Breakfast wine and pineapple cubes.

Yes yes. Long time. I know. Think of it as a sabbatical. A blog-type one.

But more about WINE.

I used to be the manager of a wine shop. Yup. Manager. Of a wine shop. I did wine exams and everything. I even ran a wine club. Are you surprised, considering absolutely none of my posts so far have been wine based? I was young (well, younger than I am now) and relatively inexperienced but I learnt from some truly inspirational and highly knowledgeable people and I had a great time. Then it all went a bit corporate and I had the opportunity to move so I took it. I don't think I'll ever have a job quite like that again.

Since leaving the shop I have neither had the money or the focus to do anything more than buy the odd bottle of interesting wine. Which is ridiculous because wine is awesome (cynics, bear with me here) and wine people are some of the most interesting and amusing people I have ever met. That's what copious amounts of good booze will do for you.

Ok, so I did fraudulently attend the London International Wine Fair in 2010 but only because they kept sending me my trade invitation. It would have been rude not to. But I finally went to a wine tasting last night and it was fab.

Hello wine cynics. Yes, hi there, do you have a minute? Awesome, thank you. Things to think about-

1. You need to have an open mind. New experiences are good.
2. You can't say that you don't like something unless you've tried it. Keeping it simple, check out the Wiki list of grape varieties. That's a lot of different grapes. With a lot of different flavours. It's not just red, white and pink.
3. You don't have to like everything. It's about the experience and the excitement of coming across something that may just blow your mind.
4. Whatever flavours you taste, you're not wrong. Everyone's palates are different and, this is beauty of it, in the end it's all about what makes you happy. And if wine doesn't make you happy then stick to gin.

Wowza. What a lot of waffle. Anyway, here goes. It's been a while so I'll keep it simple. If interested see links for a bit more info.

"What have the Romans ever done for us?" -Wednesday 25th May 2012 - Raisin Wines, Bath


Roero Arneis, Alasia, Piedmonte, Italy 2010
White peach and moscato grape with delicate almond notes and zesty citrus on the nose. Surprisingly savoury on the palate. Peppery, herbal and a distinct oil of lemon finish.

Vernaccia Di San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy 2010
A rich nose of honeysuckle, pear and peach lifted by subtle citrus. A contrasting brisk acidity on the palate shows bold lime with a rounder slightly nutty finish with a small amount of the sweet fruit suggested by the nose.

Verdicchio Diei Castelli Di Jesi, Pallio Di San Floriano, Marche, Italy 2010
My favourite of the whites. Warm aromas of vanilla custard on the nose with a rhubarb-like acidity and subtle herbal notes. The vanilla follows through onto the palate with full, ripe stone fruit, beautifully balanced with a long mineral, citrus finish.

Salice Salentino, Giardinelli Vineyard, Puglia, Italy 2008
Raspberry jam, bitter coffee and sour cherry (breakfast wine?) on the nose lead onto a dark espresso palate with subtle fruit and a tiny lick of salinity.

Chianti Classico, San Felice, Tuscany, Italy 2008
Cassis, raspberry leaf and dark dried fruits with a smokey, savoury nose. Very smooth but with fresh black cherries on the palate.

Doricum, Nero D'Avola, Sicily, Italy 2010
My favourite of the reds. A nose of warm ripe plums with the contrast of herbal raspberry leaf. Smooth liquorice flavours on a palate packed with jammy berries, more of those plums and a refreshing but well balanced acidity.

Moscato Passito, Zibbibo, "Palazzina", Araldica, Piemonte, Italy 2006
How can you not enjoy a dessert wine? Sweet cantaloupe melon and tangy grapefruit on the nose which follow through onto the palate and are joined by honeysuckle and the boiled sweet flavour of pineapple cubes. I wanted cheese with this one.

So, there we go. Seven wines, a fun, informative evening (a BIG thank you to Colin at Raisin Wines) and only a slight hangover this morning. Highly recommended.

Brrrrrr. Raspberries?!

New year, new post. And a Happy One Year to Not Another Carrot. Even if it did get rather neglected in the latter half of 2011. Must try harder.

So to start the year I have an unusual post for you. A dessert. (Just to illustrate how infrequently I cook desserts I did just type desert and had to correct myself... Not so palatable, a bit dry, too many camels.)

Dr W likes a crumble. I like making a crumble. This works out well. Arguably one of the most simple, flexible desserts to make but also one that can be the most disappointing. You need a good balance of fruit to topping, the fruit must not be too sweet or too tart and the topping, well, I think that's down to personal preference.

You could make the topping crunchy, spicy, nutty, oaty, cakey, oaty or whatever you want really. All you need is a mix of flour/oats/muesli/nuts/spices and sugar bound together, until it looks like crumble topping, with a bit of butter. Not marg. Butter. If using unsalted, add a small pinch of salt. If you add too much butter, add a bit more of the oats or flour. If you make too much, it will freeze. It's all very simple.

How I make my topping depends on what fruit I am using and what I have in the cupboard. Plain apple needs some spice so add cinnamon, nutmeg or good old mixed spice to the mix. For plums (plumble), pears, peaches, apricots a little bit of whatever spice you think goes is good. I don't think berries in crumble need spice but feel free to disagree!

But enough of the waffle. Dr W's choice- Apple and Raspberry Crumble. The raspberries are British and frozen, courtesy of Waitrose (large punnet currently on offer at £1.89). So I don't feel guilty about having raspberries in January. Ok, I do a little bit.

Makes 2 generous ramekins.

For the filling-

1 large bramley apple (cooking apples hold their shape better when cooked) peeled, cored and thick sliced, handful of raspberries (added and heated through at the end) cooked gently in a wide frying pan with butter and soft brown sugar.

Today's crumble topping (recipe subject to change!)

A handful of porridge oats
A handful of self raising flour (makes the topping slightly cakey)
Half tbsp light soft brown sugar
Half tbsp dark brown sugar
c.1 tbsp butter

Rub ingredients together until it looks like crumble topping.

Assemble. Bake until golden and bubbly. Serve with custard. Or cream. Or ice cream. Or all of the above. Piggy.