Alexandra The Great

Staff from Great Western Brewery in Hambrook serve up local ale in Westminster

STAFF from a brewery in Hambrook have served up their local ale in Westminster.

Great Western Brewery were invited to sell barrels of beer in the Houses of Parliaments Strangers Bar, with help from Filton and Bradley Stoke MP Jack Lopresti.

The brewers were also treated to a special tour of Westminster Hall, The Houses of Parliament and the Parliamentary Chapel, St Mary’s Undercroft.

Mr Lopresti said: "I was delighted to host the Great Western Brewery.

"It is great to see local businesses doing well and thriving, even in these difficult economic times. The Great Western Brewing Company is a great example of a well-run, successful family business and it is companies such as these which will help lead the economy out of recession.

"I am encouraging as many of my colleagues as possible to sample their fine beer." After the tour Jack invited the guests for a pint of beer on the House of Commons riverside terrace to watch the arrival of 12 Royal Marines who were completing a row of the Thames in aid of Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund. The crew, made up of 40 Commando recovery troops who were wounded in Afghanistan last year, rowed the length of the Thames over 150 miles and 45 locks. The challenge was in aid of the Royal Marines Charitable Trust Fund and Mr Lopresti, a member of the Territorial Army, also held a collection for Help For Heroes on the terrace after the event.

Hippy-Crunchy - I Eat Asphalt — I Eat Asphalt

I’ve been called crunchy a lot lately. Maybe it’s my love for community gardens, dirt under my finger nails, eco friendly cleaning products, or Toms. But I’ll gladly accept the title. Thankfully I’ve found a great group of friends who share in my crunchy activities. We ventured out to Hollin Farm for peach picking and enjoyed an afternoon in Virginia wine country.

Hollin had a great deal for peaches, buy three pecks get one free. And while 5 girls might not have really needed five pecks of peaches, we had a great time sampling and picking summer vegetables as well.

After we filled up on peaches, squash and basil, we headed to Hume vineyard for wine tasting and a picnic lunch. Hume is a new vineyard and recently celebrated it’s first birthday. They currently are making five wines in small batches with grapes grown off of the property. The location is absolutely idyllic and the large red barn stole my heart from the moment we drove up. They have a great set up for large parties or anyone who wants to enjoy a leisurely Saturday afternoon. Hume is also where the lovely Beth works in the tasting room. We enjoyed our lunches on the gorgeous property and headed inside for a taste of what Hume has to offer.

The selection of wines included two whites, a rose, and two reds. The rose was surprisingly refreshing and not overly sweet like many White Zinfandel wines. Beth explained that the grapes used are traditionally used in Cabernet but processed on the same day they were picked to achieve the light color. My favorite of the day was the Vidal Blanc, a crisp, slightly sweet wine with great tropical fruit overtones. My friend and I both picked up bottles to enjoy later on, I’m thinking it would be a great pairing with Thai.

If my hippy-crunchy lifestyle means more weekends spent in the country enjoying fresh fruit and good wine with my friends, I’ll take the title with pride.

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Alexander the Great, reality and myth