Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Top of the Xmas table
tmas item, With any n, mix with a the filo apples and s a “perfect e Christmas £2.49 g said: onions add the sage salty 1, Tesco hef 2016 at hout all the m raw.” aste Awards y taste and he richness heavenly he real deal,” Great Taste SERVE up the ultimate Christmas feast with the best festive fare chosen by the nation’s leading food and drink experts.
From port and Christmas pud to champers and cheese, our top 50 can help make the best shopping list.
It draws on the results of the Great Taste Awards, International Wine Challenge, Good Housekeeping Institute taste tests, International Wine and Spirits Challenge, and BBC Good Food Magazine Awards to make sure your Christmas dinner is a winner. Top chefs give their favourites too.
Aldi, £19.99. Charles Metcalfe, co-chair at the International Wine Challenge, says: “Gloriously mature, filled with flavours of dried fruits and spices, and supple as silk. You can drink this with the Christmas pudding or a slice of cake. Or just sip it with some walnuts.” £10.
Charles Metcalfe says: “The rich, fruity flavour of this Aussie shiraz is a magic match with turkey, the sausage-meat stuffing, even the cranberry sauce.
Hailing from the Mclaren Vale in South Australia, it is juicy and inviting, with generous blackberry and plum flavours.“ £17
Morrisons, Marks & Spencer, £11 £15.00 £6.99 Morrisons, £7.99 Morrisons, £7 £14.99 Waitrose, Tesco,
Marks and Spencer,
£12. Oz
Clarke, TV presenter and co-chair at the International Wine Challenge, says: “Beaujolais is a dreamy part of France, where the warmth and selfindulgence of the south take over. They grow France’s most easy-going, appetising red – and the best villages, like Brouilly, put their own name on wines which are even more juicy, even more appetising, even more irresistible.”
Waitrose, £8.79
Oz Clarke says:
“Italy has always been about gutsy reds, with the whites a sort of mouthwash afterthought. But that’s all changing, especially around macho Naples, where they’ve still got grape varieties that the Romans planted which got clobbered when Vesuvius erupted. This mouthwatering white mixes three of these old varieties into a scented dry wine, full of lemon curd softness, and that sharp but exotic tang of fresh lemon peel.”
Lidl, £10.99 Lidl, £6.99 £8.50 Marks and Spencer, £12
Sainsbury’s,
£18. Stuart
Cauldwell is head chef of
Roast
Restaurant in Borough Market, South London. He says: “The aromas of red apple and lemongrass pair perfectly with roast turkey or a nut roast. It’s also a delicious aperitif first thing in the morning with smoked salmon
– a great alternative to champagne.” £21.99 £17.50 Marks and Spencer, £8.50 Marks and Spencer, £12 Morrisons, £6.50
Tesco, £22.
Gin specialist David T. Smith, who was a judge for the 2017 International Wine and
Spirits Competition, says: “A solid gin that makes a beautiful gin and tonic. It has universal appeal, but is also a little different as it has a particularly refreshing aspect to it.” £3.45. Jack
Layer,
Masterchef 2016 finalist, says: “Delicious, warming and you can drink a lot of it (or at least more than mulled wine!). Perfect warm-up after a brisk walk on Christmas day.” Morrisons, £6 Marks and Spencer, £9.50 Aldi, £11.99 £16 £16 £11.99 £20 Aldi,