The perfect drinks and picnic pairing with ASDA


Now that summer is supposed to be well on its way, it brings with it lazy weekend days in the park surrounded by good food and even better drinks. With so much choice in the shops, it can be overwhelming choosing what to pack for a picnic. Luckily ASDA have come to the rescue and offers some suggestions for some brilliant food and drink pairings. And I was lucky enough to spend an evening trying them all out!




We tried a variety of different tipples ranging from tasty wine, refreshing g+ts and tangy pale ales. All the perfect drinks to take in a picnic basket and have alongside a few cheeky nibbles.

First up was the Mainbrace Indian Pale Ale paired with a hearty pork pie. I feel something so meaty needs a refreshing drink so the ale was a great choice. As an ale avoider I actually didn't mind this at all, which means it must be pretty good!

Next was the Extra Special Pinot Noir with spicy sweet chilli hummus. With hints of cherry and raspberry, the light fruity wine was surprisingly a great contrast to the fiery hummus, helping to balance out the intense flavour. I bypassed the Espartero Rioja Joven as I'm not a fan of red wine but I heard it on good authority that it was a corker. Judging by all the appreciative noises!

Now the Le Grand Clauzy Sauvignon Blanc was definitely something I could get on board with. Especially when it's paired with a delicious butternut squash and cous cous salad. The crisp, zingy wine complimented the fresh taste of the salad. A good choice ASDA!



Nothing screams summer than a ice cold gin and tonic, these handy cans couldn't be perfect for a picnic. Pop on your fancy pants and pair it with lashings of smoked salmon. If you're going to indulge, indulge to the max. Am I right?

Wine and cheese were born to be together. Soulmates if you will. So it's no wonder that the bubbly sweet Calafia Muscatel white wine is a fantastic partner for creamy roquefort. Both the intense flavours are like fireworks when paired together.

Finally no picnic is complete with a few glasses of fizz. It would be criminal to not pack some in that basket. The grand finale was Nicolas Feuillate Champagne with chocolate sponge cake filled with oodles of tiny sweets. Definitely worth a splurge if you're planning for a special al-fresco event. A perfect end to a lovely evening.

Are there any drink and food pairings that you would recommend?

7 Comments

A few favourites #5


1. The Hairy Dieters cookbook
I'm trying my hardest to eat healthily or at least 80% of the time. We all need a burger binge once in a lifetime right? So I've been digging around in my extensive cookbook collection and come across an old favourites. I adore The Hairy Bikers - I think I might have nearly all of their books. This one is a little gem. Every recipe I've tried has been amazing and they all feel indulgent despite shaving off a few calories from the original. It's amazing how a few changes can completely reduce the calorie content without having to compromise on taste.

2. Schwarzkopf Got2b Rise 'n' Shine Volume and Shine Hairspray*
I'm always a little heavy handed with hairspray - gotta help it stick right? - so look out for one that has a strong hold but doesn't make my hair feel rock solid. I've found just the right one thanks to Got2b. This beauty helps to stop any stray hairs coming out of place, gives it a much needed shine and boasts it's volume. The lazy girl in me loves a multi-tasker. It's easy to brush out and my hair doesn't feel heavy or sticky.


3. Urbanears Plattan headphones
My headphones suddenly packed up halfway through my commute to the city so I need of some decent quality ones sharpish. I'd spotted these in various colours on the tube so hunted around until I realised what they were. Urbanears is a Scandinavian brands and are famous for their rainbow colours. They're comfortable to wear, easy to adjust and have brilliant sound quality.


4. Next postcard clutch bag 
My darling mother treated me to this clutch in the Next sale just before I went to Barcelona. I have such a soft spot for a novelty clutch and this one ticks all the boxes. Such a conversation starter!

5. Models Own Chrome effect nail polishes*
Since I've been trying really hard to stop biting my nails, I've been smothering them in nail polish a few times a week. I've found if they look pretty, I tend to leave them alone. I picked up these polishes a few months ago from my old job and they look great on. So shiny! The gold and silver are already earmarked for the festive season.


6. Gallo Family Vineyards Spritz Raspberry and Lime & Pineapple and Passionfruit*
I do love a good glass of wine as anyone who knows me will confirm but sometimes it's nice to have something a little lighter and more refreshing. That's where these tasty concoctions came in. TV presenter Laura Whitemore is the face of the brand so you know you're going to be in good hands when you crack open a bottle. All the cool kids are drinking them!
2 Comments

Review: Vinopolis Wine Tasting









I love a good glass of wine so when an email popped up in my inbox asking if I fancied popping along to Vinopolis to sample their wine tasting, I jumped at the chance. It's located just round the corner from London Bridge and Borough Market - pop into the market beforehand to grab a bite to eat!

When we arrived we were informed that we were going to given a 15 minute introduction into wine tasting. The host was so enthusiastic and really knew his stuff. He taught us how we should swallow to get the best taste - well more like gurgling! You should hold it a 45 degree angle to inspect the wine. After a quick pep talk, we were let loose!

The card you see above is loaded with tokens which you pop in the machine - as demonstrated by moi - and press the button for a 25ml glass of wine. You can pick from white, red and rose but be sure to hold onto your glass as you only get one! The wines range between one to three tokens each. If you fancy a change from the wine, there's a few spirits on offer you can sample too. I loved the fact you could register your card in any of the machines and it sent you a email detailing all the wines you sampled - genius! If a particular one tickles your fancy, you can even purchase it which is a great memento to take home.

We spent a good few hours mooching around sampling at our leisure and reading all the information dotted around. I loved the fact it had a detailed description of every wine so you really knew what you were getting before you took the plunge. There were various members of staff dotted around in case you had any burning questions.

I think it's such a great idea for a group of friends or even for a unusual date night. We saw quite a few groups of girls which I take it were on hen parties. We kindly got to test out the Quintessential package which cost £38 for 16 tokens. This was more than enough and was such good value for money for the amount of wines we tried.

Have you ever been wine tasting?
3 Comments

Wining and dining

Valentines Day. Codswallop or romantic? Personally my boyfriend and I prefer to spend the evening indoors gazing into each others eyes - pass the sick bucket - rather than venturing out into an overpriced restaurant squeezed in like cattle. We celebrate Valentines Day the following day and get to pick off the normal menu rather than a fixed one. Who said romance was dead after 7 years?!

In a bid to try to be romantic, we've decided to hold an indoor picnic this year in front of the telly watching our favourite films. I'm voting for Leonardo DiCaprio. I much prefer a buffet style dinner anyway - roasted pepper hummus for the win!  One of goodies we shall be stuffing our faces with is the chocolate fondue below. Melted chocolate complete with heart-shaped marshmallows, strawberries, mini shortbreads and bananas is what dreams are made off. Complete with a glass of this tasty Gallo Family Vineyard Moscato, it really is a match made in heaven. The fruity flavours of peach, orange blossom , citrus and pineapple make it the perfect accompaniment for a cheeky dessert and with a RRP £6.99 it's not going to break the bank. Thanks for letting me sample the wine Gallo!







How are you going to be spending Valentines Day?
6 Comments

The Social Wine







When I received an email in my inbox asking if I wanted to pop along to a wine tasting evening to create the first social wine, I couldn't type yes please fast enough. It was also brilliant to take my mum along and give her a little peek into the blogging world. I have to say she has networking down to a tee!

A unique joint project between Tesco and wine company Enotria, the evening was about creating the world's first social wine. It really such an amazing idea and it was very exciting to be part of it. We were asked to blind test three whites and two reds and then pop a ball in the glass containing our favourite letter or number. As you can imagine we really got into it! We were showed an indepth video detailing exactly how the wine will help the Enaleni community in South Africa. The wine will enable the community to see their produce on the shelves without a third party producer. I can't wait to see it in the shops come October and see what the final bottles taste like.

There's an amazing South African trip of a lifetime available to win on the Facebook page. You'll be able to see first how exactly how the wine is created. All you have to do is download an app and submit name ideas and label designs for the wine. You have until 13th July to get your ideas forward and the top ten ideas will be published online on 15th July for a week for everybody to vote. The winner will be announced on 22nd July. It's very excited indeed! I'm so, so sorry for the late notice in telling you about the competition but I haven't had time to think recently but I like to think you work well under pressure! Real life gets in the way sometimes. Good luck!

Thank you so much to We Are Social, Enotria and Tesco for our invites - we both had such a lovely evening.
7 Comments

Search This Blog

About me

About me
A Essex based lifestyle blogger who lives a champagne life on a lemonade purse!

Get in touch at
sophie.warner89@yahoo.co.uk.

As from July 2015, all PR samples will be marked with a *.
Follow

Blog Archive

Design by elevatormusik. Powered by Blogger.

Copyright

All content copyright to The Story of a Girl Who Lives Above Her Means unless stated otherwise.