Wildlife on Mull

Advantages: Fascinating insight into one of the wildest parts of the British Isles
Disadvantages: Too short

...My family have always had an interest in the Western Isles of Scotland; as a child, I spent all of my holidays on islands such as the Uists, Eigg, Coll, Tiree, Islay and Jura. I never got the chance to go to Mull - at the time, it was not particularly popular as a tourist destination and the birds that attracted my dad to the islands could be found elsewhere. Over 20 years later, Mull has a thriving tourist industry, both because of its wildlife and because of a children's programme called Balamory - those coloured houses actually exist in Mull's main town, Tobermory. I still haven't had the chance to go myself, although I hope to later this year and when my dad was given this DVD for Christmas, I knew I'd enjoy it. Colin Buchanan, who presents this DVD, was raised on the Isle of Mull until the age of 17, when he left the island to...

sunmeilan 28.12.2006 · Read review
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Review of Eagle Island - A Year On The Isle Of Mull (DVD)

Drinking mulled wine on the Royal Yacht

Advantages: History, fascinating information, interesting
Disadvantages: A lot of walking but that's not really a problem!

...down a beautiful sweeping staircase, but although we could see this, it was roped off from visitors! Over these last two decks there were the Officers Quarters with their Dining Room, where they all dined each evening in full uniform, the Officers Mess and their sleeping quarters but I can't remember which ones were on which deck! We did go to visit on the right weekend though. Not only was the yacht decorated ready for Christmas there was free mulled wine and shortbread served in the Mess Room and it was lovely! Just down the corridor from the Mess Room was the little Naafi Shop selling fudge made on board together with other sweets and drinks. There were about 8 different flavours of fudge and the two that Dave and I had were gorgeous! It was welcome to be honest as we had started the tour at about 11.30 and by this time we were...

SusanLesley 09.12.2008 · Read review
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Review of The Royal Yacht Britannia, Edinburgh

Mulled Wine and a Mince Pie anyone

Advantages: Warms you right through
Disadvantages: A little potent! (This could be an advantage too)

...Well it is that time of year once again, and I had my little xmas party at my house on Friday night. Incidentally I havent been able to look at an alcoholic drink since then. For those of you who havent tried making your own mulled wine yet, take a look at my recipe, it was really straightforward. You will need: One bottle of red wine, doesnt have to be too expensive Half Pint of Orange Juice (I think that is 250ml!) Half Pint of Water Some Cloves Some Cinnamon Sticks three tablespoons caster sugar about three shots of Brandy (Again, you dont need the VSOP) One Apple chopped One Orange sliced Method ------ Empty the red wine, orange juice, water sugar, cinnamon sticks and cloves into the pan, together with the chopped fruit. Stir occasionally over a low heat, but do not allow it to boil. Maintain the heat...

helencbradshaw 09.12.2001 · Read review
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Review of Recipes for Drinks

Where's The Wine?

Advantages: Quite Tasty
Disadvantages: Covered In Sugar

...I got home a couple of nights ago, turned on my PC and settled down to eat a packet (or at least part of a packet) of Fruit Pastilles only to discover in horror, that in my hurry to pick up the local newspaper and something to chew on, on the way home from work, I'd made a bit of a boob and must have picked up a packet of Wine Pastilles in error. The look on my face must have been comical, my other half said I looked like a little spoilt child with my bottom lip stuck out, and eyes bulging like they were about to burst. I must admit I hadn't actually had Wine Pastilles before so after the initial disappointment had worn off I decided to give them a try. The Background Wine Pastilles were originally made by a company called Maynard's who are the same people that make the Fruit Pastilles and Wine Gums. Maynard have been making...

micksheff 13.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of Maynards Wine Pastilles

Fine Virgin Wines

Advantages: Great value boutique wines
Disadvantages: The on-line wine auctions are addictive!

...I have been buying from Virgin Wines for about three years and I have been consistently impressed with the quality and value for money of their wines. They have got a very good range of wines from all around the world, which vary in price from as little as £4 right up to £85 for a bottle of Dom Perignon 2000. I belong to their Wine Bank, which is effectively a loyalty programme. You pay £20 each month into the Wine Bank and every three months Virgin Wines will add another £20 in interest, so when you come to buy your wine you effectively get 25% off. You can pay more into your Wine Bank if you want to and you will be rewarded with a reciprocal amount of interest (i.e. £30 a month would attract £30 interest and so on). Because most of the wines they stock are generally small production 'boutique' wines, you cannot buy them anywhere...

staceyjwall 22.07.2008 · Read review
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Review of Virgin Wines

Scrumptious Lamb In Red Wine from Morrisons

Advantages: Extremely tasty, lean & tender lamb, lovely sauce
Disadvantages: High in fat

...PRICE: £3.49 for 400g NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (per pack, excluding bone): Calories: 431 Kj: 1,809 Protein: 57.9g Carbohydrates: 7.4g (of which sugars): 5.7g Fat: 18.9g (of which saturates): 8.5g Fibre: Nil Sodium: 0.6g Salt equivalent: 1.5g INGREDIENTS: Lamb shank (82%), water, sugar, red wine vinegar, red wine (1%), cornflour, tomato puree, salt, lamb stock made of lamb, carrot juice, salt, dried onion, rosemary. Garlic puree, thyme, caramel colouring, black pepper WARNING: This packet contains bones NO DIETARY/ALLERGY ADVICE SHOWN ON THE PACK ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I love meat in wine sauce, but can rarely be bothered to cook my own. As I?m watching the pennies, I don?t in the normal way buy ready-made luxury-type meals, but I spotted Morrisons Lamb Shank In Red Wine...

CelticSoulSister 20.11.2009 · Read review
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Review of Morrisons Lamb Shank In Red Wine & Rosemary Sauce

A Delightful Tale of Wine and Hashish

Advantages: A telling recollection of encounters with narcotics and alcohol
Disadvantages: short

...1921, Baudelaire attended the Ecole de Droit, studying Law, where he developed a fondness for wine and hashish, the stimulants so intriguingly analysed in his masterpiece, On Wine and Hashish. Dying at the age of 46 having contracted syphilis, Baudelaire?s work remains bright and inspiring to this very day. It would be hard to compare modern writers to this genius as that flair and passion for writing appears to have ebbed somewhat in recent years. Baudelaire?s On Wine and Hashish is an eloquent reminder of Parisian indulgence and romanticism: the very language used in this book helps recreate the very scenes and experiences Baudelaire encountered in his short but productive life. The following are a couple of sentences that caught my attention: ?It is impossible to say what kind of sounds emerged from the drunken violin; Bacchus in...

heideroosjes 18.12.2003 · Read review
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Review of On Wine And Hashish - Charles Baudelaire

Gather around I am making Wine, 30 bottles in 3 weeks

Advantages: quick easy no problems and tastes great
Disadvantages: if you dont know home made wine, you could make the mistake of thinking it is weakish, but wait

...Years ago I used to make my own wine as a hobby and what with the family growing older other things took up my time and I forgot all about it. Then the other week in a "remember when" mood we started talking about how good it was and wondered if they still did the 3 week wine kits. They do. They are roughly £18 each but for that and 4 x 2.2kg you can have 30 bottles. What you will need to buy before you can get started 5 gallon fermenting bucket syphon tube sterilizing powder Bung with hole in a hubble bubble tube bung with no hole in it corks hydrometer and glass tube or plastic. Once you have bought the above which should come to about £20 - £25 you wont have to buy it again and can make any wine with this equiptment. Carafe 21 is an express wine but please dont think because it is done quickly that it...

MAllen400 28.04.2009 · Read review
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Review of Carafe 21 Wine Kit

One of the greatest wine experiences

Advantages: Beautiful setting, great wines and great fun for the family
Disadvantages: None that I can think of

..."An enchanting Cape African experience awaits you at historic Spier in the heart of the Stellenbosch Winelands. Spier is undoubtedly the most unique Winelands development in the world.." This is the quote on the Spier website, and believe you me they are right on the money!! With fabulous wines, a great picturesque setting and friendly knowledgeable staff, Spier is the best wine estate that I have visited to date. Spier wine estate is situated about 45 minutes drive out of Cape Town nestled between Stellenbosch and Somerset West. Either the N1 or N2 can be used to get their, after which you just follow the clearly marked road signs. Alternatively the Spier train runs on set dates monthly from Spier Monument Station in Cape Town to the Spier Estate; with return tickets costing just R100/R50 (£9/£4.50) per adult/child. Wine...

tomsox 10.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of Spier Wine Estate, Cape Town

Whine, whine and mmmmmm Wine !!

Advantages: Easy to drink with nearly anything
Disadvantages: One bottle is not enough !

...thanks for it (even though it is the best one you have cooked) !! Well this is a typical day for me and I like to unwind by packing son of to bed with a good book, banishing partner to the pub (hope they get a lock in) and locking the cat flap so the cat cannot get in !!! I then take a bottle of nicely chilled wine out of the fridge, uncork it and......aaahhhhhhhhh reeelax !!!! I do NOT profess to be a wine buff, however I do like my wine, in particular the cheaper brands. This is probably because my own palate is not honed to appreciate the finer wines (neither is my pocket). Over the years I have discovered that Californian and Australian white wines are preferable for me and my latest discovery is 'Echo Falls Californian White'. I have decided to write this after only 2 glasses, as , if I wait until after the 2nd bottle it would...

Averilla 15.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Echo Falls Californian White Wine