Shop-bought ice lollies aren't cheap these days, so a gadget from Lakeland could help save pennies. Lickety Sips DIY-freezer four-set lolly mould, with an integral straw so you can catch or suck up the drips, costs é4.55. Call 01539 488 100 or visit www.lakelandlimited.co.uk.
:: STRAWBERRY LOVE
That traditional Wimbledon treat - strawberries and cream - could help your love life, according to recent research, which found that strawberries and summer fruits increase the sex drive of men and women far more effectively than any other fruit or vegetable.
Patrick Holford, scientist at the Institute of Optimum Nutrition who led the study, puts the findings down to the exceptionally high levels of zinc found in the fruit's seeds. It shows that berries may improve performance within days or even hours.
LIQUID NEWS
:: Light green salads are in season, and make a perfect meal or simple snack. Add some sparkle to the occasion with a chilled glass of Lindemans Bin 25 Brut Cuvee. This sparkling wine has a fine mousse, soft fruit character and a long, flavourful finish. It costs é6.99 from Safeway.
Hearty summer salads, such as those with beans, pasta or perhaps tasty mushroom and bacon, deserve a hearty wine. Penfolds Bin 128 Shiraz 2000 is a good choice. It has a natural acidity and just the right amount of oak. It costs é10.29 from branches of Sainsbury, Morrisons, Safeway, Asda, Thresher, Unwins and Majestic.
:: STRAWBERRY SPARKLE
Strawberries needn't come in a punnet. A refreshing, sparkling wine made from the fragolino grape, which is a Californian fruit, tastes of wild strawberries.
It works well as an aperitif, or poured over strawberries or maybe as a topping on strawberry sorbet. Fragolino from Machiavelli costs é13.50. It is available by mail order. Call: 020 7498 0880.
:: Long gone are the days when the only water we drank came out of a tap. Nowadays there's a host of bottled waters to choose from, not just still and sparkling but those which boast health benefits or the power of natural ingredients.
So perhaps it's not surprising that The Restaurant Group - owners of the chains Caffe Uno and Est Est Est - plans to open a chain of bars selling nothing but bottled mineral waters from around the world.
Its line-up could include a water that comes from the Alps, Courmayeur, and is one of the latest bottled waters which claims to have high levels of calcium and magnesium. It's sold in selected Waitrose branches.
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