red for Easy Weekday Meals     Bargain Buys

Food Friendly Wines - Red for Hearty Meals     Food Friendly Wines - White for Lighter Meals

Sweets for My Sweet       Food Friendly Wines - White for Aromatic & Asian Meals  

   

Food Friendly Wines - White for Light Meals with Sauces      Blow Out! 

All the wine bottles were covered so we had no idea which country they were from, which grape variety they were, how much they cost, who the producer was ..... everything was unknown.

I thoroughly enjoyed judging the wines for what they were, as they were presented in the glass. Looking at colour, aroma, flavour, whether they fitted the category and mostly importantly would I buy a bottle - hence People's Choice Wine Awards.

It's at this point I must mention the spittoons; those who know me also know that spitting is one of my pet hates, anywhere, be it on a sports field, in the street and at wine events.

I must admit to being very apprehensive about this side of being a judge especially as with the quantity of wines spitting was vital.

So I took along a 'friend' - my love it or hate it Marmite espresso cup - perfect for the job both in Round 1 and Round 2!


Round 2? Yes really....

... at the end of Round 1 Janet chose 4 Supertasters to join wine journalists, experts, tv wine personalities, online event organisers, restaurant owners, so many well known people from the world of wine. I was stunned and humbled to be asked to judge Round 2, huge congratulations to the wine doctor, Dan Doherty  and Tory Locke who were also chosen as Supertasters.

Round 2 judges, the unofficial photo - being tall I'm hiding at the back 

The event was held at Albert Square Chop House in Manchester and it was with added excitement that I arrived at midday on Tuesday. Excitement as not only was I going to be a Judge in Round 2 but I was also going to finally meet people I have followed, liked or chatted with online.

It was a real pleasure to meet Brian Elliott, Peter Ranscombe, Amelia Singer, PleaseBringMeMyWine and Sorcha Holloway . I really had to pinch myself to think that ordinary me from a small Midlands market town was judging wine for a national competition along side wine experts - such an amazing day, thank you.

Round 2 involved judging the top 3 or 4 of each categories - I have italicised in the list above the ones our table judged, starting with ..... Champagne !

Best way to start with Champagne

Out of the Ordinary

Heavy Duty - dessert wines

Sitting round the table, tasting and thinking about wine, chatting and giggling with such lovely people made it such a special day for me. I can honestly say it was an honour to be part of this event and the wine's that win the awards really will be by People's Choice.

You too can be part of these awards by voting for your favourite Independent Wine Supplier and your favourite Supermarket - vote here.

I am really looking forward to seeing who has been awarded the prize for each category especially those I helped judge.

Thank you Janet and everyone that helped with this amazing event.

@jonshootsthings