Exciting end to 2012 and a warm welcome to 2013

So the festivities are over; today we have pt our decorations away. We try to do it traditionally on 6th: according to tradition, it is unlucky to leave decorations up in the home beyond the end of the festive season, marked by Twelfth Night, and that anyone who forgets to take them down must leave them in place all year to avoid misfortune.

However Twelfth Night is the night before Epiphany, the day when the wise men arrived to give their gifts to the baby Jesus. Some people therefore leave their decorations up and even give gifts for Epiphany.

Anyway our house is now back to being 'normal' with what feels like a little more space. That is until our lovable Ruby came home from the kennels - she is a rescue dog with 'issues' so for the later part of the festivities she went to her second home Witherley Kennels. She has settled there well which is a relief for us when we go away.

The end of 2012 was an exciting new adventure for us - we went to Liverpool by train. This is unusual as we prefer the car but London Midland and Virgin Trains were offering some great deals, it's only one change, and no M6 motorway, so we decided to give it a go. Both journeys were relaxing and stress free; no overcrowding, trains on time both departing and arriving.

We stayed at Hampton by Hilton which is next to Albert Dock. A new build modern hotel with a minimalistic look. A very comfortable bedroom but with an intriguing wardrobe door - sliding from being the wardrobe door to the bathroom door depending on it's position. The floor length mirror opposite gave some unexpected views of the bathroom at times.

 Liverpool was amazing - our first amazement was the amount of chewing gum on the almost invisible pavement. We managed to do so much in just two days:

The Cavern Club

Yellow Duckmarine Tour

Tate Liverpool

Liverpool One

Liverpool's skyline is filled with an array or architecture from ancient to ultra modern. The Three Graces were stunning in the morning sunlight with the Liver Building being the most dominant.

Three Graces

Liverpool is not short of a bar or restaurant either - the top level of Liverpool One is the perfect dining setting - it certainly doesn't feel like you have a shopping centre below. We enjoyed meals at  Red Hot and Cafe Rouge; drinks at Bierkeller but our best visit was to All Bar One where we discovered the most wonderful shiraz Little Yerling Shiraz 2008; a £20 New Year treat .

An exciting time and 2012 was not yet over - Party at the Pub The Abbey Nuneaton helped us see in the New Year. Being as our son is a bartender there we joined them for our final tipple in 2012. Or should I say tipples as we certainly saw the New Year in in style - starting slowly with a fabulous bottle of Fish Hoek Sauvignon Blanc and finishing with a smooth Southern Comfort (I'm not divulging the inbetweens)

Our start to 2013 included a very successful wine and cheese evening with friends. The varieties we tried were:

Cheese:

Cheddar  -  Cornish Brie  -  Wensleydale with cranberries  -  Gorgonzola  -  Emmental 

Marmite cheese  -  Ovejo (spanish)  -  Goats cheese  -  Cheshire 

White Wine:

Cheverny  -  Touraine Sauvignon Blanc

Red Wine:

Sainsbury's Malbec  -   Ca'Lunghetta Merlot  -  Yellow Tails Shiraz

We didn't try matching so much as trying new - and work the following day lead to reserve sampling. A thoroughly enjoyable evening that I am sure will be repeated.

Finally our last 'hello' to 2013 was a goodbye as our daughter returned to Glamorgan University. We decided to make it a short break and took grandparents to see where she was. They were very happy to see she had settled well and thought the accommodation very modern and clean - something wrong there for student digs!

We stayed at the Parkway Hotel, one of the Best Western chain. Its tucked away from the main Cardiff hussle and is a little like visiting an elderly relative where everything is done proper and laid out. We booked their £99 dinner, bed and breakfast deal which included a delicious four course carvery.

The following morning we all visited Cardiff Bay - a reasonably new development with bars, restaurants and an impressive Pierhead. The Doctor Who Experience  had many excited visitors rushing in and the barrage walk was filled with families; dogs, bike, prams, scooters, walking sticks. The area is a perfect family place. We had lunch at Cafe Rouge - using our 40% off voucher from dining in 2012.

Cardiff Bay

So a busy end to 2012 and quite a busy start to 2013 - January is looking good too with a bit of a french theme !

Cheers

Christmas celebrations are almost over - we had a lovely family day. We had a traditional turkey dinner starting with a variety of seafood; prawns, smoked salmon and salmon pate.

This was accompanied by a bottle of Nicolas Feuillatte 2004 Cuvee Champagne. it was perfect. A more intense flavour than the Brut we had earlier this month for my husbands birthday. The golden colour was darker and the flavour richer with many more bubbles, although not gaseous.



Our traditional turkey dinner was perfectly accompanied by a bottle of Il Papaverone. It was my dad's favourite. Sadly he passed away earlier this year and there was a bottle in his wine rack so we saved it for Christmas. All the wines in this range are superb but this was Dad's favourite.



Il Papavero Primitivo 2011

It's an Italian wine, Primivito grape. A lovely weighty red, deep in colour with a rich aroma but not heavy tasting. It matches beautifully with red meat, especially beef or lamb casserole dishes. it's 14% but not overly heady.

We have also enjoyed other wines over the holidays including our favourite Cheverny which we bring home from France. Tomorrow we are off for a short break in Liverpool, our first visit which will of course include a meal at Cafe Rouge. All the deals, bargains and must dos will be here next time.

It'll soon be here

Just over a week to go and the festivities will begin - our house already smells of Christmas as this year I have made mini Christmas Cakes for gifts. I love the smell; spices, rich fruit and of course some Christmas spirit.

I purchased some individual plastic muffin holders (with lids) online through ebay and will be decorating each holder with Christmas ribbon - this gift has already given me a lot of pleasure, baking, decorating, assembling, and hopefully my friends will love it too.

I think we are ready - all our gifts have been purchased but not yet wrapped. The elders in our family love vouchers - so we have a selection of Weatherspooon, Smith and Jones, Dobbies, and RSPB which we know will be greatly appreciated.

One shop I have loved visiting this year has been John Lewis. Their choice of festive gifts is amazing and something for everyone's pocket. Charbonnel et Walker sugar almonds and James' Chocolates mini chocolate bars are for little extras, with a few main gifts that Santa is keeping secret.

Shopping trips for us always include lunch and more often than not that means Cafe Rouge. They have so many great offers on at the moment; set lunches; evening meals; festive menus. I love receiving their newsletter by email, more often than not with a discount offer. Watch out in the New Year as their restaurants are having a new make over with stylish French chic decor.

Christmas is a time for everyone in many different way; family; friends; religious; memories; joy; and for some sorrow. St Laurence's Church hold a festival for all - 60 real Christmas Trees all decorated by different people. The money raised for tree sponsorships and visitors is divided between church running cost and charity. I sponsor a tree every year and my theme this time is family tree. I stitched the names you get in families, the photos are some of our family members. If you'd like to see more of the trees and my needlecraft please visit my other blog Aimetu's Stitching

Finally festive fizz - it is the only way to start and end the season. Our favourite champagne, Nicolas Feuillatte is on offer in Tesco . There are certainly some fabulous wines to help the season go with a swing - the Wine Community is a great place to learn more as well as take part in their festive advent calendar which is full of great tips, offers and competitions.

Enjoy the last few days of preparations - busy shops, lots of cooking, maybe a party or two - it all makes a very Merry Christmas.

A quiet second half to November for us - this meant a chance to sample a few more bottles of wine from our cellar. The cellar is in two parts of our house - an 80+ rack in the utility room and then a few boxes in the garage. We do stock up on our trips to France - Calais Wine, Pidou and Auchan being our favourite places to shop; B&B Hotel our regular stop over and always a Flunch dinner.

We are already planning a trip in February to Calais and our summer holiday in Etaples again. The France Show is on at Earls Courts January 18th - 20th and it's a must for anyone visiting, holidaying or moving to such a beautiful country. Tickets are on offer at just £10 each if you book before 31st December.

Travel tip: if you live north of London park at Watford Junction and take the tube to Kensington Olympia. If you visit London more than once a year it is cheaper to by an Oyster card for using the Underground and Buses.

So back to our wine:


Cuvée Royale 2010

CHEVERNY BLANC

Colour : Pale yellow with green highlights

Nose : hint of blackcurrant, exotic fruits, white flowers

Taste : light fruit  



 Côtes-du-Rhône 2011
CELLIER DES DAUPHINS

Colour : deep sustained red

Nose : fruity with floral highlights

Taste : spice and peppery notes, rich fruit 

Just two from our choice this week. Although we buy most of our wine from France, liking very much Old World wines, we do enjoy New World wines too. Tesco Wine Community is a great place for new and old wine lovers to share tips, ideas and recommendations. I have been inspired by a 'cheese and wine' idea for a New Year party :)

With the festive season approaching fast it's Christmas shopping time - good finds, tips and festive suggestions next time.

A prize, a meal and a little Christmas spirit

Following the great HalloWine evening with Tesco Wine at Halloween my prize arrived mid week - a lovely bottle of Barefoot Merlot and a bar of Galaxy chocolate. That was definitely my kind of  prize.


Barefoot Merlot - beautiful flavours of cherry, boysenberry,
plum and chocolate; a lighter merlot.

We enjoyed this Barefoot wine with a Peri Peri chicken from M & S - the spicy chicken was perfect for this merlot. I'm not sure whether the food enhanced the wine or vica versa but it was a delicious meal.

The Galaxy chocolate was a perfect pud, savoured with a Nespresso Roma coffee. All in all a lovely meal very much appreciated by hubby and I.

Saturday saw us shopping in Leicester - not very successful as I could not find any trousers lond enough. It must be the latest styles of cropped legs but the main stores I shopped in before no longer have a tall section and most stores long is just not long enough. Online maybe the only answer.

A shopping trip for us in never complete without a trip to Cafe Rouge - I think by now I know the menu by heart although they do have some exciting new recipes. Tuna Nicoise was my choice and hubby chose a Poulet Baguette - both delicious as always. Stella Artois accompanied the meal and we both enjoyed a Cafe Gourmand dessert. It's a great way to have pud and coffee without over doing it; a hot drink of your choice and a mini dessert, either tart tatin, chocolate ganache or creme brulee. Americano coffee with creme brulee is always our favourite; their coffee is just delicious and the smooth brulee is just enough sweetness to finish any meal.

Today I have started the Christmas spirit - no, not a tipple but a preparation. Last year I made damson vodka which was a huge success. This time I am making Christmas Pudding vodka, all thanks to The Hairy Bikers festive recipe book 12 Days of Christmas. It is very easy to assemble - just waiting time needed. A definite Amazon, WHSmith or The Book People purchase - it has everything you need to know from the big day to parties to little extras.



 
To end another enjoyable weekend we popped into The Abbey - a Party at the Pub venue here in town. Our son is bartender there - cocktails are his speciality.

As we were only looking for a light lunch their Southern Fried Chicken Wrap and Ginger Glazed Chicken Wrap were perfect. Both filled with succulent chicken, salad and dressing, the wraps held together perfectly.

It's a great venue having a large open bar area but also a private lounge area that can be freely hired for small parties. Their Christmas buffet menus are a great alternative to the usual Christmas fayre but if it's a traditional 3 course meal you're looking for then they have that too.


Next weeks adventures include some home cooking using my many Hairy Bikers cook books, Christmas present ideas and of course a few bottles of wine.

Good Wine, Good Coffee, Good Food

Hubby and I visit Tesco Wine Fair every year, it's a great event and there is a wonderful online Wine Community for sharing tips, ideas and of course recommendations. On Halloween Tesco Wine held a great Twitter party - we had great fun sharing jokes, pictures and spooky themed wine ideas. I was very lucky and won one of their prizes - well done to the other Halloweeners who won too - it was a great night.

Tesco are offering 25% off wine and champagne at the moment if you buy six bottles. Although our cellar is fairly full we couldn't resist when visitng our local store. Our purchases were:



Tesco Finest Pouilly Fume - a crisp white delicious well chilled.

Tesco Finest Cotes de Gascogne - we have yet to try this !

McGuigan Cabernet Sauvignon - Australian - we had this in a restaurant
recently and now have a bottle to try at home

McWilliam's Hayfield Pinot Noir - Australian - we like this brand but have never tried this.

Fish Hoek Chenin Blanc - South African - I love their Sauvignon Blanc but have not tried their Chenin Blanc

Casillero Del Diable Cabernet Sauvignon - Chilean - we don't normally like Chilean wine but this was recommended and the Tesco forum so we bought a bottle to try - superb, a lovely deep red with a few spicy under notes. Next time we're trying it with chilli !!

Saturday saw us drive to Bristol to meet our daughter from the train as she has come home for a few days from Uni. We hadn't quite planned a trip south but had a lovely couple of hours in Cheltenham on the way home - a range of shops from high fashion to bargain buckets. A few bits and bobs purchased we realised the car needed moving because the ticket had run out and it was a limited time space - so we grabbed a coffee from my favourite coffee house Caffe Nero.

As I am following Slimming World I find it difficult to grab a snack but Caffe Nero do a lovely snack pot of fresh fruit (although it's not in every cafe). Americano, hot chocolate, caramel wafer and fruit pot to go we made it back to the car just in time. I did remember to get my loyalty card stamped at Caffe Nero so I am well on the way to my next free coffee.

We drove on through the Cotswolds and decided to call in at Stratford Upon Avon for a late lunch/early dinner. We like many of the brand restaurants; Bella Italia, Strada, All Bar One to name a few but my favourite is Cafe Rouge. I love France, the food, the wine, the people, everything and Cafe Rouge is perfect for me everytime.

I decided to try their set lunch which is a change for me as I usually have Salmon Nicoise. There was a good choice at great value.

Set Lunch Menu-One course for £7.95 or two courses for £9.95, available every day from 12pm - 5pm.

Starters

Chicken Liver Pâté

Smoked Salmon Crostini

Baked Mushroom Florentine

Mains

Tuna Niçoise Salad

Penne Pasta

Chicken Provençale

Omelette & French Fries

I enjoyed the pate followed by a delicious crisp tuna salad with potatoes, egg, anchoives and beans. Hubby and daughter enjoyed a bread board starter followed by half a roast chicken with french fries. Their fries are the best I have tasted and I couldn't resist pinching just one. Hubby is always impressed with their draught Stella, saying it is better than English pubs and almost as good as when we're in France. Every visit is enjoyable for us, Cafe Rouge is definitely our favourite.

I'm not sure where our weekends are taking us next; I'm sure they will be full as we're always busy.

Tips from this weekend:

Tesco Wine offer

Join Tesco Wine Community online

Caffe Nero loyalty card

Cafe Rouge Set Lunch Menu 

Welsh Weekend

Stunning - just stunning... our views of the Mawddach Estuary on Saturday as we walked to Barmouth over the amazing rail bridge.

Mawddach Estuary

Barmouth Rail Bridge

We parked at Morfa Mawddach (no charge) a small railway station on the south side of the estuary. The station was once the third biggest in Wales known as “Barmouth Junction” with 5 platforms linking the railway to Dolgellau and the Cambrian Coast. The route is now a well trodden trail, Mawddach Trial, which is enjoyed by many walkers and cyclists.

Barmouth Bridge is the northern end to the trail. The wooden viaduct stretches 900m across the tidal Afon Mawddach estuary connecting Fairbourne, Arthog and surrounding villages to Barmouth. It's finale is a cast iron rail bridge with dual arches, quite an experience when the Arriva train trundles past. There is a small charge of 70p for an adult and this includes your return walk.

Cader Idris stands guard over the southern edge with the Giant Idris sleeping peacfully amongst the foothills. The mountain has many myths and legends; if the giant wakes it is said Wales will fall and anyone sleeping on the mountain overnight will awake as either a madman or a poet!

Sleeping Idris

Barmouth is the northern stop of the trail. It's a typical seaside town; amusements arcades; fish and chips shops; seaside rock shops; all fill the small flat area between the mountains and the sea. Many of the houses climb the hillside with stunning views across the estuary. Barmouth is a hive of activity throughout the year; motorsports on the beach; music festivals; Three Peaks yatch race.

Arriva arriving in Barmouth

Walking back across the bridge the noise can be deafening; not trains but oyster catchers. They squeak and squal constantly in their search for food. It amazing to watch then suddenly dive their beaks into the sand and emerge with a mussel, tightly shut against it's foe. But the oyster catcher is unperturbed, hammering away with it's beak until the mussel is defeated and satisfyingly consumed.

Walking over the bridge on Saturday we were treated to a fly past, no the usual RAF jets who use the area for training but a flock of geese - honking their way up the estuary.

Fly Past

The weather was perfect for visiting Wales. The autumn colours displayed the mountains and estuary in it's full glory. It can be quite different and walking the bridge is not so enjoyable on a cold blustery day at high tide - much nicer then to sit indoors and watch the waves crash against the harbour wall.

We ended our trip with a quick visit to Dolgellau.  It's a small narrow streeted Welsh town at the head of the Mawddach estuary with a good choice of inns and cafes. Our favourite is T H Roberts, once an ironmongers the amazing building is now a cafe with many of the original Victorian fixtures and fittings, inclding the 'office' where you can enjoy your coffee and cake in peace. The variety of teas, coffees and homemade cakes are amazing; our favoruite being the warmed scones served with jam and fresh cream.

T H Roberts

An amazing area of West Wales with activities for all, however active you feel like being.