KWV is an interesting South African winery, one of the established names which has modernised; part owned by a Black Empowerment business they have a young enthusiastic team and are powering on with the production of some absolutely excellent wines.

So, onto the wine.

The Granache Blanc 2016 is dry, fruity, (was there a faint taste of almond?) and just right for al fresco salads, or, quite frankly, on its own, sipping as the sun goes down. Reasonably priced too.

£7.99 Co-op

KWV Walker Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2016

Another begging to be tried. Refreshing, with a slight edge of grapefruit, or so we thought, and a hint of pepper. We tried it with a  fish curry, and it worked well, but could as easily join the KWV Granache Blanc as a drink on its own.

£9.00 Morrisons

KWV The Mentors Petit Verdot 2014

I’ve just reviewed a book discussing the early trade routes, and these included the spice routes. This robust and gorgeous wine has a hint of just those spices, plus a dollop of ripe fruit all of which adds up to an elegant but robust wine.

What to eat with it? Cheese worked well, but so too did a venison dish.  Well, let’s say anything. This is a treat to buy for yourself.

Would it improve if laid down for a year or two. Possibly, if you can resist it.

£14.95, Ocado, Slurp, SH Jones

Antic Disposition presents William Shakespeare’s Richard II1

at The Temple Church, London

“Everyone is close to the action and can delight in the deviousness of the play”

The Temple Church echoes with the sounds of footsteps and hushed voices, as it has for centuries. But on this evening, the noises are from an audience bristling with anticipation. A small, raised walkway down the aisle is the performing space. Thrones at one end, a coffin at the other. This is the coffin of the newly-deceased King Henry VI – we are in ‘the winter of our discontent’.

The royal court arrives and positions itself around the ailing Edward IV. Richard of Gloucester limps through them and then gloriously allows his sonorous voice to echo loud and clear.

image courtesy of Scott Rylander

Antic Disposition have toured this production to a variety of UK and French cathedrals and churches, including Leicester Cathedral – hitting the headlines because the real Richard now lies there. The tour concludes here, in London, with a three-week run.

The wonderful setting adds a layer of gravitas to a production that, at times, it struggles to deserve. The play, especially before the interval, slips into a plodding rhythm, that smothers some of the actors. After the break, though, the cast come out fighting and regain their lost control. Toby Manley’s Richard, now as King, slips into despotic unpredictability, spreading humour and viciousness in equal amounts. His turmoiled pinnacle comes when he awakes from his nightmare, just before Bosworth, where we witness a Golem-esque bipolar moment as he battles the demons and voices within; in one breath wanting revenge, the next despairing at his own loneliness. Shocking and touching at the same time.

Manley handles all this with confidence. As does Joe Eyre, playing the Duke of Buckingham with a quirky, camp lightness that beautifully contrasts with the darkness of his King.

Some of the cast are better than others at using the acoustics to their advantage, but overall, this is a solid version of the play, albeit at times lacking a little bite. Directors Ben Horslen and John Riseboro have a reputation now for quality shows and Richard III is no exception. Some of their choices are inspired (the ghosts of Richard’s victims standing, impassive, throughout), whereas some (like the appearance of Boris Johnson as The Mayor of London) feel a little cheap and unnecessary.

At the end, Richmond, after a fast and bruising fight with Richard, holds his injured arm and struggles with his wounded leg, to close the proceedings. Then he limps off to become the awful Henry VII – history repeating itself …

image courtesy of Scott Rylander

The whole event – quality Shakespeare-in-a-grand-church – is quite different from the now-customary theatre experience. Everyone is close to the action and can delight in the deviousness of the play. It should not be missed.

Running Time: 2 hours 20, with an interval.

Production Photographs: Scott Rylander.

Box Office: Tickets are available from www.richardiii.co.uk or by calling 0333 666 3366.

Twitter:               @anticdispo, #RichardIII

Instagram:          @anticdispo

Performances at The Temple Church, London, until September 9th

Tuesday-Saturday at 7.30pm (£30-£40, Under 18s £10 off).

My crime rave of the season: Chris Whitaker’s All The Wicked Girls

It’s hard these days to find a novel that is not derivative, but this is one of those rare beasts.  Chris Whitaker follows Tall Oaks, his ‘missing child’ thriller with All The Wicked Girls. His writing romps along, his timelines and points of view enclose us in the characters and their perceptions in what could so easily be a chaotic whirlwind, but is in fact a vibrant involving narrative. The Plot? In short: Summer Ryan is a model student, but is anyone that perfect? Raine, her sister, is different, troubled and challenging. Summer goes missing and Raine burrows into the investigation. She has an ally but this doesn’t necessarily mean she is safe.

That’s all you’re going to get from me. Read it, not just for the story, but so that you devour the world Whitaker creates. A cracking novel.

All the Wicked Girls by Chris Whitaker: Zaffre Publishing pb £7.99 + eBook

• We will be publishing Chris’ hilarious A Day in the Life in a couple of weeks.

The Sky is Not the Limit by Amanda Newton

As well as an author with Arrow & contributing editor for Frost, I am also the founder and administrator of the charity Words for the Wounded which helps disabled and unwell veterans so clearly I would find this  autobiography interesting, but is it a ‘must read’ for everyone?

Most certainly.

In the summer of 2015 Amanda Newton crashed her bike whilst triathlon training which left her terribly injured, and unable to walk. Using Facebook posts, Newton kept family and friends up to date with her journey of recovery, one that remarkably included an appreciation of all the positives that life has to offer. Positives that one might reasonably assume were pretty hard to come by, and then hang on to.

In The Sky is Not the Limit, Newton revisits these posts, and compares them to where she is now. So where is this? Though still in a wheelchair Newton continues to live life to the hilt:10 k races, training for Marathons, and did I mention sky-diving. Sometimes we talk of someone being inspirational, well, Amanda really is.

This is a book to read, and savour and which will lift our own lives. Amanda Newton has been shortlisted for a Sports and Recreation Achievement Award by the Spinal Injury Association, and her house has been renovated by DIY SOS.

The Sky is Not the Limit Amanda Newton pb £8.99 + eBook

The Hungry Empire by Lizzie Collingham

OK, most of us have been on holiday, eaten and drunk well, to say the least, but did you think of how Britain’s quest for food shaped the modern world?

I hadn’t until I read Collingham’s exploration of the subject. It could have been heavy, like grandma’s suet pudding but it wasn’t. It was fascinating. I’m not suggesting you rush out and try an iguana curry, but good to read about one who did, and why.

I knew about spice trade routes, but what about the cod of Newfoundland? And what about the dastardly sugar which has such a bad press today? Fortunately Collingham avoids the heavy handed polemics that ruin  so many of these books for me as she takes us on a voyage around twenty meals, opening up the history of our worldwide trade, and how it helped to shape the world.

Give it a go, it’s illuminating, fascinating and whilst we’re on the subject of food; satisfying. Can I have some more, please.

The Hungry Empire by Lizzie Collingham The Bodley Head. Hb. £20 + eBook