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BACK NEXT Summer 2008 Issue 45 Letter from the Editor Grand Lodge News News and Views On The Level International News Beyond the Craft Perambulating the Lodge Masonic Dining and Celebration Interview: The Grand Chancellor The Orator Walking the Way of Saint James Abd el-Kader: Algerian Nationalist and Freemason Province of Cambridgeshire Library & Museum Brother Lightfoote's Journal Review: Committed to the Flames Review: The Mythology of Secret Societies Review: The Dawn of Astrology Letters to the Editor Internet Library & Museum of Freemasonry Grand Lodge Quarterly Communication Convocation of Supreme Grand Chapter RMBI Masonic Samaritan Fund Grand Charity RMTGB Canon Richard Tydeman: Looking unto the Rock Copyright 1997-2008 Grand Lodge Publications Ltd Designed and Maintained by: Cyberpoint Limited

FREEMASONRY TODAY Food and Wine Review Rule Britannia? When, last year, the French decided not to allow our excellent beef back into their country, I thought the time was ripe to have a look again at English wine. Now that so much good wine comes into Britain from the antipodes, America north and south, South Africa, as well as other countries in Europe, it is quite possible to boycott French wines without penalising oneself too much. This would be a mistake, however, since the French, when they get it right, make better wines than anyone else in the world. Unless your political views govern your gastronomic activity ... The Hand That Fed...? Yes, I have been at it again. I am never slow to criticise my friends when they indulge in booze cruises, and those of you who remember my cautionary tale of my one time drinking companion who was caught up with the French lorry drivers’ blockade of Calais, will have noticed a hint of ‘served him right’ in my telling of the story. So how can I unashamedly do it myself? Well, I just happened to be in Burgundy, just happened to have a relatively empty car, and just happened to remember that in Jambles, just next door to Givry, lives Michael Sarrazin, about 15 minutes from ... Port Deserves a Better Name Poor old port! Why does it always get the blame for the hangover? It may be a fortified wine, but if one drinks port of good quality, there is no reason why it should be responsible for any problems the morning after. What is more probable is that you have drunk too much anyway, and the port is the last thing you can remember, or that you have started with a grain-based spirit (whisky or gin) which reacts uncomfortably with the grape ... Brandy, Sir? There is almost as much variety in brandy as there is in wine. After all, brandy is wine that has been distilled and aged (for varying amounts of time) in oak barrels. It is therefore not surprising that one finds brandy being made everywhere that grapes grow. However, when it comes to quality ... Old Fireglass Your old fat friend has been frolicking fiendishly in the beautiful City of Lichfield once again. I headed for this wonderful oasis where there are no less than 34 watering holes, but on this occasion favoured a new venue called the Hog’s Head. This is a Whitbread house ... Two Cautionary Tales Any reader who can do me the compliment of remembering the first piece I wrote for this publication will also realise that by encouraging champagne lovers to go out to Champagne itself and buy there, I was biting the hand that fed me, so to speak. Most penny-conscious drinkers ... Old Fireglass Old Fireglass has decided to take you by the hand, mouth and nose, and lead you into the world of that most skilled of artisans, the Head Brewer. In the humble opinion of your fat, friendly, real ale guzzling brother, a good quality beer deserves to be taken as seriously as any bottle of vino ... Time is of the Essence I recently spent a family holiday in the Lot-et-Garonne department of south-west France. This is a lovely area, rich in delightful architecture, beautiful countryside, and food and drink that is amazingly good value, at least for as long as we can still exchange our pound for 9½ francs ... Old Fireglass Old Fireglass has been up in Yorkshire, frolicking with the finest fermentations imaginable. Excellent vittles and ales can be found in abundance; combine this with the beauty of the Dales and the wealth of history in its bustling industrial towns, and you have a destination fit for a kingly ramble ... What's in a Name? It is fascinating to observe the development of wine labels. Over the thirty-plus years that I have been buying, selling and drinking wines and spirits, I cannot but help notice the lengths to which producers, or their marketing advisers, will go to make their products more appealing ... Old Fireglass Old Fireglass has been a wanderin’ round Wiltshire, wallowing in an oasis of Wadworths’ wonderful brews. As a moonraker born and bred, I was elated to be back in my old stomping-ground on the rollin’ downs. They hold a magic for me as alluring as a pint of Waddies 6X, imbibed slowly ... Ridiculous to Sublime At the end of my last rather gloomy piece about supermarket claret, I promised to find something inexpensive that I could recommend, rather than warn my readers off. Just before Christmas, I went into my local Oddbins in search of something that could be mulled. Personally, I think ... Old Fireglass Old Fireglass took to the high seas this quarter, across the Solent to the beautiful Isle of Wight where my old mate Yatesy works as Head Brewer for Burts' in Sandown. A trip round his bustling little empire left the Prince of Ales a-leaping and a-laughing after a sampling of his delicious brews ... Good (?) Ordinary Claret Glancing along the shelves of my local Waitrose, my eye was caught by a bottle labelled "Good ordinary claret". I was a little surprised at this; since for many years that title had been associated with a very reasonable Bordeaux from Berry Brothers & Rudd, known to its friends ... Old Fireglass Greetings again my beer-loving brothers! Have I got some tasty tipples to talk about today. Our generous Editor sent me on the most tortuous quest : to seek out the best real ale at the Lichfield Jazz & Blues Festival, an arduous task entailing the consumption of countless pints and ... The Artist's Palate Summer had arrived and thoughts turned to eating beyond the metropolis. To Henley-on-Thames therefore, where I asked friends which was the best restaurant in this delightful old town; the majority opinion favoured the Villa Marina, just over the bridge on the banks of the river ... Old Fireglass Greetings Brothers, I feel privileged to have this opportunity to introduce you into my world of Real Ales. As a brother and a landlord with the girth of a 36 gallon barrel, I believe I have earned and, indeed, supped enough to lead you into the salivating, enjoyment-seeking realm of the Real Ale connoisseur. I would like us to take a look at Marstons ales. This brewery only uses yeast from the Burton Union Sets. They are unique in this practice, so the distinctive taste of their beers is common to no other. Pedigree is their best-selling bitter. If you have never tasted it, you are being deprived of a real ale sensation. At 4.5 gravity, it is not to be taken lightly. This nutty, strong, but very smooth ... The Artist's Palate If you can’t beat them, join them. Since the Single European Market started to “function”, British consumers have been able to travel to Europe and collect wine to bring home, on which the only tax they pay is French VAT (20.6%). The only condition is that the wine must not be for resale, which does not bother tourists, and is frequently ignored by cowboys who sell imported duty-free wines, spirits and beers at car-boot sales all over the country. The established wine trade in Britain is unhappy with this situation - as are the Customs of course - but the trade’s more pragmatic members have set up their wares just outside the French channel ports to profit from the tourists’ love of ...   Food and Wine Review © Grand Lodge Publications Ltd 1997-2008