FORGET glugging an average white or red with your festive feast this year – how about cocktails with your Christmas pud or cherry brandy with chocolates? Here, Alex James – Blur bassist, food and drink aficionado, founder of the annual Big Feastival, cheesemaker and the curator of Britpop Wines – picks his favourite tipples to match some Crimbo culinary favourites. Advertisement 10 Blur bassist Alex James tests different drinks to find out the best combination with festive food Credit: Damien McFadden 10 Try out a sherry with a mince pie or two and you won't be disappointed Credit: Damien McFadden Mince pie: Dry sherry DRY sherry all the way with a mince pie. It’s gone a bit out of fashion as everyone always associates it with old ladies.
But try it as it is a real bargain. Christmas is when you can go on a proper drinks safari and you’ll get an excellent sherry in the supermarket for the same price as you would pay for an average chardonnay. It will taste brilliant with a warm mince pie and balance perfectly with the fruit and pastry.
I’d like to say I make my own pies but it is so easy to buy them. But what I do is take the pastry roof off then squish some blue cheese on the top for a delicious, mad car crash in your mouth. Advertisement READ MORE ON CHRISTMAS FESTIVE FOOD I tried supermarket Xmas sandwiches - the £4.
50 winner has an Italian twist SEASON'S EATINGS 10 tasty Xmas food & drink swaps to beat festive bloat WITHOUT missing out Sun suggests: Tio Pepe .
