This year’s Festival of Food & Wine Racing Weekend at Ascot Racecourse was a roaring success. In addition to a fantastic day of racing, racegoers were able to visit a brilliant selection of over 40 food and wine stalls.

Culinary genius Raymond Blanc and Wine Expert Oz Clarke were joined by Racing Tipster, Neil Phillips in the Furlong Club Gastronomes Theatre who together brought you not only great demonstrations but plenty of entertainment too! Guests began the day’s busy schedule with a glass of Chapel Down English Sparkling Wine followed by a perfect coffee preparation and coffee cocktail demonstration with Lavazza. They then enjoyed an Old World versus New World tasting with cheese and charcuterie provided by Wondering Wine Kitchen and wine pairing suggestions to accompany seared Halibut with Shellfish Risotto created by Sodexo Head Chef Ben Dutson. The Wine Tipster presented a fantastic Pie and Wine Tasting with two Sweeny & Todd Pies paired with Delicato Family Vineyards Old Vine Zinfandel and Soave Classico Monte Carbonare, Italy courtesy of Bibendum Wines. Fiona Smith presented beer and food pairings with Stella Artois.

In addition to his MC duties and wine presenting, The Wine Tipster also marked the racecard for the day which resulted in four winners including Dutch Law at 12/1 and Frontispiece at 7/1.

We look forward to seeing you again in 2017.

With thanks to Grown Up Marshmallows, Wiltshire Chilli Farm, B.O.B’s Lobster, Cake Hole, Sweeney & Todd Pies and Dark Horse Wines.

Photos Courtesy of Jonathan Short.

Wow! Been a busy few weeks for The Wine Tipster with the Cheltenham Food & Drink Festival, Taste of London, Abode Hotel Champagne Dinners, the Skills for Service Conference, Formula One, trips to Jersey and Switzerland and last night’s awe inspiring Coronation Festival evening.
In-between all these wonderful events and dinners I’ve managed to keep the waistline in check with my training for the Oxfordshire Mota-Vation Series, organised by Kidlington Running Club. There are five of these popular races of around 4-5 miles in the series, which take place on the first Thursday of the month from May to September and have around 300 runners per race. Diary commitments have meant that I’ve missed the first three races but I’m definitely up for the next two in Combe and Oxford. Another race

I like is the Hooky 6 on August 11th, which usually has my ideal conditions for running with baking hot weather!
My perspiration has extended to the form book of course and I was delighted to see my tipping success on twitter featured recently in Robin Gibson’s Surf & Turf column in the Racing Post so make sure you keep following my tips!

Cheers!