December 2016

Jane Clare wine 2016 year in review

Photo memories: My 2016 year in pictures and a drop of something now and again

Farewell 2016, you  strange old year, you little monkey. Putting the madness of Brexit, Trump and Celebrity Deaths to one side, there’s been a lot of change for me personally, changes that will see me taking a route yet to be determined, sometime around May in 2017. Meanwhile  – here’s some 2016 photo memories, ahem, and of course they […]

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WSET wine my diploma diary

What links my new wine diploma diary and one of the cheesiest songs ever?

I’ve finally signed up to study the Wine Spirit and Education Trust diploma after years of indecision. It’s taken me a while to take the plunge for lots of reasons, not least money and time. But the urge to learn more about wine and spirits was ultimately just too strong so I’ve opted for the online course;

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Champagne bubbles in a glass

Your best-buy supermarket champagne… here’s the festive fizz factor scores

Yup – that’s me on this page. Sadly not the pretty thing in the middle, but the old blob on the left wearing a grey cardie. You’ll see we ran a supermarket festive fizz taste test … here’s the supermarket champagne ratings. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! SUPERMARKET CHAMPAGNE: BEST BUY Wm Morrison Champagne

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Christmas fizz glass of bubbles

Which is the best supermarket prosecco? Here’s the festive fizz factor scores

Yup – that’s me on this page. Sadly not the pretty thing in the middle, but the old blob on the left wearing a grey cardie. You’ll see we ran a  fizz taste test … here’s the supermarket prosecco ratings if you’re making a last-minute dash to the shops for the sprouts and the bread sauce. Or

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Baileys Christmas fudge feature

The one where I rustle up some Baileys Christmas Fudge with a tipple on the side

I’ve made some fudge for Christmas. I haven’t fudged up the fudge because I’ve made it before, using a favourite drinking implement called Baileys. A couple of years on the trot I carried white chocolate Baileys fudge into work to hand out to pasty-faced hungover journos who’d had one drink too many at the works’  Christmas do. A sugar

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Share Your Lunch Can Cook Liverpool

If you think Christmas is stressful, the Share Your Lunch campaign is food for thought

I’ve spent most of the morning spooning sticky toffee sauce and squares of sticky toffee pudding into tin foil trays and popping on a lid. And it’s quite possibly the most rewarding thing I’ve done all year. It’s Christmas in two days’ time.  I bet you can’t bear the thought of those queues for last-minute

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Limestone Rise English Christmas white wine

Christmas white wine to chink as you open the pressies (or just because you neeeeed)

I can’t wait for Christmas Day and my first glass of white! Here’s a Christmas white wine selection to suit all pockets which you can pour as the family arrives, right through to Dad sneaking the last roast potato onto his plate. Extra Special French Chardonnay (13.5% abv, £5, ASDA) This Languedoc  chardonnay is lightly oaked

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