Weekly Wine...Spain and beyond...

Yesterday I was excited to head out to taste one of Spain’s greatest wines, Vega Sicilia from Ribera-del-Duero. Alas it was the troubled 2002 Vintage and that proved to be hugely disappointing. It is really so below the standard from this extraordinary Estate that forget the R.R.P. in excess of £ 250.00 a bottle, I don’t even see this as a £ 100.00 wine. Even the separate Alión Estate is supposed to be north of £ 50.00. I just cannot see any merit in stocking these and advising you to buy. This year at least we will pass.

At the other end of the price scale in Spain we were sufficiently impressed with the Urbina Rioja and will likely stock some 1998 & 1999 Reserva and the 1994 Gran Reserva. Detailed tasting notes and prices to follow next week.

“Last call for Burgundy 2010”

By the end of this week (tomorrow) I will have wrapped-up our 2010 Red Burgundy orders so let me know if you have overlooked this one.

Weekly indulgence:

A single, solitary, lone bottle of 

Château d’Yquem 1961 Sauternes 1er Cru Éxceptionnel at £ 475.00

A phenomenal year for Bordeaux Reds, not to the same degree for Sauternes but a pretty historic bottle, in great condition and fun if you were born in 1961.

Silly season

In this weather I would be a fool to dilly dally, so no time for a silly season this week, I’m am heading off for the set lunch at nearby Portobello Pizza and to catch a bit of sun on my pasty face!

January's pick...

Jancis Robinson has just written rather favourably about “our” Jean Daneel “Signature” Chenin Blanc. She e-mailed yesterday from high above Australia to say that it she sufficiently enthusiastic about it to make her top wines of January. On the weekend a customer was similarly enthusiastic about the Ken Forrester Meinert Chenin Blanc, called “The FMC”. It is undeniably seductive in comparison with its creamy new oak hit but I think not as complex (and probably not as age worthy) as the Jean Daneel. Still, we will pitch the two against each other one night next week and have them open for customers to drop by the Shop and decide for themselves.

Id est, strongly worth re-visiting:

Jean Daneel “Signature” Chenin Blanc 2009

Swartland, South Africa

at £ 20.00 per Bottle

“Fermented and aged in Napier in French barriques. Very vibrant nose in which honeyed fruit uttery

triumphs over any oak. A light touch. Very concentrated flavour but not at all heavy. Great balance.

Drank well over three nights! And if anything was better for decanting. Refreshing and succulent.

Long and complete. 17/20 points – Jancis Robinson.”

Silly Season:

Well, as I see it, Harry Rednapp has just two options. Take the England job, win the World Cup and Arise Sir ‘Arry. A true legend. Or he doesn’t win the World Cup and eventually the U.K. Press will grind him down, do him down at every turn and he will end up like Glenn Hoddle, Kevin Keegan; Sven Göran Erikson; Graham Taylor; Terry Venables; Steve McLaren.

Congratulations Rupert Murdoch. I concede that you are perhaps the single biggest influence in giving the Premiership giving us a visual feast, certainly compared to the muddy hacking that much of 1970’s English Football was. Yet I firmly believe that the other side of that very same coin will mean that Glasgow Rangers will be one of many. A truly mixed legacy.

Last week I was fortunate enough to attend the Preview of the comprehensive Lucian Freud Exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Not because of the great and the good who were there but because most of the suits (as opposed to the arty set) were huddled in the front foyer sipping Champagne. That freed up the paintings to be viewed in relative peace and ample space. Repeatedly I even found myself alone in a room of a dozen or more Freuds and what utter luxury to view without peering over Japanese tourists or rows of anoraks. Miss Middleton arrived to a major assault of paparazzi flash bulbs and in a similar vein I emerged a few hours later to a blaze of flickering lights but alas dull orange that was merely the back end of a City of Westminster dumper truck. Therein lies the subtle difference! After the first half-a-dozen portraits, my guest paused and said “this is so potent and intense, I could leave fully content right now”. I agreed, it was a treat just to see half-a-dozen. There were another a hundred to go. Freud has a reputation of often being harsh and coarse and in isolation at best unflattering to the sitter, at worst, cruel. Viewing this weight of pictures and in sequence I would have to say that I no longer agree with that common view. Historic portraiture was primarily to flatter. Freud simply draws out and pin points the individual or multiple insecurities and let’s be honest, if it was of me, it wouldn’t be a pretty picture either!! One of God’s little ironies: a painter can paint any face in the world but the only face that they will never ever see (only a mirror image or facsimile) is their own. Every day you are with your face, yet you won’t ever see it. In that, I think Lucian never actually fully nailed his self-portraiture. A few of his sitters I know and to me he unmistakably nails them. Of himself, I am not convinced. Staggering though that they still are. Just a tiny difference. Whatever preconceptions you carry of Lucian Freud, this Exhibition should go some way to changing your view. In a sense so simple but for that a monumental and forceful body of work and quite frankly, you’d be an idiot to miss it! To save you looking it up, call 0844 248 5033 for tickets (£ 14 or so).

Toodle pip.

Tuggy Meyer

Bottle-aged South African &...

Last week I tried a decently bottle-aged (2004) South African Bordeaux blend. Invariably a “Bordeaux blend” from anywhere outside of, Bordeaux, means it is in truth a second string example. Generally why would you. There are several that buck the trend but in reality that is a very small percentage. I stumbled across the Morgenhof Estate and was immediately impressed. Certainly when you put into context the £ 22.00 price tag, this is a really worthwhile alternative and “Bordeaux blend”! Having taken to this wine I was pleasantly surprised to find later that the winemaker at this Estate between 1992 and 1999 was none other than Jean Daneel. A winemaker we consider amongst the Cape’s finest.

Morgenhof  Estate “Bordeaux Blend” 2004 Stellenbosch, South Africa at £ 22.00 per Bottle.

65% Cabernet-Sauvignon

25% Merlot

4% Cabernet-Franc

6% Merlot

One gets terrific Vintage variation in Bordeaux and so too with this Estate.

It really makes a difference with the final percentage blends of the four grape varieties.

The 2005for instance  is less Cabernet, more Merlot, more than double the Franc, only a third of the Malbec!

Like Bordeaux, we have preferred Vintages and that’s why I plumped for the 2004 here.

This is absolutely at the perfection of maturity: soft, supple, gentle, so smooth.

No strong oak, just charming fruit and well integrated. No rough edges, just comforting.

In stock tomorrow.

“Huntsworth-handbag amnesty”

We are totally out. New batch on order but still a few weeks away. Any returns would be very useful and £1 off your next order!

Weekly indulgence:

Calvados Réserve (Non Vintage) by Christian Drouin at £ 44.00 per Bottle

On and off through the year we get people come in and ask for something obscure that A) we don’t have space for and B) I simply don’t like.

Thus we don’t and won’t have it. One of the few things that we are asked for that I do like is Calvados. If you like apples and pears and alcohol…

Next week

Highly recommended to me by Steve “Stevie Wonder” Pryer we have a few cases of the Ara Single Estate, Marlborough, New Zealand Sauvignon-Blanc. Cheap as chips and will be under a tenner. Next week I’ll divulge how much I agree with him! Also, Spain has been a bit of a gap for us as we generally seek the Classic Vintages (1994-1998-2001-2004…) and when they sell out we have to wait ‘til the next Classic. We are trying a host of Spaniards right now so should have some positive finds and news over the next few weeks.

Silly Season:

Well a couple of weeks back now but I was very pleased to see that the RBK&C got a bloody nose over firing a traffic warden for not issuing enough parking tickets. Though I have fought them on the issue for many years just pleasing to get some public recognition that these people have a track record of abusing their remit.

Not because we lost (deservedly so) but I really struggle to think if more than half the dismissals in a Cricket Test Match being L.B.W. will actually benefit the game long-term. Brilliant bowling occasionally leads to a three day Test instead of five day but at this rate, three days Tests will surely become the norm. There is nothing more satisfying as a fast bowler than comprehensively dismissing a batsman by cart-wheeling his off-stump right out of the ground. Getting six L.B.W.’s in ten wickets to me however is, just not Cricket. I didn’t think England would get off to such a disastrous start against Pakistan (maybe the boys thought Dubai was simply a holiday) but I did earlier predict that England would have a very poor Summer ahead. What on earth is the E.C.B. thinking about in, between now and July, committing England to playing five different Test nations and in and out of all three formats (Test; One-Day; 20-20)? Pakistan – Sri Lanka – West Indies – Australia – South Africa. I asked one former England player yesterday what his thoughts were and I would list them but I don’t think they would pass your Companies’ e-mail security filters! I wonder if somebody at the E.C.B. is destined for a large bonus for this bizarre schedule?

Davina McCall. O-M-G. And trust me, this is the first time I have used “O.M.G.”. Not even in text speak. For some reason the other night I found myself watching “The Million Pound Drop” (I can pretend my T.V. set was simply frozen to that Channel). Sadistically preying upon peoples greed and vanity as most prime time television aspires to but why-o-why is Davina McCall fronting this programme? It is only when you watch how truly inept, stuttering (er before and after every comment or, occasionally, an actual sentence) and embarrassing she was that I began to appreciate the gauche and tacky likes of Chris Tarrant and Bruce Forsyth etc. who proliferate prime time. They are I now see actually damn good at what they do, however bad taste it might be. When I was a kid, a celebrity had some overt talent. Room 101 please…

With the clutch of Oscar hopefuls I thought it’d be a good time to nip out and see “War Horse”. Basically a succession of set pieces with a big dollop of saccharin from time to time but still of sufficient overall merit. The first and overly long twenty minutes was more like a Disney film. Not what one would anticipate from Steven Spielberg. He also seemed obsessed with recreating a sort of “Gone With The Wind” sunset scene over the farmyard. Did I cry? I’m not going to answer that!

It is rumoured that a couple who met for the first time at one of our Wine Tastings are now engaged to be married. I suddenly feel all grown-up and responsible.

Freud’s paint splatters tonight, I’ll let you know how they looked next week. Equally excited about Andrew Edmunds and a couple of Burgundies afterwards. For those few who don’t know, I hasten to add that I’m excited about the Restaurant not Mr. Edmunds!

Tuggy Meyer

Thinking Pink & changing Vintages...

Pretty in Pink:

In this bitter cold I should surely be comforting myself with a beautifully aged Amarone yet I am about to trudge off to the West End to sample Champagne. Perhaps only a mere 50 or so today. We of course have the J.M.Gobillard Rosé and will be about to ship the R. & H. Lamotte Rosé but I need a good replacement for our now deceased Henriot 2002 Rosé . Hopefully in sufficient time for St-Valentine’s and I will duly Tweet any clear winners.(follow us on @Huntsworthwine)  Way early in this Russian blast of course but by chance I was sampling just yesterday the new vintage of the Château de l’Aumerade “Cuvée Marie Christine”, the Provence Rosé in the distinctive bottle and am keen to report that it is really good so we will definitely include that with the usual suspects as soon as the thermometer is set to climb.

Burgundy 2010:

We sent out our offer last Friday and a few wines have indeed disappeared (Jean-Marie Fourrier sold-out; Sylvain Cathiard still good…) but from the almost forty or so wines listed, there is still ample picks to choose from.

Changing Vintages:

Picpoul de Pinet 2010 Domaine Félines Jourdan (£ 9.50) – YES!

An unequivocal thumbs up. Tried last week and the 2010 is better than the 2009. I’ll probably feature this in isolation next week.

Langhe Nebbiolo 2010 Produttori di Barbaresco, Piedmont (£ 17.00) – YES!

After the terrific success and ease of the 2009 Vintage this was always going to be a tough act to follow. Not as overt on those herb, spicy, tobacco,

undergrowth characteristics that epitomize much of Piedmont but a more delicate and more refined version with the merest hint to Burgundy. A worthy change.

Badia A Passignano 2007 Chianti Classico Riserva, Tuscany (£ 33.00) – YES!

Likewise, after the very successful 2004 Vintage I was worried about a drop in quality. No fears here. Basically St-Julien comes to Chianti shire.

Layered, elegant, structured, Sangiovese yes but Bordeaux like in all other aspects.

Bourgogne “Les Sétilles” 2010 Olivier Leflaive – NO, for now!

Unfortunately for now, a thumbs down. It could “fatten” out in the bottle but for now too flighty when compared to the successful 2009. I’ll re-taste in 3 months.

Pulenta “Gran Corte” VII 2008 Mendoza, Argentina - TO TRY SHORTLY.

The 2007 predominantly Malbec was the perfect match for a juicy steak. Need to try and see if as good and thus worth continuing.

Réserve de Gassac Blanc “Sélection Guibert” 2011 Vin de pays de l’Hérault - TO TRY SHORTLY.

Usually terrific value from the renowned Mas de Daumas stable. Need to try this way young 2011 and will report.

L’Hortus de Bergerie “Cuvée Classique” 2010 Pic St-Loup, Languedoc - TO TRY SHORTLY.

A couple of vintages of this have shown sensational value but need to chart how good the 2010 is.

*

“Silly Season”:

Well, they say you have to laugh at yourself. Perhaps a smidgen easier just after a 3-1 win. Apart from some F.A. Cup glory in the early ‘80’s Spurs have had to laugh at themselves for almost fifty years now. In that vein I received an e-mail yesterday about Spurs’ new away kit. A certain mug shot of Harry Rednapp and his bulldog. Happy to forward if you haven’t already seen it and would like a chuckle.

“Sherlock Holmes: A game of Shadows” – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle it is not. Jude Law in Dr Watson, he is not. Pretty entertaining but quite insane. Take Sherlock Holmes and chuck in the Bourne Supremacy and you might get somewhere close. Still, t’other night I reverted to that old classic “Citizen Kane”. I do wonder how many times Rupert Murdoch has seen it and what he might think of it. I did also go and see “J.Edgar” and have to say little Caprio’s performance was quite big. Once you got past the distinctive voice in the first twenty or so minutes he does lob in a pretty impressive performance. And the padding around him, unlike in the Iron lady, is significantly better.

This Saturday:

The Calcutta Cup (Scotland versus England) Late kick-off is at 5.00 p.m. and should be on in the Shop.

Plus of course France versus Italy (aka South Kensington versus Chelsea) @ 2.30 p.m.

White German...and Red Burgundy...

Not the most expressive but nonetheless a very popular White Burgundy is the Bourgogne “Les Sétilles” from Olivier Leflaive. This is probably due to the wine being very rounded, smooth and easy drinking. Last night I tried the new Vintage, the 2010. It is more flamboyant and at this early stage, I feel not as good as the 2009 Vintage. The 2010 is closer to the Mark Haisma and Jean-Marie Fourrier and even Bret Brothers that we already have so I don’t see the need to automatically adopt this new Vintage. What that means however is we are down to our last 3-4 cases of the Bourgogne “Les Sétilles” 2009. Those of you who are fans of this, I would strongly recommend snapping this up now whilst the last few bottles remain.

Burgundy 2010 again and again and again…

Now that my teeth have taken a real hammering this last week over the early samples of Burgundy 2010, I have to reiterate that I am really enamoured with the Reds. The Whites are good too but there is already established competition from 2004-2005-2006-2007-2008, so I don’t sense the same urgency. I also don’t feel the Whites are actually as interesting however good they at times are. Chablis is terrific in 2010 but in all honesty how many of you have bought Chablis En Primeur? The Reds to me are the epitome and true essence of Burgundy and the Pinot Noir grape. Delicate, brittle, expressive, backward, retiscent, characterful, simply exuding feminine charm. Plentiful or sufficient fruit but wonderfully cool on the finish and little or no hint of excessive heat and sometimes the sweetness of some other recent Red Burgundy Vintages. The Grand Crus will be in demand (perhaps even more than 2009!) but I think the Village level, straight Chambolle-Musigny, Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée etc., (£ 250-400 per case) will show the best value for money whilst highlighting the notion of terroir. Next week I will send out my recommendations to regular Burgundy buyers and to regular En Primeur buyers (especially of a Bordeaux bent!), so anybody else not on this list but intrigued or interested, please let me know.

Weekly indulgence:

These beautiful slender Magnums, standing 19” tall, look more like a work of art! And the contents from J.J.Prüm are pretty impressive too.

Wehlener Sonnenuhr Kabinett Riesling 2008 Joh. Jos. Prüm, Mosel at £ 42.00 per Magnum

Silly Season

Many films to see yet I went to see perhaps the weakest of the pick, “The Iron Lady”. Meryl Streep is brilliantly suited to this role and fully convinces as Lady T but what was the director doing. This is less a film about the Thatcher years and more about dementia. I don’t personally have a problem about this subject being broached, even when the Baroness is still alive but it feels like every single scene has Maggie talking to and referring to Dennis when he is already dead. Once makes the point. Two, labours it. Every time is just kind of mad. Next to see is “The Artist” and maybe leaning to some Hollywood schmaltz like “Sherlock Holmes”. Then “War Horse”, “The Girl With the Dragoon Tattoo”…wow, a busy week ahead!

January "SALE" (& Burgundy 2010)

As I hinted at last week, not so much a sale of huge discounts on wines that you really shouldn’t be buying (as with most offerings) but a more modest 10% or so discount on some of our best-selling and most recommended wines:

Huntsworth’s “January Sale”:

Côtes-du-Rhône Rouge 2007 É.Guigal

£ 9.50 per Bottle (£ 10.50) currently being shipped

£ 19.00 per Magnum (£ 22.00) in stock

Château Brande-Bergère “Cuvée O’Byrne” 2009 Bordeaux

£ 13.95 per Bottle (£ 15.00) in stock

£ 30.00 per magnum (£ 33.00) in stock

Jean Daneel “Signature” Chenin Blanc 2009 Swartland, South Africa

£ 18.50 per Bottle (£ 20.00) in stock

Macon-Vinzelles “Le Clos de Grands-Père” 2007 Bret Brothers

£ 16.00 per Bottle (£ 17.50) in stock

Palladian Cabernet-Sauvignon 2005 Napa Valley, California

£ 25.00 per Bottle (£ 28.00) in stock

Côte-Rôtie “Cuvée Classique” 2004 Northern Rhône

£ 29.00 per Bottle (£ 33.00) due in shortly

Not the classic of Northern Rhône Vintages BUT this absolutely epitomizes the floral elegance and exotic spice that Côte-Rôtie and Hermitage is renowned for.

Burgundy 2010

Unequivocally for those of you who buy Burgundy En Primeur anyway and I strongly think for those long-term Bordeaux En Primeur buyers that were disaffected by the Bordelaise pricing last year, this will be one to consider and to commit. 2010 Burgundy, red in particular is looking at this early juncture to be a wonderful return to classic, traditional, characterful Pinot Noir. Lacking flamboyance but exhibiting all the hallmarks that one would hope for on the Côte d’Or. One Tasting this morning, another later, this will be ongoing over the next fortnight as I taste and re-taste and slowly fine tune my opinions, picks, and purchases. From what I tasted this morning, I will update as soon as I can and I am sure with a fair dollop of enthusiasm!

Silly Season:

Firstly not a slither of Turkey in sight but an awful lot of humble pie. I got the “BBC Sports Personality of the Year” wrong. That nice golfer chappie only came second. I said I would eat my Rupert-the-Bear trousers etc., but that was somewhat crafty as not playing golf, luckily I don’t have such attire. Secondly I have long since lampooned those overpaid Bruxelles bureaucrats for many things but one in my field being that cases of wine are a mere six bottles and not the more traditional and manly twelve bottles that us plucky Brits are more used to humping around. Now facing a second operation on my other hand I have grudgingly conceded that those bureaucrats might have been half right as though I can still carry a case of wine, a half-case is now considerably easier. Not that I want you to order half of what you used to. Henry is still here for the full cases!

What times are these? Merkel could be argued as the greatest politician of the day yet she is and has been surrounded by bouffon buffoons like Tea Cosy and follickly challenged crooner, Silvio B. to name but a caricatured pair. How much worse can it get? With a swift kick, up pops Monsieur Eric Cantona. Vraiment? Ooh-ah Cantona… Are we still in Pantomime season?

Mustafa Ameen may be way more religious than I am but when asked about the possibility of interfering in the judges’ decision over the recent Amir Khan boxing match, his answer to my mind leaves more questions than it answered. He Said “You are questioning if I did something to harm my Muslim brother (Khan?) May almighty Allah protect me from what you and the rest assert.” By even mentioning “Muslim brother” and if the other boxer isn’t or wasn’t, surely by dint alludes to a bias? Secondly, if there is nothing untoward to any of these assertions, you wouldn’t need to bring Allah’s name in to it. Nothing is nothing. Did you murder that man? No I didn’t. Okay. Did you murder that man? Allah will protect me from that accusation. Religious or not that’s the wrong answer. D.O.D.G.Y.

My interest was alerted by the Private Eye (Issue 1,304, Page 6) article on David Blunkett where he was being somewhat furtive about his £ 100,000+ settlement from Rupee Murdoch and News International due to his phone being hacked. My concern is that I am presuming the said mobile phone was registered on the business and thus paid for by us taxpayers? If so, why should Mr. Blunkett benefit financially in a personal capacity and this settlement not revert to his official and paid for capacity?

As Home Secretary the general and major concern was surely security related to his job. Let’s be brutally honest about this, even the tabloids would not be interested in any potential or actual shenanigans from a let’s say “bearded dog handler called Dave”, so any intent or interest would have solely been due to his official role as David Blunkett, Secretary of State. Thus any recompense or remuneration should surely head back to his office or the National coffers and not his own back pocket? If the phone was tax paid on the business there should be some legal obligation to this effect and even if not, surely he must have some humility to accept that a figure of circa five times a nurse’s starting wage (£ 21,176) wage is morally bankrupt to accept? I think actors and footballers etc., come under a different category but anyone in Public Office (and of any political party - left, right, or wrong) who has been thus effected by phone tapping should gift at least part of their settlement to HMR&C and or their official office.

Not that there should be any “side” whatsoever but a difficult subject to broach anywhere outside of a newspaper: Stephen Lawrence and the convictions of Dobson and Norris. I sense many of you ducking below the parapet. Though I can’t begin to think what the last twenty years has been for the Lawrence family I do surmise that it must be a tougher time to serve your sentence now. An arrogant, ignorant, violent 17-18 year old is surely likely to emerge less bruised 15-20 years on than if they begin that same stretch some 20 years later. Perhaps guesswork but I suspect they wished they had been convicted twenty years ago and not now.

Next week - Ready decorated Christmas trees, were you guilty?

Tuggy Meyer

In haste this week so please excuse any speeling mitakes.

Christmas and the New Year...

So it appears School is already out for most of you. For the thirsty, the needy, we shall be here until the last minute, virtually – Christmas Eve. Next week however I will be nursing my wounds and taking most of that week off. Any of our locals, any of our regulars, you all should have my mobile number (it is below if you haven’t) and if you need a pre New Year half-case of Champagne, just call or text and I will nip in and open up the Shop for you.

Our newest of our three House Champagne and now appears our best-selling:

R. & H. Lamotte 1er Cru Champagne at £ 24.50 per Bottle

(£ 54.00 per Magnum)

And the usual fare for Christmas indulgences:

Half-Bottles

Magnums

Double Magnums

Imperials…

Red

White…

Champagne (Rosé, Vintage)

Sauternes…

Vintage Port

Armagnac

Kentucky Bourbon

Pedro Ximénez

Whisky…

Silly season:

            I am 46 years old and still do not see the point of Golf but my money for BBC Sports Personality of the Year is firmly cemented to Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy. If these two don’t both finish in the top three I’ll eat my Rupert the Bear plus fours and flappy tasseled shoes. It is not merely about actual tangible gold plated sporting achievement but that key word, personality. The rest of the field, Andy Murray; Mo something; Alastair Cook; Straussy; Mark Cavendish, come on, not exactly an exciting list is it. So I won’t be shouting that embarrassment “in the hole” (I’ll actually be watching Tottenham versus Chelsea) but I will be expecting and hoping Golf to triumph tomorrow. I don’t say that often.

            Jeremy Clarkson got a right royal roasting for saying that strikers should be taken out and shot, in front of their family. Even Schoolboy, Miliband Minor, got upset. Come on children, don’t any of you misery guts watch Have I got News For You or Q.I. or Mock The Week or Never Mind The Buzzcocks? Don’t you have humour in Islington? Maybe I am just so diabolically middle class – when I get home I flick through the channel hopper and only rest when I get to Top Gear; University Challenge or the aforementioned Comedy smug fest. I suppose I am just hopelessly and incurably, middle class!

            I have always thought (known) Arsenal F.C. is a different breed. Twenty teams in the Premiership and nineteen of those with avid supporters. Bitter disappointment for a losing side in a Manchester Derby etc but beyond that, a basic respect for other Clubs and an acknowledgement of skill and style when displayed by others. Except I find from Arsenal fans. Having lost to the better Manchester City on Sunday (1-0) I then proceeded to get at least fifteen texts from my step brother (an Arsenal fan) each of them berating how robbed they were. I watched the game and then with provocation, again the highlights just to assure I wasn’t biased. I voiced that if it were a boxing match Man City would have won 5-2 on points. They were simply far more incisive in attack. Like Arsene Wenger, he refused to believe and thought the world was against him. Having lost, the Arsenal goalkeeper Szczesny was quoted as saying “I’m only worried about finishing above Tottenham”. I think that says it all. Some people you just can’t help!

Now I know for some Kensington is scaling the heights but I really can’t fathom why we have no less than six mountaineering shops on Kensington High Street, same side and within a hundred yards of each other. Is this where Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Sir Richard Attenborough and Chris Bonnigton all live? Is this really the Mecca for all the anorak clad ramblers? Can’t see five of the six lasting the year.

Christmas can be a pressure time with the family. Spare a thought for a couple we had in yesterday. Not regular customers but they had just flown in from California and were going to their son’s new girlfriend for Christmas Day. So far so good but they found out she is vegetarian and not merely for herself but will be inflicting that upon the whole family. Stuffed squash apparently. They were distraught. Staying in a Mayfair Hotel however I advised them to leave an hour early and nip into Bar Bouloud under The Mandarin Hotel and have their terrific hamburgers as an hors d’oeuvre. So whatever you have to contend with this Sunday afternoon, spare a thought for those on stuffed squash. Whatever that is! Henry here has a solution about the family arguments – invite friends as well as he says that dilutes any and all problems!

            The bitter weather of the last few days does make one think of how especially tough it is to be Homeless at this time of year. I duly walked up to the man with his stack of Big Issues in Lower Sloane Street, £ 1.50 in hand to palm it his way but then saw it is now £ 3.00. My God, how long since I have bought the Big Issue? Suitably embarrassed. www.sfts.org.uk

“Britain is as isolated as someone who refused to join the Titanic just before it sailed.” – Terry Smith