Great British Bake Off Boozing

So once again, the UK is now well and truly under the Great British Bake Off spell. Flour and egg sales have shot up, along with weight and waistlines (probably).
Since everyone now fancies themselves as a 'Master Baker' (snigger) and indulgence is the latest epidemic, why not take it a step further and drink booze while you stuff your cake-hole with erm, well, cake...

In my opinion, one of the best drinks in the whole world to have with sweet, baked foods is a demi-sec Champagne. It doesn't really get much more perfect.

So food and wine matching can get pretty tiresome, right? Well this one is really simple. If you are eating something sweet, you should be drinking something sweet. If you are eating something REALLY sweet, you should be drinking something REALLY sweet. Easy!

Demi-sec Champagne is just a touch sweeter than the 'brut' Champagnes that are seen as a sort of standard (brut means 'dry' in French, don'tcha know). There is a little more sugar, meaning they often have just a touch more body and a luscious quality. Perfect for sipping while watching GBBO, and even more perfect if you're serving it with a delicious slice of cake.

You see, if you want your wine to be about as sweet as your latest home-made, Mary Berry inspired balls-up, a demi-sec Champers might not quite be enough for really full flavoured chocolate desserts or sticky toffee pud for example, but with lighter sweet treats like cake, fruit flans, and custard-y food, it is ideal.

Pol Roger's Rich Champagne is perfect. With aromas of apricot and honey and a really nice, refreshing taste that has just the right amount of sweetness, this is a must have for any hardcore Mary B wannabe. It compliments both sponges and creamy puddings really well and is a must-have if you are finding your partners' new found love for trying to put a bun in the oven a little hard to swallow (even I don't quite know what I meant by that...)

Pol Roger Rich is available from Corks Out for £38.99

Alternatively, Nyetimber's Demi Sec would work very well. I have written about it before so see for yourself. It's a little more crisp than the Pol Roger but it all comes down to personal preference, besides: it's a stunningly good quality fizz and it's English!

And just a word of warning, if you try and steal my custard (the most British crime ever, by the way), I will bludgeon you with my bottle of Champers.

Image taken from IFeelCook's photostream, under the creative commons license.