If you’re a wine lover, then starting your own wine cellar is one of the of most fun, generous things you can do for yourself (and your friends and family). It’s like dropping gems along a path you know you’ll return to see glistening in the sunshine later. And although graduating from the ready to drink wine rack to a longer term wine cellar can seem like a giant leap, it can start with just one bottle and be built bespoke for you, by you, from there. The key is to include a variety of wine styles, so that all your drinking occasions are covered and to include wines which are ready to drink, alongside those to be cellared longer term.  

If you’d rather not give up your under–stair storage or prefer to leave it to the experts to select your collection, then consider cellar services such as ‘Cellar Circle’ offered by Phipps client Lay & Wheeler. Your personal wine advisor will guide you each step of the way, allowing you to build your own wine portfolio to be accessed when you, or the wines, are ready.  

Whichever option you choose, here are some top picks to get you started.  

• Rioja – majestic and complex, Rioja Gran Reserva wines, though ready to drink upon release, are made with longevity and cellaring in mind.  
• Rhône – alongside classic cellar stablemates, Bordeaux and Burgundy, consider setting aside space for the Syrah dominated wines of the famed Côte–Rôtie  
• German Riesling – with its trademark acidity and a broad range of styles from dry to sweet, Riesling is a cellar must have. Consider buying for the future from the 2019 vintage which Jancis Robinson hopes will be the “best vintage of the century so far.” 
• California Chardonnay – a personal favourite, include some for immediate drinking and longer ageing  
• Vintage Champagne – while Champagne isn’t always a cellar staple, you’ll be highly rewarded if you set aside some bottles from a great vintage like the 2012  
• Port – a classic choice. Go for a vintage port as these are only declared in the best years and are made for ageing. Stock up on the mature 1970 for drinking now. 

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Instead, I made the most of the long periods indoors embarking on the more involved crafts and recipes I had never found time for BC (Before Corona). Where I previously would have flicked past pages in a cookbook involving 2-3 day processes, making dough, proving dough, resting dough, I found myself making ragù from scratch, pasta, bao buns, bagels, apple tart, sourdough, you name it. Taking much of my culinary inspiration from Instagram, I had noticed Olia Hercules’ (@oliahercules) beautiful dumplings arise on my feed a few times, and eventually decided to give one of her online courses a go.

We were sent a short list of easy-to-source ingredients and were tasked with making the dough plus a filling or two before the evening class – the perfect way to keep busy on a lockdown Sunday afternoon. Having prepared the potato, feta and spring onion filling (native to Ossetia on the Russian border) and the Ukrainian kraut, mushroom and caramelised onion, my boyfriend and I donned our aprons, opened a bottle of wine and logged onto the Zoom. Slightly apprehensive about whether it would be awkward to take part with a glass of wine in hand, we were instantly put at ease by Olia’s kind smile and easy manner. Feeling more settled, the never-ending pandemic debate was decided – camera on.

The class was limited to around 25 people, an ideal number for the class to be interactive without too much chaos, and to get an idea of who our fellow Zoomers were and the level of their dough skills. Olia is Ukrainian and she expertly demonstrated five different dumpling-making techniques native to various Eastern European countries and central Asia, all the while entertaining us with family tales and mini-origin stories of the pastries as we rolled and sculpted our dough.

She was more than happy to help fix any dough-sasters (!) and praised us by name as we held up our creations to the camera. The atmosphere was relaxed and friendly, and we enjoyed the easy intimacy of seeing inside other participants’ homes and kitchens as they cooked along with us.

We were both pleasantly surprised by the evening: just the right length at an hour and a half, the class was also just the right level of challenging. We were proud of our intricate creations, and owing to the pre-preparation we were able to taste the delicious dumplings while we cooked. The sort of recipe that would have been difficult to understand from a cookbook but simple when demonstrated, it was the perfect course to follow online. We came away feeling we had been able to enjoy each other’s company and take our time whilst having an unobtrusive focus to guide us through the cooking process.

A definite convert to the online class phenomenon, I will certainly be scoping out the vast array of other food and drink courses offered online. An effective and achievable way for brands and the on-trade to build relationships with consumers too, it seems they could be here to stay post-pandemic – watch this space!

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First up is Helen McGinn, founder and author of The Knackered Mother’s Wine Club, international wine judge, drinks writer for the Daily Mail’s Femail Magazine and regular wine expert on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen! Helen lives in the New Forest with her family and also loves a cocktail – we asked her some important questions over a cup of tea.

If you weren’t a journalist, what would you be doing?

Writing a fiction novel.

Best wine list in London?

Chez Bruce.

Desert island cocktail?

French 75.

Favourite cocktail bar in the world?

Anywhere in NYC.

Last holiday?

Turkey and I loved it. Drank lots of rosé, obviously.

Thanks Helen for chatting to us, and stay tuned to hear all about our next journalist!

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To celebrate, the pair ran a special edition of their podcast The Food Talks, interviewing three different chefs across a series of ‘Smoke Sundays’ in their Great Portland Street restaurant. The third of these was with chef Gill Meller of River Cottage, focused on cooking on open fires. With the autumn nights drawing in, the pull of a cosy Sunday spent talking about, then eating, some delicious and warming food was too much to resist.

Gill shared happy childhood camping memories, ingenious cooking techniques and the simple joy of togetherness when sharing food around a fire.

First up was the podcast recording, where Gill chatted to Sarit and Itamar about the joys of cooking on open fires: the resulting smoky flavour, happy childhood camping memories, ingenious cooking techniques involving clay and the simple joy of togetherness when sharing food around a fire.

Then came the meal. Focaccia with bacon and herbs and homemade cheese was followed by clay-baked onions. Cooked in shells of clay, they not only had a unique earthy, smoky flavour, but were so beautiful that they wouldn’t have looked out of place in a modern art installation. Then grilled cabbage and the main event: wood-roast lamb shoulder on a bed of creamy dahl, so tender it fell off the bone. Dessert was honey and coriander cakes with a gorgeously soft, rich cream. We all agreed it was the best meal we’d had in a long time, with each dish so carefully crafted and considered, showing off the unusual and delicious flavours.

Sarit, Itamar and Gill cooked it themselves, going back and forth from the kitchen to the restaurant to chat to us about the food; we felt as though we’d spent the afternoon in the cosiness of a friend’s kitchen.

Foraging for raw ingredients and cooking them over bare flames in an outdoor setting is a primitive yet undeniably romantic notion. In a world where our food flies thousands of miles before reaching our plates, at great cost to the environment, it makes sense to return to basics, stripping food back to its bare elements and being mindful of its provenance and seasonality. And it is fun – with increasingly busy lives, it is wonderfully indulgent to spend a day lovingly creating a meal with others.

In a world where our food flies thousands of miles before reaching our plates, it makes sense to strip food back to its bare elements, and to be mindful of its provenance and seasonality.

It makes sense that the phenomenon of ‘wild dining’ is rapidly growing. A recent FT article on the subject by Gisela Williams highlights Scandinavia’s position at the forefront of the movement, with outdoor foraging and cooking experiences becoming increasingly popular.

It is a movement we hope will continue to grow; we left Honey & Smoke full and content, resolved to invest in fire pits and dreaming of evenings spent sipping wine, feasting on deliciously smoky food, and laughing with friends around the enchanting glow of a fire…

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Along with most of the Phipps office, I was initially sceptical about the V&A’s Food exhibition: the prevailing detail in the press had been the cheese grown from bacteria taken from Heston Blumenthal’s pubic hair. However, after reading a series of excellent reviews, I decided to judge for myself.

From the start of the exhibition it is clear that it is about more than just ‘food’: it encompasses the wider picture and the complex issues which are intertwined with systems of nutrition. The exhibition is laid out as a journey through the food cycle, from compost to farming, all the way through to trading and eating. Opening with a section on waste and the life-cycles of food as physical matter, it also incorporates the history and politics of food. One notable example was the case of Jaffa Oranges, and how they went from being a prized Palestinian export in the early 20^th century to being re-branded as a success story of Israeli settlement when the State of Israel was established in 1948. FOOD then concludes with an exploration of how food is viewed, marketed and consumed in the modern world, for example through the mode of Instagram.

“From the start of the exhibition it is clear that it is about more than just ‘food’: it encompasses the wider picture and the complex issues which are intertwined with systems of nutrition.”

I was struck by the power of the exhibits to enthrall and to repulse simultaneously. The first thing which confronts visitors on entering is a video loop consisting of a series of clips; there are factories, restaurants, animals in the wild, animals in captivity, close-ups of food, food growing, food being harvested, food decaying. Some of it makes you want to tuck in, some of it makes you nauseous at the thought of eating at all. On reflection, this is arguably an accurate representation of modern attitudes to food; we enjoy and indulge in it, we dine at restaurants, we share it and photograph it, but would often rather not think about its route to our table and the implications of this – for humans, animals and the planet.

“Some of it makes you want to tuck in, some of it makes you nauseous at the thought of eating at all – is this an accurate representation of modern attitudes to food?”

The exhibition functions on a scientific level, considering the practicalities of creating and sustaining a system to nourish the earth’s population, whilst also posing large-scale, conceptual questions. The section on compost and waste demonstrates how beautiful tiling can be created from corn husks, how pineapple leaves form Piñatex, a leather substitute, and pots are even made using urine; an interesting and hopeful display in today’s climate, where reducing waste and plastic use are hot topics of conversation.

The end of the exhibition is more conceptual: visitors are invited to ‘taste their values’ in the Loci Food Lab, an interactive installation which asks users to select their top three qualities in a food chain and produces a miniature menu which is then served. My choice of ‘delicious’, ‘wild’ and ‘resilient’ generated a menu of a chia seed cracker topped with foraged English mushroom spread, crisped Essex barley, sheep’s cheese from Haywards Heath and powdered anchovy. A thought-provoking introduction to ‘bite-sized bioregionalism’, as the lab defines it.

“FOOD is a sensory journey: it provokes and tantalises all five senses whilst also stretching the mind.”

Described as a ‘sensory journey’ on the V&A website, FOOD is just that: it provokes and tantalises all five senses whilst also stretching the mind. It covers scientific aspects of food, political implications of the food chain and the elements of pleasure and luxury which are bound up with eating. All of this is cleverly combined to create a complex, unique and fascinating exhibition which is well worth a visit.

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And so, I set out to find my three favourite ways of drinking sparkling coffee and here they are.

we drink 95 million cups of coffee per day in the UK. 

Bubbling up the cold brew

Union Hand-Roasted Coffee launched its Sparkling Black Cold Brew Coffee in 2019, timing it perfectly with the London Coffee Festival at the Old Truman Brewery. The drink is cold brewed for 24 hours before adding some sugar and then carbonating. The result is a gently sparkling coffee with refreshing lemon acidity.

It’s similar to a Coca-Cola, minus all the added sugar, so perhaps a bit of a shock when you taste it at first and I felt like I had to train my brain about what to expect before every sip. The sparkle was gentle and the natural fruitiness and sweetness in the coffee was showing well, but I still felt like something was missing to bring this all together.

Score: 6/10

A classic goes rogue

Thought you liked Fever Tree with your gin? Well the tonic water giant and Caffè Nero this year took to social media to announce that customers would now be able to buy an Espresso & Tonic at Caffè Nero shops around the country. Coffee and tonic might not be a new thing, and perhaps you might be likely to find this at an independent café near you. However, the fact that Nero is on board means the espresso and tonic drink is becoming more accessible. The tonics of choice for this drink are the Premium Indian (tastes of Mexican bitter oranges) and the Mediterranean (taste of rosemary & lemon thyme) tonics.

Much like Union’s Sparkling Black Cold Brew, Fever Tree and Caffè Nero’s new Espresso & Tonic carries through the citrussy notes from the tonics, akin to an iced tea. I thought the citrus in the Fever Tree Tonics was the element missing in the Union Sparkling Coffee (which was meant to have some but was less apparent). I read that citrus supports the fruit flavours in coffee and helps to balance the nutty sweetness of certain coffees. I liked this very much but quality was variable depending on who prepared your espresso!

Score: 7/10

The challenger brand

Union, Fever Tree, and Caffè Nero are all big players in the world of drinks, but they were not actually the first to bring sparkling coffee to the UK market. Artisanal cold brew coffee brand Sandows launched two coffee sodas in 2018 in 250ml can formats, naturally sweetened with only 3{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} cane sugar. The sodas were stocked at Selfridges, Whole Foods, and other independent shops around the country, as well directly on the Sandows website.  Available in Citrus and Spice, Sandows describes their sodas as ‘low-sugar pick-me-up for the afternoon slump’. The flavour verdict? Refreshing! Perfect amount of sweetness, satisfying, intriguing yet familiar. This was my top choice!

Score: 8/10

So there you have it – three different types of sparkling coffee available for you to try. Is this simply a fad, or will it really stick around in the same way that cold brew has?

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Arancini Brothers

Never doubt the deliciousness of the humble risotto ball, especially when it is from Arancini Brothers – they even make them into burger patties. They went vegan in 2018 and boy am I glad they did. Plus, all their locations are BYO. Winning.

Various locations

The Vurger Co

I went for the burgers and stayed for the mac n cheese. I don’t know how something so cheesy and creamy can have absolutely no cheese in it. Some kind of vegan witchcraft is afoot. Warning: You will leave in a food coma.

Various locations

Club Mexicana

Mexican-inspired street food heroes, Club Mexicana get it so right. All the flavours you want and all the fun too. You can find them at Dinerama, Netil Market and The Spread Eagle – London’s first 100{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} vegan pub. What more could you want?!

Various locations

Mildred’s

Not 100{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} vegan, but completely vegetarian with a ridiculously huge array of vegan options, Mildred’s is eternally busy and it’s not hard to see why. Vibrant, fresh food that is globally inspired. You can go from brunch, to Dashi dumplings. Then Caribbean jerk tofu and finish it all off with chocolate hazelnut truffle pudding. Moreover, all the beer and wine is vegan. There is something for everyone but, with no reservations, be prepared to queue for it!

Various locations

Café Van Gogh

Revered in vegan circles across London, Café Van Gogh is a 100{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} vegan, non-profit restaurant with a zero-waste mentality just down the road from Oval. In no way ‘trendy’ however, thank god, this down-to-earth, cosy restaurant has awesome food and is famous for being the best vegan roast in London – aside from my own.

88 Brixton Road, SW9 6BE

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The helpful team at Phipps have decided to take the strain this Easter and make it easy for you by testing out some of the latest Easter eggs and bunnies on the high street. 

Waitrose Avocado Egg, £8

The most innovative of our egg selection, this treat from Waitrose takes the form of a dark chocolate avocado with green colouring and a chocolate-dusted stone. Whilst eye-catching (as well as vegan), some were put off by its excessive fanciness. Playing on the current trend of brunch centred around egg and avocado on sourdough, this egg was considered slightly too millennial by some. Also underwhelming was the dark chocolate – the team expected a higher percentage than the 53{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} cocoa solids of this avocado egg.

6/10

Cadbury Crunchie, £4

To turn to a more traditional egg, the inclusion of this was inspired by an article claiming that the Ultimate Crunchie egg contains 17 days’ worth of a child’s recommended sugar intake. While this is a slightly different variety, this egg was close behind in terms of sugar content and our team were indeed bouncing off the walls by the afternoon. Sugar aside, the classic Cadbury chocolate was familiar and delicious, the Crunchie egg scoring points for the inclusion of chocolate bars and its minimal packaging.

8/10

M&S Alfie Bunny, £5.50

Whilst some were put off by Alfie’s austere expression, this egg still scored highly in terms of aesthetics owing to the attention to detail in the bunny’s fluffy tail. The milk chocolate had a delicious, creamy texture and was clearly of good quality. Great value for money, the team couldn’t fault this. (M&S is a Phipps client).

9/10

Lidl Rabbit, £1.99

A budget bunny from Lidl this time, and the cheapest of the lot. The rabbit was impressive looking and slightly bigger in size than Alfie, however the flavour of the chocolate was divisive. With hints of cinnamon, this went down a treat with team members partial to a dash of spice, whilst others were more sceptical. All in all, the Lidl bunny was a decent Easter egg for £1.99.

7/10

Terry’s Chocolate Orange Egg, £4

Another controversially flavoured egg, this was highly popular among chocolate orange lovers, but less so with the orange-sceptics. Aside from the contentious flavour, you can’t go far wrong with this egg – reasonably priced with decent quality chocolate and two chocolate orange bars thrown in for good measure.

8/10

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Essentially it means that this wine has been endorsed by some of the world’s very best palates – in other words, it’s top quality!

On Monday I spent the day as a wine judge shadow for the International Wine Challenge (IWC), a British-based wine competition that receives tens of thousands of entries every year. What an interesting and delicious experience it was.

“The room is packed to the rafters with wine experts, all with noses plunged in glasses and clutching at clipboards as they busily squiggle away their thoughts.”

The judging sessions take place in a lovely space overlooking the majestic cricket ground of The Oval.  The room is packed to the rafters with wine experts, all with noses plunged in glasses and clutching at clipboards as they busily squiggle away their thoughts. I joined a panel of four wine professionals which tasted its way through several wines from French to Mexican and even Columbian! From sweet to savoury and dry, I certainly put my palate through its paces – a spin class for the senses!

All the wines are ‘tasted blind’, industry speak for ‘you can see neither the bottle nor the label’ so that it’s totally impartial (the judges themselves aren’t blind-folded – that would make for one very messy event!). The only information revealed to the judges is which grapes are used to make the wine, the alcohol content and the country/region of origin. This gives the judge a general reference point as to what the wine should represent so that it’s a fair contest. There is an incredibly complex and rigorous process put in place by the IWC – far too complicated for a blog post – find out more here: International Wine Challenge

Once every wine is popped, poured, swirled, sniffed, sipped, spat several times over… the winners are revealed and stickers are placed on bottles all over the world.

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However, it is not just the sultry humid air of the Deep South that induces this display of hedonism (although it helps not having to wear a woolly hat).

So where does Mardi Gras come from?

Although known officially as Shrove Tuesday or colloquially as ‘Pancake Day’ in the UK, Mardi Gras’ more accurate translation from French is ‘Fat Tuesday’. Although a rather less sexy name than ‘Mardi Gras’, it is very accurate.

Fat Tuesday is the day before Lent, the period in the Catholic calendar where believers undertake a fast to recreate Jesus’ 40 days and 40 nights in the desert. For Lent one will voluntarily give up something relating to food or drink, often with varying degrees of success. Therefore, Fat Tuesday garners the last day mentality – the last day to indulge, the last day to enjoy, the last day to be loud, silly and excessive: it is almost pre-apocalyptic in nature.

Festivals and Food

In the UK we are now, more than ever, celebrating festivals from a myriad other cultures, but especially America. We are able to celebrate Mardi Gras, Thanksgiving or even the Super Bowl with more people in more places as popularity increases. With these holidays comes the growth of classic American food and there are few more delicious dishes than those from New Orleans.  Classic Southern dishes such as Jambalaya, a delicious rice, seafood, chicken and sausage dish, is the perfect addition for any Mardi Gras celebration – easy to eat, filling and not expensive so NBD if someone knocks it out your hand. Have it with mustard, mayo or my personal favourite, hot sauce! Nothing tastes quite as yummy as this spicy rice dish and a beer.

However, if you fancy something a bit sweeter with your margarita (rhyme intended!) beignets are the pinnacle of New Orleans culture. These little bits of heaven are the lesser known, and tastier, donuts and will make anyone feel like they’ve been transported to the French Quarter.

As we become more uncertain about the future of our world, we tend to look for stability in traditions and revel in those that lean towards celebration. They may not be our traditions, or even very old, but we like to adopt these hedonistic, pre-apocalyptic blow outs and, sometimes, it’s good to be armed with food in your belly, a drink in your hand and joy in your heart. So whether it’s Mardi Gras, St Patrick’s Day or the World Cup Final, you bring the food, I’ll bring the beads. 

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Step down into King’s Cross and you’ll find KERB market, an incubator for rising stars of the street food world, or take a trip to Borough Market where you’ll find small, artisan vendors serving up oozing cheesy fondues and mouth-watering salt beef sandwiches. One thing’s clear, whether you’re filling up on a sushi burrito or a unicorn milkshake, street food is at the forefront of food innovation.

Increasingly, thanks in part to social media, consumers are now seeking out new flavours, and unusual, but winning combinations. “When we first started trading four years ago there was very little variety in street food available and certainly hardly anything for vegetarians,” says Jenny Thompson co-founder of Market Operations. “People’s thirst for knowledge is huge – they want to know the history of the dish, what’s in it and how you make it,” says Jonathan Downey, Chief Executive of London Union.

“People’s thirst for knowledge is huge – they want to know the history of the dish, what’s in it and how you make it,” says Jonathan Downey, Chief Executive of London Union.

Faceless restaurant chains don’t quite cut the mustard anymore. Instead we’re turning our eating habits to food vendors that offer worldly influences. Since January 2018, 12 branches of Jamie’s Italian closed and this year, Prezzo and Carluccio’s are to close 94 and 30 restaurants respectively. However, in response to the suffering high street chains, there’s a new movement taking over in the form of food halls.

Food halls are cropping up in urban spaces, with a whole new persona, offering up hand-picked food vendors at the top of their game. According to property agents Cushman & Wakefield, there are 16 market food halls scheduled to open in 2019 in London alone.

Reflecting this, Street Feast’s Dinerama boasts over seven kitchens with 250 communal dining seats and live DJs throughout the night. Market Halls hasn’t missed a beat either, transforming historic buildings into luxurious food halls, with two sites in central London and another set to open at the end of 2019. Hot on the heels of this trend, KERB market will be opening its flagship permanent market, replacing makeshift marquees with polished counters. But the best is yet to come. In 2020, London is expecting its biggest food hall so far: New York’s Eataly, which has been branded a ‘foodie theme park’.

In 2020, London is expecting its biggest food hall so far: New York’s Eataly, which has been branded a ‘foodie theme park’.

Further afield, in Greater Manchester, the Altrincham Market has re-generated the area offering five kitchens and a craft beer bar. Without stopping to catch his breath, founder, Nick Johnson has opened a second site Manchester’s Mackie Mayor which seats 180 people. Between the two sites, 25,000 people are fed per week – and that’s no mean feat!

So, with the influx of food halls, what’s next for the future of street food? One thing’s for sure, street food traders are evolving with the ever-changing demand for new cuisines. This is trickling down into mainstream supermarkets with the introduction of Schwartz street food seasoning and flavours of crisps containing pho and teriyaki flavours. With the rise of street food in our everyday lives, there are rumours that a street food supermarket will be developed in 2020 targeting time-poor commuters in search of a quick meal and some groceries. However, until then, I’m going to head down to KERB and get stuck into my lunchtime Venezuelan chip butty. 

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The traditions of Valentine’s Day are thought to be linked with the pre-Christian fertility festival of Lupercalia. This involved skinning sacrificial animals, and whipping women with the blood-soaked skins. Fast forward to the third century; St. Valentine of Rome was martyred for wedding Roman soldiers who were forbidden to marry. Before execution on 14th February, St. Valentine signed a letter to the jailer’s daughter (whom he befriended) with the infamous words ‘from your Valentine’. Centuries later, this became a slogan that Hallmark carried forward to the development of the original Valentine’s card in 1913.

“ What’s Galentine’s Day? It’s only the best day of the year. ”

Yet, alternative trends are on the rise; Galentine’s Day, celebrated the day prior to Valentine’s, was coined in 2010 by character Leslie Knope in the comedy series, Parks and Recreation. “Ladies celebrating ladies” is the infamous line which gave birth to the pop-culture phenomenon which is dedicated to empowering friendships, appreciating others and celebrating women. Galentine’s represents an opportunity to recognise love for those without a romantic partner, particularly poignant for those lonely. Valentine romances may come and go, but true friendships remain unwaveringly.

Galentine’s is an appreciation of love, but one that celebrates strong friendships, despite differences in romantic relationship statuses. This strikes remarkable similarities to the original sentiment of St. Valentine. It isn’t about glorifying single life, nor anti-Valentine’s, it merely mirrors the fundamental values of Valentine’s, with minimal tat.

It’s true that as a nation, we have fallen hard to the prey of the marketing appeal of Valentine’s Day, and figures from 2018 state that UK expenditure soared above the £650million mark (up 29{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} on 2015).  However you choose to celebrate, love, in all its guises, is a positive thing and deserves to be commended. Whether it’s through flowers, a prosecco party with your ‘gals’ or sharing an M&S heart shaped sausage – celebrate love.

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“Giving up alcohol is not only boring but is actually bad for your health”

On the subject of Dry January, my very good friend, the science writer Tony Edwards, author of “The Good News About Booze,” says this: “If you already drink sensibly, giving up alcohol is not only boring, but is actually bad for your health. That’s because alcohol – wine, particularly – is as important a part of one’s diet as the much touted 5-a-day fruit and veg.”

If you don’t believe him, he suggests you take a look at what a panel of US Government-appointed nutritionists say in their latest Report: “The U.S. population should be encouraged and guided to consume dietary patterns that are rich in vegetables, fruit, whole grains, seafood, legumes, nuts; (and) moderate to low – non-fat dairy products and alcohol (among adults).  Regular consumption of nuts and legumes and moderate consumption of alcohol are components of a beneficial dietary pattern.”

So, here we all are at our Thursday night agency get together, sampling non-alcoholic drinks – the winner was a rose water, pomegranate and lime concoction made for us by Phipps’ resident barman, George Holley. And the verdict? Very nice for an occasional night off. Does rose water count as one of your five a day?

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Retail Christmas creative campaigns, along with the appearance of mince pies, the Pret Christmas sandwich and Michael Bublé, have long been an integral part of the run up to Christmas. These ads are the Leviathans of the annual advertising calendar, dominating conversations both online and in the workplace.  

At Phipps, they have also become a topic of intense discussion, with candy canes at dawn to decide which is the best rendition of the Christmas spirit.

Going Social 

But in a social world, are the multi-million-pound TV ad campaigns now stepping back to play second fiddle to the social trend?  Take Iceland and its palm oil campaign which got nowhere near the TV and yet rocketed to fame with 65m views through YouTube and a live PR campaign starring a very convincing remote-controlled model orangutan in London that has been viewed by thousands on social media. Iceland has skyrocketed to the second most talked about supermarket after Aldi; prior to the campaign Iceland was ranked seventh.  Opportunistic cause related marketing or a well-planned canny PR and social campaign?

We’ve all seen the main event for John Lewis, a massive budget, all-singing, all-sequined epic of the musical life of Elton John.  But in response to this, the John Lewis Partnership also created by the a gently mocking Waitrose ad poking fun at the John Lewis ad– a highly popular move that generated a lot of positive interaction for both Waitrose and John Lewis, securing a high rank in the festive ad rating charts.

And then, for a stroke of true genius, John Lewis Partnership produced the “real” John Lewis Christmas social campaign. This focused on a-day-in-the-life of computer science lecturer John Lewis at Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA (a mere 3,683 mi from the nearest John Lewis store)!  At this time of year, Mr Lewis always receives countless tweets from shoppers inquiring about a range of John Lewis mundanities from delivery details to which items they have in stock.  A campaign that ran on Twitter alone and has become one of the most talked about this year.  

Making the consumer king 

High street favourite Marks & Spencer’s took an honest, simple, product focused approach, encouraging conversation around shoppers’ favourite M&S products through the hashtag #mymarksfave on Twitter and Instagram.  What was so refreshing about this approach is that it put genuine Christmas fare and family-and-friends-cheer at the heart of the campaign and allowed an enthusiastic social spin off.

These campaigns are some of the wise and witty ways that brands are getting more bang out of their buck this Christmas.  

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Working on a range of food and drink accounts, you will be completely in tune with the news agenda and have a track record of securing coverage with a great book of contacts.

To be considered for this position you must be a self-starter with a solid consumer PR background and experience working with FMCG brands. In addition, you must be a confident and adaptable individual with excellent project management skills and a proven track record in successfully delivering multi-faceted projects and delivering new business wins. Previous agency experience is essential.

Key Responsibilities & Attributes:

6+ years’ professional experience within a related role

Agency experience at SAM/AD level with a focus on consumer lifestyle brands

Excellent media relations skills coupled with an extensive network of media contacts

First-class writing skills

Team focused attitude 

Budget management and reporting

Social Media: understanding of audiences, channels and channel-appropriate content

Experience of managing suppliers and Influencers – everything from identifying and negotiating terms to finalising partnerships

In return this role will provide you with excellent career progression, an exciting client portfolio and a competitive salary and benefits package.

Please send your application to askus@thisisphipps.com

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We’ve won a few new clients already this year and so we are looking for a Junior Account Executive or Account Executive with a few months of experience under their belt to join our team.

You’ll be working on some of our key food and drink accounts and will be getting involved from the word go.  

A love of food in all it’s guises and an interest in wine, cocktails, beer etc would be a distinct advantage as would a European language.

Salary in the region of £20k – £24k depending on experience. 

Great benefits package and great Covent Garden location!

Apply with CV to askus@thisisphipps.com and tell us why you’d be a great fit for Phipps. 

The post We’re Hiring: Junior Account Executive/Account Executive appeared first on Phipps.

Phipps is seeking an experienced Senior Social Media Manager or Director to add to its specialist communications team.

Phipps is looking for a candidate with strong digital background who is highly analytical, and results driven. Working on a range of food and drink accounts, the candidate should be confident working autonomously and able to put creative,strategic and insight driven media plans and recommendations to clients.

Skills Required:

5+ years’ professional experience within a related role

Strong knowledge of all social media channels with a proven track record in delivering creativity and innovation across both organic and paid social media strategies

Strong understanding of campaign performance measurement and be able to demonstrate how to optimise towards different KPIs depending on client objectives

Excellent knowledge and understanding of consumer brands, and delivering successful social campaigns to a variety of audiences

Experience briefing creative teams, from designers to video editors

Experience managing direct reports; supporting team members’ growth and development

Strong communication skills, both written and verbal

Email askus@thisisphipps.com to apply now 

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Probably not; although I do think the idea has some creative merit.

No, it’s because back in April this year, Iceland pledged to make all of its own label products palm oil free by the end of 2018.  I have to say that since that announcement, I regularly nip into Iceland on my way back from the gym and stock up easy meals for the family.  I can wholeheartedly recommend its fish stew mix and macaroni cheese for one with not a dash of palm oil in sight.

But for me, the strength of this campaign (and praise be to the broadcasting laws that prevented the ad from airing on TV) is that my kids, who until the Iceland campaign was unleashed on social media, refused to eat Whole Earth no palm oil peanut butter on grounds of texture, now know that if a slightly runnier spread on their bagels in the morning might help to save deforestation in south east Asia then it’s a small sacrifice to make.

Oh and back to the original question; they both thrive in the jungle and long may it stay that way.

The post What do Kerry Katona and an Orangutan have in common? appeared first on Phipps.

According to Euromonitor International, sales of chilli sauces in the UK are going up by a phenomenal 7{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} a year, steaming ahead of all other condiments. If in doubt, I direct you to the multitude of videos of hot sauce challenges on YouTube as well as the famous US online TV show, Hot Ones, in which host Sean Evans subjects his guests (Cara Delevingne and Seth Rogan among them) to the most brutal hot sauce.

So, where has this hot sauce frenzy come from you ask?

Well, thanks to the millennial generation who are obsessed with trying out new flavours, hot sauce producers have been pushing the boundaries by creating innovative new combinations to satisfy their curiosity.

From hipster sauces created in mum’s kitchen to mainstream hot sauce, there has been an eruption of creativity similar to the rising craft beer and coffee scene. Recent examples include; Kulchstein creating an IPA sauce with Dalston’s 40 Foot brewery; Hop Burns & Black in south London selling vinyl, beer and hot sauce.

At the recent Wing Fest, in 2018, I spoke to the organiser and founder about his views on Phipps client, Frank’s RedHot sauce; “The popularity of hot sauce and its marriage with wings sits at the very centre of Wing Fest and is why the event has grown so quickly. Buffalo Sauce is now a way of life for many, and at the heart of every great Buffalo Sauce is a quality hot sauce like Frank’s RedHot.” At this year’s event, nearly 100,000 wings were eaten with 50{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} of these containing Buffalo sauce, which is by far nations favourite wing.

To that end, hot sauce has become the ‘millennial’ staple, with producers now creating products to be sold to supermarkets as well as restaurants. According to Duncan Parsonage, Fresh Direct’s head of food development in an article by The Caterer, “Things are hotting up in the condiments market as people experiment with more varieties of chillies combined with tastes from different world regions. It’s now cool to think hot, so you really need to know your smoky chipotle from your mellow poblano or super-hot Dorset Naga if you want to keep up with the trends.”

So, with this booming industry gaining a large cult following, I decided to determine how the major hot sauce players size up against each other. Here’s what happened during my ‘chilli -high’…

Nando’s Hot

Nando’s, one of the pioneers in the UK hot sauce trend, these guys know how to make a good dipping sauce. Limey with a fruity kick, a nice balance of flavour and a thick sauce which is important, you don’t want it to entirely drip out of your burger. Oh, and the added chilli flakes weren’t a bad touch.

Heat: 4/10

The verdict: 7/10

Sriracha

Holy kameloy! First you get that garlic punch, then a lengthy time for you to ponder on the depth of flavour. Lots of layers, much like an onion, and the thickness of the sauce allowed for a good mouth-coating.

Heat: 5/10

The verdict: 7.5/10

Encona

Flavour intensity was subtle, but the blazing heat made up for this; definitely a cold buster. Fruity flavour with a punch of vinegar, but be warned it can pour rather quickly, so you could end up ruining your soup in no time.

Heat: 8/10

The verdict: 6/10

Cholula

Like a spicy Gazpacho. I had lots of time for the tomato, peppery and slightly acidic flavour, blending together to create a rich taste. The heat was a little overpowering and the flavour didn’t last for a long time which let the sauce down. Overall, a decent, inoffensive hot sauce – the kind you would bring home to the fam.

Heat: 7/10

The verdict: 6/10

Tabasco

Ahh Tabasco my old childhood friend. Given its size, the large packaging is like trying to tear open a new iPhone box. Once inside, I shook a few droplets onto a cracker and was met with a watery consistency and acidic flavour. Not one to consume on its own, although it has its place, definitely a food enhancer.

Heat: 4/10

The verdict: 5/10 (as a food enhancer)

Frank’s RedHot

Now we’re cooking. The king of hot sauces has arrived. The first mouthful delights me with the taste of aged cayenne peppers, celery and a gentle kick of garlic. The heat is pleasant without being too overpowering and the flavour carries on for a good few minutes. Balanced and consistent; this sauce goes with anything.

Heat: 6/10

The verdict: 8.5/10

The post Some like it hot: Looking at Britain’s evolving taste for the spice appeared first on Phipps.

English sparkling wine has landed

Bibendum announced last December that its sales of English sparkling wine doubled in 2017, and predicted continued growth for 2018. The on-trade specialist supplier was not alone. English sparkling did well on the high street as well, with M&S reporting a 15{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} sales increase, and hopes for more in the following year.

The 2018 sales figures have not yet been released, but hype around English sparkling undeniably continues.  We know that supply is expected to reach some 6m bottles in 2018 (vs 4m in 2017). According to Wine GB, between 1.5m and 2m vines will be planted before the end of the year. On top of this, a Drinks Business article predicted that the 2018 harvest is to be the best in the country’s history thanks to the brilliant summer weather.

Verdict? Prediction on track

Boxed wine on top of alternative packaging

Waitrose released its annual food and drink report 2017-2018 back in November, anticipating a boom for bag-in-box wine. The Evening Standard was one of the first national newspapers this year to report on the growing bag-in-box trend. The article acknowledged that though the reputation for this format once carried cheap and cheerful connotations, mass perception is changing.

Companies like Dalston’s Deli Weino BIB where you can sample up to 30 different organic wines, producers like Le Grappin’s Andrew Nielsen, and suppliers like Vinnaturo, are quickly spreading the bag-in-box gospel. A recent Wine Intelligence Portraits survey also found that bag-in-box wine was popular amongst two of its key audiences.  Both Social Newbies and Generation Treaters are apparently motivated by drinking in social occasions where bag-in-box delivers bang for your buck.

Verdict? Prediction on track

And now for one that almost got missed….

Cognac

There wasn’t much mentioned by way of Cognac in the annual predictions. However, as the Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac (BNIC) is a Phipps client, we do follow it closely.  February saw a mention of it in a Drinks Business article. In the report, staff writer Edith Hancock referred to Euromonitor’s prediction that 2018 was the year that ‘Cognac becomes mainstream once more’.

The UK is Cognac’s largest European market and at a Cognac event back in February, Alice Lascelles at the FT said “An excellent cognac tasting today – reminded me how much I and a lot of bartenders love cognac. Lots of great new discoveries. Will be interesting to see if cognac can kickstart the renaissance it deserves.” 

And it looks like things are heading in the right direction with The Evening Standard’s Frankie McCoy declaring in a May 2018 article that Cognac was experiencing a millennial rebrand thanks to its use in cocktails. Lauren Eads also summed up in a Drinks Business article that Cognac turnover reached €3.2 million in the year to 1 August 2018. That is an impressive value increase of 5.4{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12}!

Verdict? Roll on the 2019 predictions as we might well be hearing more about the Cognac renaissance.

To read more about another trend of 2018 – pink drinks, click here.

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The origins of the humble burger

There is a lot of debate about where and when the humble burger originated from. The first claim to fame was from the Mongol armies of 1200AD, keeping the raw meat under their saddles, flattening and tenderising the meat as they rode. It is not the archetypal patty and bun burger, but it’s a start.

In a brief stop off/invasion in Russia by the Mongol armies, the flattened meat was adopted into Russian cuisine. The Russians’ derogatory name for the Mongols – ‘Tarters’ – paved the way for a delicacy you see on menus today, ‘steak tartare’.

I now bring you to the Hamburg part of the story. Germany’s largest shipping port, Hamburg, made frequent trips to and from Russia and America, appropriating ‘steak tartare’ as their own. Sailors from the two continents adopted the ‘Hamburg Steak’ in popular usage which found its way across the pond for good.

Now enter, America. Steak being cooked in the ‘Hamburg style’ emerged on New York streets, then finally in Oklahoma 1891, we had our first official record of a bun entering the mix. Some people like to call this the first ever Hamburger.

Over 100 years later, we now find ourselves surrounded by a worldwide burger culture – and we love it!

The office variety

Cue Thursday 23^rd August – National Burger Day in the Phipps office. Celebrating the humble burger in all its glory! Burgers now come in different shapes and sizes with a variety of patties, pickles, buns, condiments, spices, slaws, cheeses, fruits(?!) and what ever else you want to sandwich in there!

Condiments are crucial when assembling the perfect burger. With our wide range of patties and fillings, the consensus across the board were Phipps clients Frank’s RedHot Sauce and French’s Mustard. Two veterans of the condiment world and both equally crowned champions of National Burger Day!

Now for our burger joint of choice – Patty and Bun!

‘Ari Gold’ Cheeseburger

First on the Patty and Bun menu for a reason – this definitely hit top spot for more than one in the office. Filled with colour, smoky mayo and their legendary patty, you will get the most ‘instagramable’ burger of the year.

The replacement ‘Cheese Fritter’

This ‘proper burger’ was worth the change from the meat patty. If you need a cheese hit and fancy feeling full for the next 24 hours, this halloumi burger is for you.

‘Hot Chic’ Chickenburger

Stand aside KFC, fried chicken just reached a whole new meaning. Adding do the fried chicken list, this slaw heavy chicken burger lasted a record 90 seconds. This time has created rumours of a burger eating competition within the office.

 ‘Lambshank Redemption’ Burger

Pickled aubergine, buttermilk courgette and lettuce lay the foundations of what looked like quite a vegetable heavy burger. But fear not, as this burger was graced by a strong meat presence with a lovely chunky lamb patty. Big thumbs up for this as an alternative to your standard beef burger.

The aftermath

Nothing left but empty wrappers, a pile of messy plates and bellies full of delicious burgers – bring on 23rd August 2019!

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From Starbucks #pinkdrink on Instagram to pink gins from @pinkstergin and @marksandspencer there is no doubt that pink drinks have finally gone mainstream this summer, breathing new life into the millennial pink phenomenon.

It seems that there are two schools of thought, on the one hand there are the ‘flavour saviours’ who talk about natural ingredients whether it’s rhubarb, raspberries or rose petals and then there are the ‘colour warriors’ who are all about the look of the drink and its photogenic versatility.

What is for certain is that the Brits’ love affair with gin shows no sign of slowing down. During the last six months, the number of pink gins on the market has grown substantially and according to Wine and Spirit Trade Association, 1 in 4 gin launches have been pink.

La vie en rosé

And don’t forget rosé wine which according to Wine Intelligence has gone up by 53{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} over the last 10 years (RIG Seminar, Wine and Spirits Trade Association, 2018)

M&S, the worthy winner of the IWC Best Rose Supermarket of the Year that has over 40 rosés on its list, puts it down to rosé wines beginning to establish themselves as a serious quality player for special occasions as well as for every day picnic picks.

Whatever the reason, we love a pink drink at Phipps and nothing beats a pink gin with a simple raspberry garnish (one of your five a day, right?)

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On Tuesday 10^th July, Wines of Germany UK won the IWC Consumer Campaign of the Year 2018 for the 31 Days of German Riesling. Now in its 7^th year, 31 Days has picked up an enthusiastic following amongst trade and consumers alike. Some might remember when Amathus stores in London went ‘Naked for Riesling’ with staff members sporting not much more than 31 Days branded aprons. Amathus made a clear statement on behalf of the grape ‘bares all’ as one Drinks Business article put it.

Each year, restaurants, wine bars, and independent merchants around the UK go all out to celebrate Germany’s king of grapes. Participants organise drop in tastings, winemaker dinners, flights, and offers. In 2017 alone, 284 outlets participated in over 60 cities and towns in the UK from Belfast to London. What’s more, the Wines of Germany team provides branded POS packs with sunglasses, tote bags, temporary tattoos, and much more to help the promotions. Participants share images about their activities on social media using the #31DaysofRiesling hashtag, bringing everyone in to a community.

In 2017, the results of the campaign included a 286{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} sales increase across participating outlets in July vs June. This year, the campaign shows no signs of slowing down. A promotional video launching the 2018 campaign has so far reached over 15,000 views! Additionally, a new partnership with DrinkUp London, organisers of London Wine Week, meant we could tap into the website’s 16,000 London based foodie audience. London wine aficionados could search on the DrinkUp London website for the best places to find a glass of German Riesling and were directed with a digital map.

To learn more about 31 Days of German Riesling, visit the Wines of Germany UK website.

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It’s no surprise therefore that London leads the way in cocktail trends, with bars focusing on creating unique cocktail menus that reflect their own ‘personalities’ as well as wider issues and agendas, from popular culture to environmental issues.

London’s top cocktail trends:

The environment

For a long time, bars have been using the environment around them to influence their cocktail creations. Natural flavours and ingredients have formed the basis for several well-known cocktail menus. Dandelyan, for example, launched with a menu focused on seasonal field guides, splitting cocktails into cereal, vegetal, mineral and floral. The most recent menu from Ryan Chetiyawardana and co. is inspired by hunters, gatherers, witch doctors and explorers, highlighting the way in which botany has shaped history and the way we understand flavours. The menu highlights three historical crops – mint, grapes and hops as well as a section with exciting twists on classics.

Reflecting the wider issue of sustainability, London bartenders have also led the way when it comes to creating environmentally sustainable menus, and this is a trend that continues to develop across the hospitality industry. In 2016 Duck and Waffle launched a two-part menu with sustainability at its heart, ‘Urban foraging vs. Urban Decay’. The menu focused on ingredients foraged in the capital, most of which would usually go to waste and many of which were found in their own kitchens, including gin infused with tomato stalks and a homemade banana skin cordial.

Fermentation

With the health food boom that has been in full swing for the last five years came an increased knowledge of the benefits of a healthy digestive system – leading to a demand for fermented foods which are known for their benefits to the gut. This movement didn’t stop in health food stores however, becoming a major cocktail trend too. Kombucha and kefir have been increasingly turning up on cocktail menus, with creations such as the Laverstoke Julep from The Nightjar (Star of Bombay, Oolong Kombucha, Geranium & Rose Syrup, Abu Lemon, Muscat wine, Pine Nuts, Champagne). At the recent Cocktails in the City event in London, Tomasso Cicala, Head Bartender at TT Liquor, explained; “there is currently a trend for sharp, punchy flavours in cocktails and, when used in the right way, these can be achieved with the use fermented ingredients”.

Infusions and homemade syrups:

One of the most identifiable trends at Cocktails in the City this month was infusions – with a wide range of cocktails containing ingredients made from scratch by bartenders. Different varieties of tea were particularly prevalent, with Hawksmoor Spitalfields Bar serving tea infused Johnnie Walker Black Label (a choice of Jasmine, Rooibos, Lapsang or Earl Grey) while Mr Fogg’s creation used both homemade lemon verbena tea syrup and homemade lavender syrup. As more bars spring up across London and the rest of the country bartenders are having to stand out from the crowd with unusual and individual cocktails, and the use of homemade ingredients is proving a great way to do this.

While these are just a few of the trends that are driving London cocktail culture at the moment, they demonstrate the work that highly skilled mixologists are putting into keeping the city’s reputation as the most creative bar scene in the world. Succinctly put by Roman Shabodalov, assistant manager at Hawksmoor Spitalfields Bar; “it’s all positive trends at the moment – recycling, straw refusing, zero waste, kefir, kombucha…I’m just happy drinks in jam jars are gone!”

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Fortifying times for supermarket wines

It’s been well documented that supermarkets are working hard to improve the quality of their own label wine, bringing in expert buying teams including MWs to help select the best wine for their customers.  It looks like this tactic is proving to be successful given the impressive selection of supermarket own brands that won the highly coveted IWC Gold medal.  Overall, 11 of the Gold medals in the competition went to the supermarkets, spanning all categories, bar rosé.  The fortified category was the one that most impressed for the supermarket own brands. Marks & Spencer’s bringing in two top gongs for its own label Sherry and Port made by Emilio Lustau and Taylor’s respectively, while Waitrose brought in one Gold for its Palo Cortado, also made by Lustau.

England and France the only countries to win Gold medals for sparkling wines

While Champagne dominated the sparkling wine category, England was the only other country whose wines were deemed Gold-worthy.  Both Ridgeview from Sussex and Raimes from Hampshire were awarded Gold with 95 points for their Blanc de Blancs 2014 and Classic Brut 2014 respectively.  No other sparkling wine from any other region scored Gold.

Charles Metcalfe, Co-chair of the competition, said “England and France are the only Gold medal winners among sparkling wines! That is amazing, and shows the astonishing improvements English producers have achieved over the past few years, battling head-to-head with Champagne.”

For the full results, check out the website here.

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The Hot Cross Bun is a sweet dough enriched with spice, dried fruits and decorated with a flour-paste cross. The origins of this traditional Easter treat are a hotly (forgive me) disputed topic. Some link them back to the ancient Greeks, others to St Albans… In recent years, people have started to experiment with the classic recipe – adding chocolate, fresh fruits and other flavourings. Personally, I am a traditionalist with my Easter baked goods and think that these new versions all risk gilding the lily, but, to be thorough, we threw in a wild-card new version too, to see if it could displace the classic.

Although these humble baked goods have sparked controversy in their time, being banned by for a short time by Queen Elizabeth I , they are generally seen as a force for good. Hot Cross Buns were once used to shield against evil and were hung in houses to ward off bad spirits or taken on voyages to prevent shipwrecks. Sharing a bun with someone is also said to guarantee friendship with that person for the coming year – so good news for the Phipps office all round following the taste test!

Read on for tasting notes and thorough scoring …

Tesco Finest Extra Fruity

These buns had a savoury tang to them which earned them high scores from some of the team. They were dense, rich but perhaps a little on the doughy side. Most disappointingly, there was a lack of spice, which led to a shorter aftertaste. The fruit (including the extra mixed peel) could be more evenly distributed. (£1.50 for 4, 2 packets for £2)

7/10

Marks and Spencer Luxury Hot Cross Buns

Right from the off these were looking good: an even, pleasing shape, neat cross and decent size. Reassuringly, in order to fit half a bun into the toaster it needed a gentle press – always a good sign. In the bun itself, there was a good distribution of fruit and a great ratio of peel to raisins and sultanas. On the spice front, again, entirely satisfying – it had a beautiful balance of spices (neither cinnamon nor clove overpowering) and an enjoyably long aftertaste. Overall, my top choice, and pretty close to bun perfection – if only they had been fresh from the oven! (£1.70, 2 for £2.50) 

9.5/10

Co-op

Initial impressions were not favourable. They were flat. Stood-on-by-something-heavy flat – absolutely no need for the toaster squish here! However, it did claw back some points for its spice – rich, warming and made for delicious aromas when toasting. However, the deficiency in size and rise made even buttering an issue and definitely hindered enjoyment overall. The price was very reasonable, but not as low as it should have been for the quantity of dough provided! (£1 for 6) 

5/10

Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Hot Cross Buns

Gazing upon these, expectations were high – a darker dough promised rich spices and the glaze shone promisingly. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a promise it couldn’t fulfil – the glaze was actually extremely sticky to the touch, not ideal for a discreet snack and a quick burner in the toaster (leading to very uneven cooking). In terms of taste, the fruit distribution was good, salt on the heavy side and the blend of spice pleasant, but nothing to write home about. (£1.50 for 4)

6.5/10

Tesco Very Berry Finest Hot Cross Buns

These looked the part, shiny, even and thick – perhaps just a shade darker than I would go for. When it came to the taste I was bracing myself for the disappointment of a non-traditional pastry but was actually pleasantly surprised. Instead of gently, citrus-y spice these buns had a sharp, raspberry-jam-like taste. This did help to cut through some of the sweetness usually associated with a Hot Cross Bun, although perhaps masking the taste of the sugar you are treating yourself to is unwise/unfair in some way! The texture was also a little dense, although this was a strong contender for some on the team. It was definitely not a disaster, but this having been said, the warming spice of a Hot Cross definitely took the back seat to the sharp fruit which tasted a little freeze-dried. (£1.50 for 4, 2 packets for £2)

 
4/10

Waitrose Richly Fruited

This offering from Waitrose was a disappointment, almost from the word go. The buns had no discernible shine and they didn’t have the biggest rise. However, the real issue was that they committed the cardinal Hot Cross Bun sin: they seemed to have forgotten the spice! In addition, they had no more fruit than other buns, although the packed promised something ‘richly fruited’. In their favour, the dough was not too dense, retaining lightness even when toasted, but this was too little, too late and not the quality promised by the price. (£1.69, 2 for £2.50)

2.5/10

In conclusion, nothing can come close to the classic and the key to a good Hot Cross Bun lies in the balance of spice and the distribution of your fruits. If you bear this in mind and don’t make a pancake rather than a risen bun, you’ll be well on your way to perfection. All that remains is for me to wish you all a Happy Easter, I hope you find a bun you enjoy!

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The original drinking societies were the symposia of ancient Greece – raucous affairs with entertainment, food and, at the centre of attention, drink, where women were prohibited unless in the subservient roles of musicians, servers or prostitutes.  Centuries later and the world is still full of wine symposia, but of a very different kind. Halls the world over (London, Paris, New York and California) echo with discussions on the role of women in today’s world of wine, exploring inequalities that have either crept in over the decades or been present for millennia.

One such symposium was ‘P(our)’ which took place in Paris in June 2017, where Sula and Clara Rubin (Red Squirrel Wines) delivered a fascinating speech entitled ‘is Wine Gendered?’ The speech focused on the representation of women in the industry – looking at how women are perceived within organisations and the role of advertising in shaping the outside world’s perception of women in wine.

Looking at the industry today, Richardson and Rubin highlighted, only 13 of the Harpers Top 100 in wine for 2017 lack a Y chromosome and of the 39 headshots used to adorn the pages, only 4 were women. Whilst a laudable 43{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} of the wine industry is made up of women, this isn’t a fact that shines through when reading about the industry and its key players. As is sadly the case in many fields today, women are under-represented at the top echelons of the wine world. There are a whole host of reasons why this may be the case: common (mis)conceptions, lack of representation at mid-level, status quo and a dearth of role models.  

For consumers, wine marketing plays a huge role in forming their view of the industry and the issue here, rather than under-representation, seems to be how women that appear in ad campaigns are portrayed. Memorably infamous examples include Decanter’s 1990 front cover with a naked woman holding a (barely visible) bottle of wine and Côtes du Rhône’s series of pin-up style labels for their ‘Cuvée Sexy’ wines. In this universe women seem to exist to hold bottles seductively whilst wearing very little which hardly reinforces their position in the industry. But perhaps even more problematic is the inference that wine-drinkers all in fact lecherous voyeurs, who will only respond to titillation? Are women to be excluded from enjoying wine as well?

But there are signs of a new direction. One of the more memorably tasteless blunders from recent times was the #tastethebush campaign from Premier Estates – showing a woman (this time clothed, at least) sporting a wine glass placed in the style of Eve’s fig leaf. In itself this was a step in the wrong direction, but the shocked reaction to the campaign, where previous generations would not have batted an eyelid, was encouraging. The advert was branded ‘sexist’ in the media, condemned by Wines of Australia and banned from Youtube.

In a similar vein of progression, Côtes du Rhône’s most recent campaign advertising ‘un superbe rouge pour getting the girls ‘round’ appears to be celebrating, rather than demeaning women and their relationship to wine. The women depicted are appropriately clothed, drinking wine and having fun. Here Côtes du Rhône is advertising ‘everyday sophistication’, as something accessible, through wine, to women, rather than simply using the sex appeal of women to sell to men. It is a far cry from ‘Cuvée Sexy’ and shows how attitudes are evolving.

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In its series of ‘cocktail experiments’ the Drink Up team is breaking classic cocktails down to their component parts, letting guests experiment with different gins, whiskies and vermouths in a Martini, Negroni or an Old Fashioned . The idea is simple: learn about the different options, discover what you like and come away knowing how to craft your very own version of the classic. In the name of research, a few of the Phipps team went along, to see what we could discover about our tastes.

It would be no surprise to those who know me to learn that I opted for the Negroni class. A far cry from those ‘fruity and frivolous’ cocktails of the 90s, for me the Negroni is the epitome of a great cocktail; strong, sweet, bitter and sharp all in one. Despite being hailed by some ‘the very definition of balance and simplicity’, the Negroni has the added advantage of having a recipe I can follow with my eyes closed: equal parts Campari, gin, vermouth, no shaking, just a quick stir.

To guide us through the essential Negroni ingredients we had the spirits and cocktail guru Hannah Lanfear, owner of The Mixing Class. She briefly introduced us to the history of cocktails, whizzing through the boom in American cocktail culture and the introduction of ice in drinks, right up to the point in 1919, where Count Camilo Negroni decided he wanted something stronger than the fashionable Americano cocktail, and swapped his soda water for gin. Hannah then took us through six gins, some aromatic, with notes of cardamom and floral orris root, others more juniper-dominant, with hints of citrus and spicy coriander. Then six vermouths, again in a range of styles, from heavy, Christmas-scented to light, with exotic touches of strawberry gum and botanicals for all corners of the globe. We also had the one Negroni constant – the bright pinky-red, deliciously bitter Campari to tie the components together.

So, out of the 36 different mixing possibilities, what was my perfect Negroni? I went for Ford’s Gin, crafted by a bartender who set out to create ‘a gin to be used as a workhorse for the cocktailian bartender.’ He did so by creating a map of the classic gin cocktails, examining what botanicals were necessary to make the cocktails work, then popped all of these into a delicious gin. For vermouth I went straight for the Cocchi Vermouth di Torino, marrying Ford’s vibrant, floral and coriander notes to the richer tones of cacao, bitter orange and nutmeg. The end result was pleasingly bittersweet, with lots of spice and citrus notes dancing across the palate. Definitely a successful result for the Negroni experiment, now, what should I put in my Martini?

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In the month that the #BeastfromtheEast arrived on our shores, Japanese wine has been taking London by storm.

As February’s dire weather hit the city, we were treated to two unique Japanese wine tastings. The first was Koshu of Japan – taking place at the renowned 67 Pall Mall on 14 February. Koshu of Japan is an organisation that was established in July 2009 by leading wine producers from the Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan’s premier wine-growing region.

The second was the New Japanese Wine tasting, which took place at Ginza Onodera on 28 February. This session included a number of different wine styles, including sparkling, white, rose and red, from all across Japan.

But in case you couldn’t get to either event (after all, we all know what the weather was like), here are the 7 things you (probably) didn’t know about Japanese wines…

1. It’s really not that new…

Japanese wine is still relatively unknown within the UK trade – however the country boasts a winemaking history of over 140 years and is home to around 300 wineries. Japan is believed to have been cultivating vines for at least 1,000 years.

2. …and it’s far from all over!

Wine is produced in 36 of Japan’s 47 prefectures, including on Honshu (the largest and most populous island), Kyushu (the most south-westerly) and even Hokkaido (the most northernmost prefecture). The wine regions generally lie between 32° and 43° north latitude. As a reference, Bordeaux is 45° north.

3. A Zweigelt from Yamagata? A Pinot Noir from Hokkaido?

Although wines from Japan are mostly produced from three grape varieties – Koshu, Muscat Bailey A and Delaware, which make up around 40{745690984bf2730fd3a18190b4d6782e23fb66c5baec7859bffd932c3466ae12} of total production – winemakers have now diversified and many are growing international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir and even Zweigelt.

4. The star is a grape called Koshu

Since 2013, the Koshu grape has been recognised by the highly-respected International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV). Koshu has been grown in Katsunuma in the Yamanashi prefecture for at least 1,000 years. The grape travelled along the Silk Route and found its current home in Japan in the vineyards of Yamanashi, within the foothills of Mount Fuji.

5. A true labour of love

Japan’s climate, especially on Honshu and Kyushu, is renowned for being incredibly wet at certain times of the year. The rainy season generally lasts from June to the middle of July. In addition to this, typhoons with heavy rainfall and strong winds can commonly take place throughout September. This can make the vineyards particularly susceptible to diseases and pests. These conditions can make it incredibly tough for the growers who are renowned for being absolutely meticulous in their approach.

6. The perfect match to Anglo-Japanese cooking

Anglo-Japanese cooking was described by The Evening Standard as being London’s New Favourite towards the end of 2017, and with a new glut of top-quality, fusion restaurants there is massive potential for Japanese wines to shine at exciting venues such as Jidori or Kurobuta. Vibrant whites made from Koshu are the perfect foil to a whole host of dishes, from yakitori to tempura, and sashimi to okonomiyaki.

7. Yamanashi is THE paradise for beer, whisky, sake and wine lovers

It’s not just wine. Thanks to pristine waters that flow through forests from deep mountains over 3000m above sea level, extreme climate changes throughout the year and well-drained soils, Yamanashi is an absolute must-visit for any beer, whisky or sake-lover too! The stunning prefecture is home to 60 wineries, 14 sake breweries, 4 beer breweries and Suntory’s famed Hakushu whisky distillery.

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Other Side Fried – Pop Brixton

Randy’s Wing Bar – London, multiple sites

Chicken Shop – London, multiple sites

Absurd Bird – London, multiple sites

Chick ‘n’ Sours – London, multiple sites

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