In addition to being The Wine Tipster, on Saturdays I'm a horse racing pundit - last week I delivered a healthy windfall by tipping the second and fourth in the Grand National! Follow my racing tips on thewinetipster.co.uk.
But enough of the world of racing and on to another of my favourite events - Taste of London. I'm delighted once again to be the food and wine matching expert for this fantastic gourmet festival in London's Regent's Park. This gives me the enviable task of tasting a huge array of dishes from a diverse range of high-class restaurants - and enjoying great quality wines from around the world in my quest to recommend some stunning food and wine combinations.
On the food side, one of the chefs who will be at Taste of London and who I really admire is John Williams MBE, Executive Chef of The Ritz Restaurant. Since joining The Ritz in 2004, John has done a terrific job in establishing the quality and value of the restaurant experience at this landmark hotel. John is great guy to work with and at a recent prestige champagne launch, he produced some stunning food matches including confit of Brixham turbot, oxtail with hazelnut butter and a Carpaccio of smoked eel, mussel beignet and horseradish Chantilly - wow, tastebud heaven!
Travelling across to the City, another of my favourites is L'Anima, which has established itself as one of the best Italian restaurants in the capital. Behind this success is the good looking, suave and engaging chef, Francesco Mazzei, who produces top-notch, well balanced dishes - like fidelini with fresh crab and Marsala and duck liver risotto. And unusually for a City restaurant, L'Anima is open Saturday nights, making it a brilliant destination for weekend dining.