Bordeaux Wine Dinner at Hotel Du Vin Cheltenham

Hotel du Vin. The name says it all really; a hotel with a focus on wine. Sweet deal. So why is it that I never think of going there for a drink? It is because it's a hotel chain (usually a soulless affair)? Is it because it's slightly (hardly) off the beaten track? Is it because I have already found myself a really good local wine bar? Who knows, but after two years of frequenting other bars and restaurants, I returned to Cheltenham's Hotel du Vin with a booking for their Bordeaux Wine Dinner.

Everyone's heard of Bordeaux, right? You can definitely spend big bucks on a flashy bottle, whether it's worth it or not is another question, and you can easily get suckered into buying a bottle of plonk just because of the label saying where it's from. Wine can be a mine field, particularly this French region, but with a representative from Bibendum and HDV's sommelier, we were guided through some delicious wines paired to a three course dinner cooked by Head Chef Paul Motram.

Underneath the twinkling wine glass chandelier, we began our evening with a refreshing Lillet Blanc, honey and lemon cocktail alongside a selection of canapés. Our host dug out her wine-cyclopaedia, giving us a brief bio of Bordeaux; I think we were all dreaming of traveling around the southwest of France as we nibbled our paté toasts.

Rather than picking the wine to match the food, here the wine comes first, and we started with Château Carbonnieux White. A blend of 60:40 Sauvignon:Semillon, it's aged in used oak barrels for just under a year. The Semillon grapes tame down the zippiness of the Sauvignon by giving them roundness and volume on the palate, whilst the subtle oak adds richness. There's a grapefruit acidity in the first sip, which develops into ripe peaches and finishes with a creamy mouthfeel. An excellent partner to our starter; pan seared sea bass, cod brandade gratin, fennel purée and preserved lemon sauce. Admittedly not the prettiest of dishes - a sea of beige and brown should only be seen at your local bakery - but looks can be deceiving. Send more of that silky brandade my way, the super saltiness was well balanced with the wine, and all that was missing was the French sunshine.

To accompany our mains we had a Bordeaux battle; two reds from the same year, one left bank and one right bank. Château Langoa Barton 2005, Saint-Julien vs. Château de Fonbel 2005, Saint-Emilion. Recognisable appellations, sure, and most winos will have their preference, but before this I couldn't have told you which side I was on. Whist all Bordeauxs are blends, Cabernet Sauvignon is the dominant grape in the left bank, whilst Merlot takes the majority on the right. The Saint-Julien was jammy, with ripe blackberries and a touch of tobacco, whilst the Saint-Emilion was lighter in body and had a more concentrated berry flavour. Both beaut, but I've discovered I'm a Saint-Julien girl. 

Our main course was not your usual hotel restaurant fayre; beef fillet and braised short rib, almond croquette, tenderstem broccoli and confit tomato jus. Just a nudge with a knife and the short rib collapsed in its thick, glossy sauce, and that fillet… Rich, meaty, delicious. 'Nuff said. Could've done with a few more greens, but I don't go out to eat for health. Both wines were great with it, though the Julien still edged it for me.  

After seeing ile flotantes (floating islands) on various cooking shows throughout the years, HDV were the ones to pop my cherry. A large poached meringue marooned on a vanilla crème anglasie with caramel and toasted flaked almonds on top. It's both light and heavy at the same time - a little boggling - and I don't think anyone could finish their bowl - it really was massive - but it was so good with our final wine of the night; a chilled golden glass of Sauternes! Made from grapes affected by Noble Rot, it has a sweet nectar/honey flavour, but a lingering acidity that keeps it fresh and stops your mouth from being sugared out. Yu-um. Pass the bottle.

We left Hotel du Vin feeling full and a little sozzled, and on our walk home made an "executive decision" that the £70 per person it cost was actually a really good deal. Not only did we have a snazzy cocktail and lots of canapés to start, but three courses with four wines, all of which were generously poured and equally as generously topped up! It does sound like a lot to fork out all at once - I'd certainly wince - but for what you actually get (including the explanations from Bibendum and the sommelier) it's good value.

If you're into wine, or want to get into wine, this is a great starting place. Not only will you gain some knowledge, but you'll taste some new things and get fed with plenty of delicious foods. From now on I shall never underestimate Hotel du Vin; it's worth a visit.

The next Wine Dinner is Friday 20th October at 7pm focussing on the Rhone (£80), or Friday 24th November with Portuguese wines (£65). Treat yourselves and book now!

#ShareRamadan with The Curry Corner Cheltenham

A couple of weeks ago, after being hooked up by a mutual friend, I met Monrusha. We'd spoken just once over the phone a few days before, but it instantly felt like I'd know her for ages, and with the event that was about to unfurl, that instance was just so fitting.

Monrusha is the daughter of Shamsul Krori (Sam), and together they head up The Curry Corner in Fairview. It's "the oldest and most highly regarded Bangladeshi restaurant in Cheltenham," having never changed hands in the 40 years it has been open. You might remember seeing them on Gordon Ramsay's The F Word quite some time ago, and they've clearly been keeping up their standards with Sam winning Cotswold Chef of the Year at The Cotswold Life Food & Drink Awards 2016 and boasting 2 AA Rosettes.

Being situated in a residential street, The Curry Corner finds itself at the heart of the local community and is the epitome of a neighbourhood restaurant. So in light of recent events - Manchester, London Bridge, Finsbury Park Mosque - Monrusha felt their should be an event to bring everyone together and break down the barriers of cultural division, promoting love, unity and positivity. Cue #ShareRamadan.

"I have always believed it is down to each of us to shape our society," she said, and with a whole host of Cheltenham dwellers invited - the mayor, MP, regular customers, neighbours, strangers (like The Chap and I) - it was set to make a statement. The First Cheltenham & Gloucestershire Ramadan Banquet.

If you're not up to scratch on what Ramadan's about - I wasn't - it takes place during the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, the month in which the Quran was revealed, and consists of 29 or 30 fasts. It's a time of spiritual reflection, improvement and increased devotion and worship. All Muslims take part around the world, and from sunrise until sunset no food or water can be consumed (must be a killer when it's hot). 'Iftaari' is the name of the meal that breaks the fast - home cooked food designed to nourish the mind, body and soul - and when Imam makes the call to prayer at sunset, it's time to eat.

We arrived at The Curry Corner at 9pm, warmly welcomed by Monrusha and her family. I'll hold my hands up and say that I didn't fast during the day of the event, and can probably guarantee that neither did any of the other invited guests, but it was still pretty hard waiting until then for dinner. It also felt a little strange not having any alcohol; we've become so used to having welcome drinks to get people relaxed and ready to mingle, it was actually quite refreshing!

The tables in the restaurant were lined with various Indian dishes and at 9:45pm we sat down, gazing longingly at them. The little radio in the corner was blaring out crackly white noise, then there it was; the call to prayer.

The fast was traditionally broken with dates and water, followed by Khichuri; a comforting rice dish, delicately spiced and creamy in consistency. It's kind of like a risotto-cum-dhal and after a day of not eating, it's designed to gently ease you into your meal.

There were a variety of samosas and addictive lentil and onion bhajees alongside a spicy chickpea dish (Chaana Biraan). Then we had a bowl of aromatic cooked veg and a fresh cucumber salad to accompany the only meat dish of the night, and star of the show; Cotswold Lamb Biryani. Wowzas. Monrusha pointed out that this was a family Ramadan banquet with the ethos of The Curry Corner, rather than the restaurant's usual offerings, but I'd certainly be happy if I received something like that as a customer.

The meal ended with watermelon wedges and some Jalebis made by Monrusha's mum, Saleha. Swirls of deep fried batter which have been soaked in sugar syrup might sound heavy and stodgy, but freshly made they were light, crisp and sweet... I can see why Saleha was proud of them.

With a lot of tension surrounding the Muslim community of late, #ShareRamadan (which takes place globally) is a wonderful way to bring people from all walks of life together to share stories whilst sharing food. We're all guilty of putting ourselves and other people into different classes and categories, so this event was not only to open up our eyes a little, but to also promote being #OneCommunity, or more specifically #OneCommunityChelt.

"My hope is that others will follow the example we set and organise more events like this to open channels of communication. And of course we will enjoy good food, in good company!"

Well said Monrusha. I can see this being a much bigger thing next year.