What is on offer? Not overpriced Cotswolds’ grub.

The Cotswolds is a stunning place to live and much as I will always love going to London it is great to come back to this beautiful countryside. However, the Cotswolds is also an expensive location, with, for example, our village Good Food Shop – a shop for the community by the way – charging London prices and our local gastro pub on an overzealous portion control project with a high price ticket.Presently, there seems to an assumption that people are prepared to pay because of the scenery, but from my experience of dining in Oxfordshire pubs recently there is a flawed arrogance of above inflation price increases, smaller portions and a poor selection of quality wines by the glass. So this week I’m staying in and looking for some wines to enjoy at home from the current offers.
For a starter, try Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde 2010, Portugal, £6.99 buy 2 bottles save £4 until 29th August from Majestic, which delivers the crispness required, coupled with some attractive lemony fruit flavours not found in other Vinho Verde wines at the same price.Les Andides Saumur, Loire 2010, France, £7.49 save 25% to £5.59 in Waitrose until 16th August. Made from Chenin Blanc this dry white, has subtle, soft fruity character with a nice balance of minerality. Lovely thirst quenching stuff. Staying in the Loire, New Zealand flying winemaker Sam Harrop MW has overseen a Cabernet Franc Project which is producing softer, more fruit friendly wines from this varietal in contrast to the hard, green, unsociable versions.Le Paradis 2009 Chinon, Loire, France, £9.39 save 25% to £6.99 in Waitrose until 16th August is a really good example of a soft, rounded, medium bodied red with ripe dark fruity flavours and balanced tannins. Accessible and really a style for other Chinon winemakers to emulate. Finally, if are feeling sociable and are hosting a barbie then a dry, inexpensive, reliable sparkler is Lindauer Brut NV, New Zealand down to £6.99 from £7.99 until the 29th August in Majestic.
The guys in the picture are Kissing the Pink, who were a brilliant underrated 80’s and early 90’s band producing excellent albums like Naked and Certain Things Are Likely. I thought they had split up sometime ago only to discover that they played a London gig earlier this year. Check out Kissing the Pink’s Big Man Restless on You Tube.