Recommending drinks for coronation weekend in the Guardian is a tricky business that’s almost certain to bring the wrath of 50% of commenters down on my head. There are those who feel – and quite fairly – that this is a unique occasion, the like of which you may not see again in your lifetime, while others will simply use it to take advantage of the long weekend and bury themselves in the depths of the country, far from a broadband connection, where they can try to forget the whole thing is happening at all. While I’m personally tempted by the latter strategy, I recognise that the needs of the former camp are particularly relevant this week, so I have come up with a few practical solutions.
Let’s run through some possible scenarios. Maybe you’ve been dragooned into a family get-together with Daily Mail-reading relatives who are taking the event very seriously and feel it should be celebrated in style? In which case, I’d recommend one of the special coronation cuvées that have recently hit the shelves. Not that they come cheap: Nyetimber’s, for example, is all of £39.50, whereas you can get M&S’s Balfour Coronation Cuvée in store (and from Ocado) for £23. If you’re near a branch of Laithwaites, meanwhile, you might want to lay in a few bottles of Long Live the King Cabernet Sauvignon (see today’s pick) and/or a bottle of Windsor Great Park Gin (£35.95 Laithwaites, 40%), which would be a good bottle to take to a coronation party. Or, if beer’s more your thing, Sainsbury’s has a cracking 7% Coronation ale in its Taste the Difference range at £2.50 for 500ml.
If you’re involved in a more raucous gathering or street party, where the vibe is more likely to be Eurovision than coronation, you might appreciate Aldi’s new commemorative range of beers. If you’re happy to dispense with the C word on the label, there are also good deals on most supermarket own-label English fizz this weekend, notably Asda’s Asquith (see today’s pick).
And for those who just want to treat the whole shebang like a bonus bank holiday weekend, head to Lidl for its brilliant new craft beer range, which has been put together in collaboration with some of Britain’s best breweries, including Thornbridge and Magic Rock. They’re all good, but I’d single out Salt’s Casual Pale (4%), Harbour’s Big on Sesh Session IPA (4%) and Thornbridge’s insanely delicious Kakawa Chocolate Stout (4.5%), which tastes a bit like a chocolate espresso martini. And they’re all at £1.79 for 440ml, and no one can complain about that.
Four bottles (and cans) to get you through the coronation
Asquith Gardens English Sparkling Wine £12 Asda (on offer), which also has a 25% off six bottles deal at the moment, 11.5%. Lovely, rich, toasty fizz – an absolutely irresistible bargain.
Long Live The King Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 £12.99 (or £10.99 if you mix 12 or more) Laithwaites, 13%. Perfectly named for raising a toast with a red. A little light-bodied by modern standards, but would be great with steak pie.
The Great British Brewing Company Golden Pilsner £1.79 (440ml) Aldi, 4.4%. A golden, fruity pilsner with a king charles spaniel on the can. Perfect for a street party.
Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference Coronation Ale £2.50 (500ml), 7%. Strong, full-bodied ale, appropriately made with sovereign hops. Would be ideal with a cheeseboard.
For more by Fiona Beckett, go to fionabeckett.substack.com
