This is my local Fish & Chip shop in Hornchurch and on saturday we thought it was about time we visited them again. This also finally gave us the chance to put the theory to the test that champagne is the best drink pairing. So in the morning the Laurent Perrier Brut went into the fridge and we chilled out at home waiting for lunchtime to come around. We then took the 10 minute walk to get our Fish & Chips. We received a friendly welcome from the staff and the placed our order. I ordered the Large Cod & my wife went for the Wing of Skate.
So with the current situation still going on it’s making this task even harder now. But I’ve still been able to come up with a few delights for you thanks to my local patisserie , home baking and a nearby coffee shop. Looking forward to getting back to normal soon but in the meantime I hope you enjoy these for now
Over the last month or so I’ve been asking my good friend Alison Taffs at the Hop Inn Micro Pub in my hometown of Hornchurch for her expertise in pairing wine with food. To which I am also pleased to say that her results have been an absolute delight. So when we popped in last saturday I was in for a surprise as Alison had set a challenge for me. I was given a bottle of red wine and was told that my challenge would be to find a dish that would pair perfectly with the wine. As you would expect I gladly excepted the challenge
This Dark Horse 2018 Californian Chardonnay was a absolute delight. It had amazing flavours of pear & vanilla which were followed by caramel that led to a very smooth and creamy finish. This turned out to be a perfect pairing for our Chicken Piri Piri as it complimented the spices of the dish perfectly
This weekend it was time to once more challenge my good friend and wine expert Alison Taffs from the Hop Inn micro pub in Hornchurch. The task was to pair a wine to go with my favourite Indian food from Tandoori Lounge. Well I can tell you right now she absolutely smashed it. She chose a Mar de Frades Albarino Atlantico 2019 and it was stunning.
A fabulous sweet wine & dessert pairing from earlier this year at Caractere in Notting Hill. For dessert I chose the new Bergamot & Lemon Tartelette with a hazelnut praline that was an absolute delight. This was paired beautifully by assistant manager Antonella with a fantastic Pieropan 2015 Soave Classico which although was a rich golden colour it was delicately sweet and with the flavours of exotic fruits & apricots made this a perfect match for the dessert.
I’m a massive fan of sweet wines but have never bought a bottle to have at home. This is because I thought that once opened you had to finish it. So due to the fact that my wife doesn’t like sweet wine I’ve not bothered. Well all that is about to change as I was advised by a very good sommelier that once opened and if you keep it in the fridge it will last a few days. With this in mind I decided to treat myself to a Muscat de St Jean de Minervois while I was in my local Sainsbury’s. I opted for this one for a few reasons
This South African red wine will without doubt live long in my memory as it was an absolute beauty. At 14.5% and full of Blackberry & Rich Plum flavour this wine was heaven. You would have thought this wine with that high percentage and bold flavours should have been quite heavy to drink.
This month’s desserts are dedicated to my fabulous local patisserie Le Moulin in Hornchurch. This is due to the current situation where I’ve not been able to dine out. Thankfully this patisserie is amazing and create the most beautiful cakes for you to enjoy. So with this I hope you’ll find that this fantastic selection of pics give you a little bit of pleasure during these tough times.
This Dr Loosen 2018 Riesling was chosen by my good wine friend Alison Taffs who is the owner of the Hop Inn micro pub in Hornchurch. We decided to put her skills to the test by asking her to pair a wine to go with our Pork and Chipotle burgers. She chose this fabulous German Riesling as it was light , delicately sweet and fruity that would not only be a great match for our burgers but would also pair well with any spicy dish. This certainly was an excellent choice and a wine that I would highly recommend trying.
Dr Loosen 2018 Riesling Kabinett
Thank You Alison for this excellent wine pairing 🥂
