English Wine is something I'm not really too familiar with... I do love a nice glass of something…read moreon a warm day (or a cold day, I'm not fussy), but am more familiar with wines from warm climates than I am with the more local stuff. This is why a whole festival of English wine really appealed to me... A good chance to educate myself and test my palate. The ticket price of £15 seemed to be really good value, but with a Yelp discount - it ended up being £10 for entry. We (myself and Dan G) also opted to go for the brunch package which was an additional charge. On a cloudy Saturday, we wanted down to the Bond to grab some food before the tasting. Firstly, the food was amazing. Salmon, ham, pastries and all kinds of delicious stuff washed down with great company and a glass of bubbly (or two)... This was a perfect way to kick off our bank holiday weekend. We entered the venue at 12pm for doors and made our way around the stalls to have a look. With around 40 different wines to try, we certainly weren't bored! With local wines from Malvern, Tamworth, Herefordshire and then a bit further afield (turns out it's easier to grow vines down south where the climate is a bit warmer), not only did we get to try many varieties, we also got chat to some of the producers about the difficulty of growing in the British weather and the special ways they kept their stock to protect it. Think British red isn't worth shouting about? Think again. We tried amazing sparkling, red, white and rose during the time we were there (which ended up being about 4 hours). We ended up coming away with a couple of interesting bottles and a head full of knowledge. I loved the venue (The Bond), the food and the wines on offer. The venue wasn't huge, but catered well to the crowds that were there. It was a bit of a shame that vendors (on the whole) only accepted cash and cheque (there are no cash points around the venue), but this might have just saved my wallet. I imagine this is the kind of event which will grow year by year... in 2016 - be one of the first to buy a ticket! I'll see you there, no doubt!

England isn't really somewhere you associate with wine production but there's some fantastic…read morevineyards out there utilising the rich soil and varied climate to their advantage. We headed down to The Bond on a Saturday morning to sample the delights of English wine and were not disappointed. Having decided to pay a bit extra and go for the bubbly brunch option was a great decision. We were greeted with a glass of sparkling wine and sat down to a fabulous brunch of smoked salmon, grilled asparagus, cheeses, cooked meats, pastries and fruit whilst chatting away with our fellow diners on the banks of the canal whilst the wine flowed freely. The Bond is a fantastic venue, perfect for this kind of event and after finishing our brunch we headed inside to check out the offerings. 40 different wines were on offer for us to try from vineyards located across the land. The standout offerings for me were from XVI ridges who produced some of the nicest wines I tried and the lady working the stand was lovely, interesting and informative. Food was on offer as well as masterclasses which we didn't choose to do but from all accounts were great. A fantastic event which opened my eyes to the world of English wine.

Clink is a lovely little craft bar in the Custard Factory. When I say little, I mean tiny as only a…read morehandful of people can fit in at any one time. I popped in with a group of friends on Saturday night. Although I am not a craft beer drinker even I could appreciate the wide selection of beers that they had available. Even better, they sell prosecco by the glass so I was happy. As I mentioned the interior is very small, with a small bar area downstairs and a spiral staircase leading to a seating area upstairs. The guy service on the bar was very nice and happy to offer advice to anyone.

Great little bar situated at the Custard Factory. Loads of choice of cans and bottles to takeaway…read morefrom many independent brewers. Usually 6 beers on tap. Quick friendly service and good prices-independent Birmingham card gives you a discount too. Worth checking out if you like beer! Don't go expecting cocktails!;)

It's billed as a wine company and there's certainly lots of well-priced mid to top range grape…read morebased beverages in here. The first thing to arrest me when walking in though was the broad range of ales and beers to the left of the door. Breweries from near (Sadlers, Stourbridge) and far (Flying Dog, Maryland, USA) are represented and the prices at times are lower than you'd find in major supermarkets. A lot of the beers are at the high end of the alcohol scale, and that's how I like 'em. Flying Dog's Horn Dog at 10% is a powerful Barley Wine style beer with flavours galore. The crazed rhino-cum-canine creature that adorns the label is what you might turn into after a few of these. (Luckily, you know that craft beer is to be adored in moderation though, dontcha?) I always treat my self to a basket of beers when I'm in Leamington for my hair-do, and today is no exception. By the long list of fruit flavours on the Sadlers' Hop Bomb label, I was expecting a taste explosion that I didn't quite get, though I can forgive them as they make my beer-of-the-moment Mud City Stout, (brewed with cocoa and vanilla; once tasted it makes Guinness taste like the 'Carling of the stouts'.) Curious IPA does hits the mark though with a balance of three different hops. Joining it in the basket is the amazing Belgian Cookie (Speculoos) Beer, and of course the mighty Anchor Porter from San Fran's long standing brewery that your reviewer proudly shares his birth year with. As well as wine and beer, there are cocktail supplies too like rhubarb, orange, vanilla and Angustora bitters, and miniatures of high end spirits like Grey Goose vodka and Hendrick's gin so you can try a little before you buy a lottle.

Firstly I would disagree with the above statement that they only use the freshest ingredients. I am…read morea bit of an expert when it comes to Deep fried shredded chilli chicken/beef and I know when it comes prepared frozen from the Chinese supermarket and when it has been prepared onsite. This place is definitely the former. The might cook it fresh from the freezer to order but that is about it. Otherwise, this takeaway is ok. It fills the whole and the delivery is relatively prompt. It would be nice to have complimentary prawn crackers included as this par for the course at most Chinese takeaways. Plus there is a delivery charge.

We have tried a few Chinese take always recently and none have been as quick and as tasty on…read moredelivery with them. The order is always right and the people on the phone helpful. The rice tastes fresh and the butterfly prawns are lovely.