How to buy wine for… A blitz spirit street party
When I first moved into my street I was bemused by its welcome. Having lived in London for years, my neighbourly communication had typically been limited. The odd hello when you awkwardly leave your houses at the same time.
In my twenties, there were some fraught messages from above about the volume of my music, or below when the bath overflowed. During one power cut, neighbours pooled candles and we spent an evening talking together over bad wine, but then went back to ignoring each other in the cold light of day.
My street now is, I am glad to say, very different. I had done the move itself solo (well technically my eight-month-old son was there too but he was pretty useless when it came to lugging boxes) so I was pretty tired, sweaty and grumpy when there was knock at the door.
It was my neighbour Kevin, who introduced himself as the “unofficial neighbourhood watch” and pointed out every house on the road, giving me names and facts about the residents. As the person who had lived longest on the road Kevin provided a Cliffs Notes of the street.
Next at the door was Emma from across the road who, seeing the baby on my hip, handed over a cold bottle of Prosecco with an offer to babysit any time as she has two boys of her own. Wine and childcare? This woman knew the way to my heart.
Emma and Nat are also the instigators of every street party, passing out metres of bunting to stretch between trees and lampposts while their sons post invites through the door and draw posters reminding everyone to move their cars.
Street parties have been happening in the UK for hundreds of years but the classic Street Party that comes to mind stems from the “Peace Teas” organised to bring people, especially children, together to celebrate the end of the First World War.
This is the template for our parties too – and it’s not just the bunting. On one side of the street a football goal was set up, on the other my neighbour James and I tackled a volleyball net. There was giant Jenga, hula-hoops and pogo sticks and the kids drew on the street with coloured chalk. My neighbour Patrick wheeled out his BBQ and set up a feeding station, and everyone added something to the table. My contribution, rather obviously, is always wine. The Bellesa Perfecta Priorat 2021 (Naked Wines, £24.99; Angel Price, £17.99) is a heady Garnacha blend, created in tiny batches and aged in oak. Offering a rich depth of juicy flavour, it made perfect chums with Patrick’s burgers from the grill.
We had just missed the sunny spell, and the wind chill was biting but with typical Blitz spirit the party continued for hours. Indeed, it meant my warming, robust Spanish red was even more welcome than usual.
The climax of the street party was when the music was paused for some live entertainment and two of the daughters performed a song they had written for the guitar. It is the kind of street where even tweens and teenagers feel confident enough to put on a show and know they will receive nothing but whoops of support and applause.
They say it takes a village. Having gone through a separation and divorce during my time here, I can say that is absolutely true. Having a community matters, living around trusted people who are nice to you matters. I may not live on the grandest street in the capital, but I feel incredibly lucky to be surrounded by this lot. The backgrounds, generations, careers and family set ups may all be different, but there seems to be space and time for everyone. For me, days like these show the very best of London.
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