Richard Hope

1. You started your career in academia. What sparked your interest in wine? I grew bored of dinosaurs. And it happened a long time before I became an academic. I remember being about 10. Everyone else was into diplodocuses or football or trains. I just found wine more interesting. Where it came from, and how […]

We’ve had great fun collaborating with our good friend and ‘artist in residence’ David Chandler over the last few months as he has been working on the illustrations for our bi-monthly seasonal offers and our 2017 wine list.     Being both creative and technically adroit David couldn’t resist cajoling me into participating in some […]

1. What was the first wine that really piqued your interest and inspired you to find out more about it? Oddly it wasn't anything grand. It was a muscadel from a small wine shop to which a much older friend had introduced me. I thought it was madly sophisticated. 2. You have a keen interest […]

Take a stroll through historic Mere, and you would think that the closest this sleepy town came to Brutalist architecture would be the controversial use of UPVC for a conservatory, or the neighbour-baiting choice of a colour other than sage for a front door. Likewise, the scenic Yapp Brothers HQ in the heart of the […]

We've had great fun collaborating with our good friend and 'artist in residence' David Chandler over the last few months as he has been working on the illustrations for our bi-monthly seasonal offers and our 2017 wine list.     Being both creative and technically adroit David couldn't resist cajoling me into participating in some […]

At the time of writing I very much hope that Father Christmas or my mother (I sent both the link) will furnish me with a 6.7 litre, matt black Le Creuset casserole in which I intend to cook a Daube Provençale for my metrosexual male book group. We've been reading 'Rogue Male' by Geoffrey Household […]

With the kids back at school, summer tans fading and Quality Street tins starting to re-appear in our supermarkets, it can only mean one thing - Autumn is round the corner. It's not all doom and gloom though - Autumn brings great seasonal dishes, from game to mushrooms to root vegetables. It also brings the […]

I was interested to read Elizabeth David opining on the English habit of pairing sweet and delicate spring vegetables with deeply savoury meats then matching those courses to red wines which only complimented the latter. Her suggestion was to serve the vegetable dishes as a separate course (Italian style) and to match them with a […]

May is just about my favourite month not least because it's full of good things to eat. As well as asparagus and artichokes, waxy new potatoes are now available and can form a delicious dish if dressed with vinegrette, chopped hard boiled eggs and capers and perhaps chopped red onions and flat leaf parsley. Enjoy […]

It's good to have a reliable house white - something light, fresh and unpretentious. We often serve Domaine Gardrat: Vin de Pays Charentais Sauvignon 2014 as an aperitif with Sicilian nocellara olives, Spanish corn kernels or habas fritas (fried & salted broad beans). You shouldn't judge a book by it's cover but how could you […]