Proudly Victorious: How the Lionesses Left Australia
The Lionesses leave Australia with their heads held high
What a shame that England’s Lionesses came up agonisingly short of what would have been a historic win in the FIFA Women’s World Cup. As disappointing as this was, it’s worth saying that the legacy of this World Cup will live far longer than the memory of the result in the final. England’s run in the tournament has done wonders for the women’s game, and it was a joy to see the nation get behind the team with more than 14 million people tuning in. Well done Lionesses!
Ready-to-drink Champagne-style cocktails: the proof is in the drinking!
Readers of this blog and followers on Instagram will have noticed that we’ve been busy attending all sorts of wonderful events this summer. It is a lot of miles and does take it out of us a little (we’re a small, family team), but it’s worth it to see the reactions of people when they try our fruit gin Champagne style cocktails for the first time. When you’re bringing something new to the table, the best thing you can do is let people taste it; when you have something special, nothing beats face-to-face sampling! Not only that, but we’ve also made some great friends on the food and drink events circuit (both visitors and exhibitors), so setting up is never a burden. We’re used to early mornings, anyway!
Pembrokeshire County Show
Given the schedule, you’ll understand how happy we were to have (to borrow sporting parlance) a ‘home’ game. The Pembrokeshire County Show took place on the 16th & 17th and it was as splendid as ever. There’s nothing quite like shows in Wales. Richard’s family have lived in Montgomeryshire for generations, and it’s always a delight to immerse ourselves in the extraordinary produce of our home nation. More and more chefs and foodies are starting to appreciate Wales for what it is: the home of the best food and drink in the UK. And (in a completely unbiased way) the best fizz cocktails in the world! If you’d like to find out for yourself, you can buy flavoured Prosecco-style cocktails online straight from us.
Staycations: banish the blues and beat the queues
All this talk of the joys of home brings to mind the increasingly popular trend of the ‘staycation’. With the rising cost of living and the need to work extra hard to make sure ends meet, lots of us are in need of a break. Yet at the same time, there’s not quite as much in the coffers for an overseas getaway. But all is not lost, as holidays at home are often just as fun and have the added advantage of being far easier to organise. Just think: no airport queues, baggage charges and unruly children, all you need is a well-stocked boot and a sat nav. Also, with all the money you’re saving, you can treat yourselves to fabulous fizz cocktails without having to worry about exchange rates and restaurant markups. Marvellous!
Outdoor opera
When it comes to perfect summer days in Britain, there’s nothing quite like outdoor opera. And no-one in the world does it better than Glyndebourne. Admittedly, it is hard to get tickets: this year’s performances of Britten’s ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ sold out almost immediately. It was, after all, a revival of the legendary original 1981 staging by Peter Hall, which starred the dear departed James Bowman (if you haven’t listened to his recordings, we urge you to). As well as the fabulous music, Glyndebourne is also about leisurely picnics and, of course, hampers. We hope that a bottle or two of Gasm Champagne-style cocktails made their way to the famous greens.
Family open days at Glyndebourne
But you don’t need to worry about missing out. On the 2nd and 3rd of September, Glyndebourne is putting on two ‘Family Open Days’. Adult tickets are £10 and it’s only £5 for children, with under 3s admitted free. Parking is also free, or you can get a coach from Lewes railway station, which costs nothing for ticket holders. There are all sorts of activities for children to immerse themselves in the magic of theatre and the grounds will be open as usual for picnics, so you can bring your own food and drink. If you’re looking for hamper ideas, we’ve lots of suggestions in this blog, chief among which is, of course, to purchase flavoured Prosecco online and stock up on our ‘intensely pleasurable Champagne-style cocktails! If you’re looking for a great value and unique late-summer day out, you’ll struggle to find a better option than Glyndebourne. Go for it!
Love from (a tired but happy)
Family Gasm