Lifestyle

Oddbins likely descent into administration marks a dark day for UK wine retailing, not just because of the millions of pounds owed to suppliers, which is a bitter enough pill to swallow, but because they used be a shining beacon of verve, imagination and flair which has now disappeared from our high streets – seemingly […]

Having spent far too many birthdays in previous places of work where celebrations just seemed to involve some sub-standard cakes (a Swedish ball bearing manufacturer, an English Language School, a University and a larger B2B supplier to name just a few) it’s been a pleasant surprise to me just how much working at Yapp takes […]

The England versus France rugby match, ‘Le Crunch’, that takes place at Twickenham every other year affords us a royal opportunity to make merry with our winemaker friends from across La Manche.  This year Messrs Pascal Labasse, Vincent Cantié and Maxime Graillot travelled over for the weekend with high expectations for ‘Les Bleus’. This enabled […]

Working at Yapp HQ has always been an interesting experience and there’s never a shortage of recommendations about new vintages, new wines and particularly new food and wine pairings. As a man who came from the cider and cheese school of thought it’s been a real eye opener – not that cider doesn’t go with […]

I am heartened to report that all 5 of our Border Terrier puppies are thriving as they have just reached 4 weeks age and we are no longer fearful of losing one to squashing or malnourishment. Unfortunately some cynical readers of this blog have suggested that the only reason I am writing about adorable infant […]

January 25th is, as our Scottish cousins are well aware, Burns Night (or more accurately Burns Supper, or even more accurately Burns Nicht). Traditionally a celebration of the life of the poet Robert Burns, he is honoured by the consumption of haggis, washed down with scotch whisky. There is a lot of pomp and ceremony […]

It is a day of minor celebration in the Yapp household today (and you can’t have too many of those on Mondays in January) as Martha’s litter of puppies have passed the crucial 2 week milestone which, according to The Book of the Bitch is the time when they are most vulnerable to myriad potentially […]

Our much-loved Border Terrier, Martha, gave birth to a litter of 5 puppies on the night of Boxing Day which made for an interesting festive break. Martha eschewed the ‘whelping box’ which I had lovingly-crafted out of Yapp Brothers’ wine cartons and gaffer tape favouring our 9 year-old son William’s bed as the destination to […]

Serving liqueurs to guests might seem rather old-fashioned, but we’re backing them for a comeback. Rather like cardigan-wearing, you’ve got to get it just right to avoid looking like you’ve just stepped off the set of ‘Ashes to Ashes’ but, done well, they’re deliciously enjoyable. So out with the Blue Bols and cheese footballs, in with […]

A straw poll around the office generated lively discussion as to what colleagues will be drinking once we have closed our doors on Christmas Eve. We hope that our selections inspire your Festive food matching! While there was unanimous agreement that any of the excellent J. Dumangin Fils Champagne would feature strongly over both Christmas […]