Party in the Park
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An article by John Higgins for Derbyshire Times Elite magazine
Summers were somehow hotter back when I was a lad. The much awaited 6 weeks school holiday were spent running around at high speeds, visiting unpronounceable places in Wales and family days out in Derbyshire glorious countryside. Some 20 years on I still cannot pronounce anywhere other than Cardiff and my days of running ended with a jog to the pub on my 18th Birthday! Thankfully Derbyshire’s countryside remains as magnificent as ever and great days out can still be had with the family. What isn’t missed (sorry mum) is the typical picnic hamper of greasy chicken legs, salted crisps, potted meat sandwiches and warm, cheap pop that should carry an industrial health hazard.
Not wishing to take up my previous fun days of running, this summer is going to be spent indulging in better food and good wine. I have teamed up with head chef Simon Lilley (Coghlans www.cookingexpert.co.uk) to bring some great al fresco dining ideas to be enjoyed either in Derbyshire or anywhere starting “LL”! Simon’s roulade of chicken adds a flavoursome twist to the traditional picnic offering. To bring out the best of the chicken (and most other chicken dishes) requires a wine with a little bite. If you are feeling a little decadent or need to impress at Royal Ascot the drink of choice has to be champagne. Champagne of the season is the ever-impressive Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label.
Yellow Label is an expression of the unchanging Clicquot style, blended from reserve wines of several vintages, each of the vintage wines draws from the qualities of the year in question. In Champagne, each holding is classified by quality, the 286 hectares owned by Veuve Clicquot score 96.5% which is extraordinary… creating a very fruity, yet serious style of Champagne that shows a wonderful Christmas cake complexity.
Of course, simply showing up at Royal Ascot (or Bakewell) with a bottle of Yellow Label does little justice to your chic status by having pistachio nuts and avocado salsa served with your chicken. No. It has to be Clicquot’s funky little “paint pot” containing 4 piccolo (20cl) bottles of Yellow Label. The watertight container can be filled with crushed ice to keep your lunch time sip at the perfect temperature whilst awaiting the stewards decision in the 2.30.
If you would rather spend the extra money at the ice-cream van a great alternative for the roulade of chicken is a Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley, France. Sauvignon is preferable to Chardonnay on very hot summer day’s thanks in part to its zesty tang to give a clean and palate refreshing freshness. French Sauvignon (Sancerre being the main protagonist) is generally preferred thanks to its softer, more feminine style compared with some of the more fruit laden offerings from the New World. A great example (that will still allow the kids a flake in their cornet) is the Sauvignon Jardin de France by Montintin. This Sauvignon produces a vivacious wine, fresh, lively and with sharpness but very delicate bouquet.
No picnic is complete without an indulgence of dessert and Simon has pulled out all the stops with his duet of Chocolate Mousse. Being one of my favourites, this dessert poses little problem in recommending wines I have personally enjoyed and experienced. If you have a cooler box I can happily recommend a chilled bottle of German red wine. The cooler German climate ensures a lighter style of wine free from the heavy tannins and harshness, which can blight such a dessert. Wg Kuhling Gillot’s Portugeiser Rotwein offers everything I look for to compliment this sort of dessert. The light, raspberry jam fruits and fresh acidity (especially when lightly chilled) help cut through and balance what could be a “claggy” dessert on a hot summers day.
Whilst quality German red wines are only available via specialist wine merchants my second wine of choice, Chiroubles, should be available at most decent merchants. Chiroubles is one of the classified Cru Beaujolais and is made entirely from the Gamay grape variety. Complimenting and contrasting the same way as the German red but with a little more weight and body. Some purists will scorn me for saying this, but I again would chill the bottle (albeit ever so slightly) for serving on a summers day to help with the balance of the chocolate.
Of course… should you have a guest at the picnics who turns their nose up at a chill bottle of red simply leave out in the sun for a few minutes and remember not to invite them again!
