Ronnie's got a new friend

Originally uploaded by Ron Combo

I was lurking around the booze section of a supermarket last week looking for something different to shoplift when I chanced across this. Marsala was 'discovered' by a scouser, one John Woodhouse, in 1773 when he landed in the Sicilian port of Marsala, and after getting stuck in to the local wine he realised he had found a new sherry, that being a wine fortified with alcohol that could withstand a sea journey and still remain vaguely drinkable. He promptly bought a couple of vineyards and started exporting the stuff to Blighty. He was a bit of a Scally lad, was our Woodhouse, and soon made a name for himself by getting lagged up and running through his vineyards naked. Florio is one of the best makers and this bottle only cost €4.60. Good kit, drink it with pastries in the afternoon for tea or after dinner as a digestivo. If you see one in Waitrose, give it a tug and wait for the overwhelming urge to strip naked and leg it through the nearest allotment.