Roosting in Oxford

I am back home bone-tired after a jolly weekend in Oxford for Miss LJ's last month of freedom. The weekend began with the mystery of the exact location for festivities being prolonged for as long as possible with the help of a Napolean Dynamite eye mask.

The hens assembled by 10am for a bit of pampering at a local spa, followed by lunch (with a cheeky first glass of fizz), then checked-in at the luxurious Apartments in Oxford. A bit of glamming up, dressing Miss LJ in some red accessories and a few pomegranate bellinis heralded the start of Painting the Town Red.

Undeterred by the bad weather (taxi shoes dictated the need for transport - a bargain £4 cab ride) we travelled to the first stop, the Duke of Cambridge for cocktails. Taking advantage of happy hour (5-7pm 7 days a week) we sampled many... After Eight, Lemonflower Collins, Passionapple, Elderflower Fizz, Ginger Tom, Aphrodisia, Spice Island to name a few, plus a Tiki House served in this crazy glass!


Despite having the reputation of a lightweight, Miss LJ kept pace well. We then decamped to Browns for dinner, but not before Miss LJ demanded we all drink her favourite cocktail: Pina Colada. So 7 were duly ordered. And 7 were duly sipped. But only 2 were completely finished!

Dinner, a quiz, then a late bar and then back to the apartment to unwind and then sleep.

Sunday involved a croissant, fruit and bacon sandwich feast to combat any hint of a hangover. Then a few of the hens headed over to Blenheim Palace for the Living Crafts for Christmas show. It turned out to be the ideal place to pick up some Christmas pressies. One of the gems of the show was the Food Hall, where we discovered
Lime Tree Pantry pies. On the strength of a taster of their Chicken, Ham and Leek pie, Miss LJ and I bought 3 pies.

Mr D approved of the pies. We ate the Beef & Guiness Pie for dinner this evening, when I got back. It is the best pie I have eaten. Chunks of succulent steak and pastry so short it crumbled in the mouth. Unfortunately it also crumbled when I tried to lift the first slice and it ended up looking a bit of a wreck on Mr D's plate.











But the second slice held its shape.


The pie was amazing. Nothing more to be said!

Friday night drinks at the Tate

Oh thank the Lord! After closing for a month in summer, Tate Modern's members' room is once again open. Although it isn't particularly clear what exactly they've done to the place.

No matter.

The view of St Paul's Cathedral from the bar was amazing on Friday. After a day of heavy rain, the sky cleared briefly and the river was best viewed with a glass of Sancerre. At £14.95 for a half bottle, it was crisp, lemony and minerally.

I can also recommend the cocktails - the Champagne cocktail at £8.50 was a welcome start to the evening. The Cosmopolitan also comes highly recommended.

Tinto de Verano and Estrella

I chanced upon a cheap and cheerful tapas bar on Upper Street last week. The food was forgettable. But the beer and Tinto de Verano were not. It was a lovely reminder of the villa last summer.

Roll on summer 2010!

Beaujolais month

November, for me is all about the Beaujolais. It's partly the last vestige of summer feeling, partly the start of soup season ( it goes v well with pumpkin soup) and partly that Beaujolais Nouveau is released the 3rd Thursday of the month.

To herald in the month, I've been drinking a Beaujolais-Villages 2008, from Tesco. At 12.5% it is quite light and fruity - when I first opened it, it was redcurrants and fresh strawberries on the nose and redcurrant jelly on the palate. A day later the strawberries come out more in the taste.

The best bit is that it can be chilled.

Even better is that I got asked for ID at the supermarket whilst trying to buy a bottle of wine this evening. I am 37 later this month! I should have got the woman to sign something witnessing she asked me this!

This particular supermarket reportedly asked someone for ID in order to sell them a pizza wheel (if you listen to the Adam & Joe 6Music show you might remember this story from their 'officiousness gone mad' Text the Nation).

Anyway, let's toast to my youthfulness with a gin and tonic. Young and wasted.