SITWELL'S
SCOOP
Food critic William Sitwell dishes up his exclusive monthly food and drink newsletter
with ideas, offers and stories you won't find anywhere else
July edition
THAT'S THE SPIRIT
He's an ex-banking New Yorker, and, having founded the Cotswolds Distillery in 2014, a recent expansion means Dan Szor's spirit-making operation is now the UK's largest English whisky producer. The distillery also makes gin as well as vermouth, various liqueurs and a summer cup (it's not just Pimm's, you know). They also have a café, three shops, a cinema and spa (ok, I made those last two up, but it's an empire, ok?). Quote SITWELL for 20% off 70cl Cotswolds Dry Gin and 70cl Cotswolds Signature Single Malt Whisky
A BIT OF BULLY
Beer and crisps? Has Sitwell gone mad? Well, no. Not especially. Giving a nod to some snacks and a drink linked to the greatest quiz ever made for television is nothing less than an honour. Bullseye, hosted by the late, great comedian Jim Bowen, saw its debut on our screens in 1981, ran for an initial 14 years and at its peak had regular audiences of 20 million. With a unique format of darts, contestants who looked like serial killers, dreadful prizes and insane catch-phrases, it's a piece of TV history. Now you can catch it on Challenge, while muching on Bully crisps and munching Bully beer. Super, smashing great...
LUNCH WELL WITH SITWELL
Don't be alarmed, but Telegraph food critic and MasterChef judge William is taking to the stoves of his Sitwell Supper Club, Rooks Nest Farm, Somerset, for a special lunch on Friday July 28. As part of the Somerset Food Trail, celebrating the fabulous food of the drink of that county - 14-30 July - William will be grilling a mix of produce from neighbouring Wonky Horn Farm, home of the famous Longhorn beef. Grilled meats, delicious salads, a summer tart and lashings of wonderful wine.Book your seats now!
HOW ENGLISH FIZZ SPARKLED
If you'd told a French wine afficionado in the 1980s that English wine would become a multi-billion pound business they would have spat out their white Burgundy. Today English wine makers are whipping the Frogs' ventrals and stunning the rest of the world with the quality of English wine. With wit and sparkle drinks writer Henry Jeffreys tells the story of the people behind this delicious revolution in his new book, Vines in a Cold Climate.
RAIN ON MY PARADE
​Just as the rain starts pouring down outside crazy old England starts to roll out hose pipe bans. And how does the great British gardener respond? Well, of course, they acquiesce. In this spirited article William argues that the COVID lockdowns ushered in a new era of national obeisance. When the government says jump, we jump, when they say be afraid we run and hide in terror. The hose pipe bans are not just the result of incompetence by the water companies they show our gleeful urge to crave prohibition and to cower as tin-pot despots gleefully administer unnecessary freedom-restricting regulations on an eagerly pathetic public
FRIDGE DOOR WHITE
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It's the reliable wine you need for your fridge door, with that vital screwcap for emergency access guaranteeing wine to mouth (don't forget a glass) in a matter of seconds. And it's delicious. La Vigneau is a fabulous Chardonnay from the French Languedoc: unoaked, fresh, with floral notes and a touch of honey. It's the reason chardonnay lovers love chardonnay. Great sipping on its own, or with salad, fish or chicken. And only £11.50 in William's online store!