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Perfect Wines for Christmas!

Thursday, December 22nd, 2011

Want to find out what wines go well with your Turkey? Need to choose the perfect tipple for your mince pies? Look no further. The Big Yellow blog spoke to Matt, Big Yellow’s wine storage expert about finding the crispest whites and the boldest reds to accompany your festive season…

BYSS BLOG: We’re thinking of inviting our friends over the night before Christmas, what wine would you recommend as the warm up to the big event?

MATT:
Take it easy on Christmas Eve – there’s no good done by peaking too early and waking up on Christmas morning with a sore head. I try to stick to wines that are light in body and low in alcohol, these two are perfect:

Domaine Carneros Brut, Carneros, California, 2007 £19.99 from www.thepurveyor.com

Domaine Carneros is owned by the Champagne house Taittinger who make some of my favourite champagnes. This Californian sparkler is made in the traditional method but is more Pinot Noir dominant than Taittinger giving it a bit more weight. The nose is up front and toasty with pronounced green apple, pear and meadow flowers. Light and expressive on the palate with a creamy finish, a great match with Salmon & cream cheese Bellini’s.

Dr. Loosen Graacher Himmelreich, Kabinett Riesling 2010 £11.99 from Sainsbury’s

German Riesling can be an unbelievably good drink and exceptional value for money. Some of the finest, most intriguing wines that I have ever tasted have come from the Mosel Valley and this wine does not disappoint. Graacher Himmelreich translates to ‘The Kingdom of Heaven’ so this has a fair bit to live up to! Soft citrus peel notes intermingle with honey touches and a slate like minerality on the nose while the off-dry palate is filled with zippy acidity that is nicely smoothed out by some residual sugar. Nectarine and a lemon & lime sherbet length make this wine truly irresistible, as does the low (7.5%) alcohol, the perfect match to sweet chilli prawns.

BYSS BLOG: Both sound lovely, so what about Christmas day?

MATT:
In the morning when the kids have woken up far too early, are devouring/playing with whatever has been left by Santa, and are chomping at the bit to see what’s been left under the tree, it’s a good time to relax over a glass of something special. Hopefully you’re looking out at a snow covered street near a cosy fire, ready to sit down and enjoy the giving and receiving of gifts. Bubbles are the order of the day and although it may seem a tad early for popping corks your palate is at its optimum at around 11am! Here are a few options to fit any budget.

Chateau du Petit Thouars – Blank de Noir NV £13.80 from Griffinwell Wines www.griffinwell.com

Some great wines are made in the Loire Valley and are often overlooked by wine consumers meaning that there are some great bargains to be had. Made from Cabernet Franc, this wine shows attractive notes of honeysuckle and green apple. A great choice if you want Champagne quality at half the price.

Bluebell Vineyard Estates – Hindleap Blanc de Blancs 2008 £27.50 from The English Wine Centre

English wine is going from strength with champagne houses buying up swathes of southern England for potential vineyards; we really are making some world class sparkling wines. This Blanc De Blanc (meaning it’s made from 100% chardonnay) from East Sussex is made in the traditional method, so is champagne in nearly everything but name. A lovely, brioche like nose is backed up by a fine mousse with gentle green apple and citrus notes following through on the palate. Incredibly elegant and great value, if this was from a certain area in northern France you would be looking at twice the price, something to be proud of!

Bollinger Special Cuvēe NV Champagne (Widely available, around £40)

Well if it’s good enough for the Queen its good enough for me! This NV (Non-vintage) Champagne has a royal warrant and is blended of wines produced from various vintages to allow for a consistent house style year on year. Bollinger is a pinot dominant blend that has a fantastic biscuit like toasty-ness that is supremely drinkable, fantastic acidity will also get you salivating prior to lunch.

BYSS BLOG: We’re getting excited already just thinking about it! So what about the main meal?

MATT:
Traditional Christmas lunch has got to be turkey with all the trimmings, unfortunately all those added extras on the plate can make it a pretty hard meal to match wine with but also giving you the chance to have a bit of fun and experiment with.

I’m a big believer in choosing a wine that you love to drink over something you enjoy less but have just to suit the food you’re eating. We also usually have the added bonus of extra guests for Christmas meaning more than one bottle is usually required, this gives us the chance to do a bit of experimentation! Below are the wines that I will be sharing with friends & family over lunch on the 25th December.

Louis Jadot Chassagne-Montratchet 2008, £25.64 from www.waitrosewine.com

If I could only have one wine to go with the turkey this would probably be it. A good value premier cru Burgundy with an elegant intensity from well used oak maturation followed through with peach & hazelnut character and fantastically well structured mouth feel, would also work well if you are going to have roast chicken.

Domaine Du Chateau-Gris, Clos de Lupe, Bourgogne 2007 £78.60 per case of 6 from www.bestofwines.co.uk

Sometimes a wines texture and balance can be its most important characteristics, helping to make it compliment what’s on your plate. This wine is terrific value, with smooth tannin and a silky mouth feel, the red fruit is soft and doesn’t overbear.

M.Chapoutier, La Bernardine Chateauneuf-Du-Pape 2009 £24.99 from Sainsbury’s

With or without food this is a fantastic wine and at the price point one of the best wines I’ve tried this year. Well layered black fruit that slowly evolves into a smokier, sweet spice and cherry. Black fruit follow through on the well balanced palate picking up morello cherry and liquorice notes, very sexy stuff.

BYSS Blog: And to finish the meal off?

MATT:
There are many well known cheese & wine matches (blue stilton & Sauternes is one of my favourites). A great wine that will go with a number of hard cheeses and also incredibly well with the traditional Christmas pud would be….

Apostoles 30 Year Old Palo Cortado NV 375ml Half-bottle £15.99 from Majestic

Palo Cortado is one of the rarest kinds of sherry and nothing like what granny uses to keep in that dusty old cupboard. This is a relatively dry light wine with an immense intensity on both the nose and the palate. A bit like a liquidised Christmas cake in itself it is full of nutty, dried fruits with toffee and caramel notes. I may just skip the pudding and have a glass of this instead!

BYSS Blog: Thanks Matt, Have a great Christmas!

MATT: You too!

BYSS Blog: Wine Storage Starts from £6.50 per week. If you need a quote just visit www.bigyellow.co.uk/wine-storage Big Yellow’s Wine Cellars have their own Facebook page too. Why not become a fan at www.facebook.com/thewinecellars and get regular updates from Matt.

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Preparing for Winter!

Friday, October 14th, 2011

It’s approaching that time of year again when the woolly hats and scarves come out, the central heating comes on and the beach gear goes to the very back of the wardrobe to become a mere distant memory. But apart from clothes, what else should we be putting on the back burner? We at Big Yellow have put together a list of the things to do to get ready for the next few months of icy weather.

Unless you’re hoping to open a small ice skating rink in your back garden, the time has come for you to wave goodbye to the paddling pool as it goes to its home in storage or the garage to spend a long lonely winter. It brought hours of enjoyment in the summer time but now with winter approaching its far more enjoyable for us to be inside with the central heating on.

Gone are the days when you can enjoy a nice cool glass of wine or an ice cold beer while putting some meat on the barbeque and cooking up a feast for your friends and family alike. It’s time to dust off your barbeque covers or open up your garages to put your hard working barbeque away for many months of rest. So, of course, you’ll just have to cook up a feast in the confines of your kitchen instead…beans on toast anyone?

With an upcoming winter predicted to be colder and snowier than previous winters there probably won’t be much call for the use of garden and patio furniture. And so due to their summery nature it too will need to be packed away or covered along with the rest of the items reserved for those summer days.

It may have been a long time since the items in the attic saw the light of day but now is the time for their comeback so head on up there to find all last winter’s bits and bobs. That means bringing down your electric heaters, electric blankets and basically anything to help keep you warm and snug.

Want somewhere to store your summer gear instead of it clogging up your cupboards and attics? Then visit us at www.bigyellow.co.uk to find out more about our storage services.

Summer Furniture in the Snow

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Best box packing practice

Tuesday, October 11th, 2011

At Big Yellow Self Storage we’re masters at dealing with boxes and indeed sell them! We not only take care of the outside of your boxes we can also offer helpful hints at how to pack the inside of your boxes. We’ve seen all sorts of box packing faux pas in our time so we’ve compiled one of our handy lists to stop you from making them. So read on and you’ll be a pro packer in no time.

1. Plan before you begin. Of course we know you want to get started as soon you can (mainly so you can finish as soon as you can!). If you plan it means you’ll know what items are in what box which also makes unpacking a lot easier. It means you can manage the weight of the boxes by balancing the amount of heavy and lighter items in each box.

2. Don’t cram. Cramming your items into one box can lead to many problems, not only does it make the box very heavy, it also leaves your items in danger of breaking or becoming misshapen and no one wants a broken teapot on their hands. The issue of cramming can also be avoided by creating a plan, as mentioned above.

3. Protect fragile/valuable items. We know this one probably goes without saying but it’s not uncommon for items to get broken in transit. So if you’re particularly fond of your china, don’t take the risk, wrap it to within an inch of its life. Bubble wrap is always a good investment for those wanting to keep their glassware intact but wrapping items in large bundles of packing paper or newspaper can often be just as effective, just don’t scrimp with the quantity of sheets used…after all, it’s better to be safe than sorry.

4. Seal your boxes properly. We’ve all seen the comedy sketch, someone picks up a box full of fragile items and the bottom falls out! So don’t let your box packing become a joke; make sure you seal the tops and bottoms of your boxes carefully and securely. It’s best to use official packing tape as this is the most secure, masking tape won’t be strong enough.

5. Leave a gap between the contents and the box lid. Unless you have just one box of belongings, your boxes are likely to be stacked one on top of the other therefore it is a good idea if you leave about 3cms between the lid of the box and your belongings. Cover this area with a protective layering of packing paper or newspaper; this is also a good place to add small, non breakable items or hard trays etc just to add further protection to your more precious items and additionally to maximise the space.

Can’t move for boxes? Well we’ve got enough room to swing a cat…so why not offload your boxes on us? Visit the Big Yellow Self Storage website to locate your nearest one.

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Cash in on your spare room next June to earn up to £1000!

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011

Are you finding it hard during the downturn in the economy? Fancy going on holiday next year, but you can’t afford it? Well the answer could come from your spare room. Simply by letting it out during the world’s biggest sporting event next year, you could increase your income by up to £1,000!

So how do you go about doing it?

Michael Holmes, presenter of Channel 5’s Britain’s Best Home and editor-in-chief of Homebuilding & Renovating magazine, Real Homes magazine and Period Living magazine, believes that by clearing out your spare room and renting a self storage unit for as little as £5 a day, 5.4 million homeowners, who have a additional space, in the UK could be cashing in on local events such as the famous Edinburgh Hogmanay, Oxford Literary Fair, the Grand National in Aintree or the PGA Golf Championships in Surrey.

He explains: “For those who don’t feel comfortable sharing their home with a lodger on an ongoing basis, short lets for special events can prove highly lucrative.

“For a property located close to a major event, such as those in Edinburgh, across London or Liverpool, it can make real sense to clear out the spare room or rooms, put items into self storage and let it out for the duration of the event. Self storage units provide a flexible, easy and clean way to clear out the clutter for a short period of time and the potential rental income will far outweigh the self storage costs.”

“However, homeowners should check potential guests, take references and look at getting paid up front, so there is minimal risk in letting out a room on a short term basis. For people who are keen to let their home out in its entirety for the duration of an event, locking their valuables away or putting them into self storage is vital.”

Here’s Michael’s top tips for renting out your room on a short term basis:

1: Renting a room during popular local events can help boost your household income and help towards your mortgage and bills, plus there are tax benefits too – you can earn up to £4,250 tax free for a furnished room

2: You won’t have to register as a landlord, but you need to tell your mortgage company and home insurers. Also you must make sure your home meets safety regulations – ideally with smoke alarms and a gas safety certificate

3: Store your personal items in a flexible self storage room then you don’t have to worry about anything going missing. Providers such as Big Yellow offer smaller rooms from as little as £7 a day for a little as seven days

4: Make sure the room you are renting out appeals to the right sort of paying guests. Take good photographs to help with marketing and have a clear idea of who you want to share with

5: Find potential guests through online sites such as http://www.2012homerentals.com or www.eventfulstays.com. You can also register with an agency such as www.rentduringthegames.com

6: Interview candidates over the telephone first and check their work references. Do some research online by checking social media sites to make sure everything rings true

7: Use your instincts and always take references, such as family, employer and previous landlords and check them

8: Discuss and agree the key ground rules from the outset, covering the following: rent; payment terms; rules on guests/sharing; access to other rooms/privacy; rules on tidiness/cleaning; general noise; bathroom and kitchen arrangements; parking

9: Request half the rent before the tenant arrives so that if things go wrong you have protection. Ask for the remainder on the last day of the rental period

10: Treat your lodger with the respect you would like them to give you. Sharing can be difficult at times but if you are considerate and communicate, it can work very well for everyone and be a great financial solution

So why not have a think about releasing some extra cash from your spare room next year and enjoy that holiday that you’ve always dreamed of!

Michael Holmes chats through his top tips

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Top Tips: Recycling your old appliances & electronics

Thursday, September 8th, 2011

What do you do when you’ve got to get rid of your white goods when they need changing? Get the council round to take them away? Take them to a landfill site? Are old mobile phones cluttering up your drawers? It’s always a bit of a headache to get rid of electronics or potentially environmentally damaging appliances. So why not give them a second chance at life by reading Big Yellow Storage’s top tips and tricks for recycling unwanted appliances:

1. Freecycle. Freecycle.org is a website that allows people to give their unwanted appliances, electronics and furniture to others within their surrounding community. When you have something you want to get rid of why not post it up on Freecycle.org, it is a free service so you won’t get money for your old fridge, but you will receive a clear conscience knowing you’ve done your little bit for the environment and your old appliance has gone to a new home.

2. Donate to an organisation. We’re always looking for ways to help those less fortunate then ourselves, so why not consider donating your unwanted appliances or electronics to a charity such as The British Heart Foundation or Oxfam. This way you are lending a helping hand to a worthwhile cause and getting rid of your unwanted item in an environmentally friendly way. Everyone wins.

3. Have a delivery service take it away. Companies such as Argos, Tesco and Currys offer to take away your old appliance when delivering your new one and dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way. Some organisations offer this as a complimentary service but others charge a small fee. If your reason for not recycling comes from having too busy a schedule then this could be the perfect option for you!

4. Use a recycling specialist company. There are certain companies that have dedicated themselves to recycling certain appliances. Envirofone, Mazuma and Mopay are services that offer cash for old, unwanted mobile phones. In the same vein, The Furniture Reuse Network lists the addresses of re-use charities in your local area. Donate a PC assigns computer hardware to charities and educational establishments in need of parts. And finally The Royal Mail has a scheme entitled Simply Drop in which they offer money in exchange for your old MP3s, mobile phones and digital cameras. All that remains is which one to pick.

5. Selling items on eBay. What better way to recycle your old appliance and make some extra money than to advertise your product on a site such as eBay. While waiting for responses your appliances can be placed in self storage outlets to avoid cluttering up your home. Visit us at www.bigyellow.co.uk to find out more about our self storage services.

Re-cycle your old appliance

Re-cycle your old appliance

Image courtesy of Rich Anderson

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Tips and Tricks: Looking after works of art

Tuesday, August 30th, 2011

Do you have special pieces of artwork at home that you’re terrified to touch in case you damage them? If so, then this list is for you! We’ve put together some of our most useful Tips and Tricks to help keep those pieces future proofed and we really hope they help.

1. Always be very careful when cleaning a painting. The best option is to go to a professional, especially if the painting is old or valuable.
2. Keep sculptures indoors unless you’re sure they’ve been treated to be resistant to adverse weather and UV rays. (Granite and cement sculptures are, however, fine outdoors. As are bronze pieces if they’re waxed at least once a year).
3. When moving a painting around your house, plan out your route before hand and check for protruding objects that might damage the artwork or get in your way. Just putting the painting down on a hard floor may chip the frame, so always make sure that you have arranged some soft sheets or cushions on the ground to rest the frame on if it gets too heavy.
4. Try not to hang paintings in direct sunlight, over a fireplace or radiator, in areas that are damp or prone to lots of condensation, or in proximity to an air conditioning duct.
5. Store it standing upright, not lying flat, as it’s easier to accidentally put something on top of it and cause damage.
Visit us at Big Yellow on Facebook to tell us about your own artwork, or your own artwork disasters.

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Stay Motivated While De-Cluttering 


Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011

Just like cleaning the bathroom – isn’t there always something else that’s more important to do rather than de-cluttering? As you squeeze another t-shirt into your already stuffed drawers, why not take the plunge and seriously deal with your personal storage?

Keep yourself entertained – Turn on your favourite tracks, switch on the radio and get busy with clearing up. Tackle the floor and surfaces first, then open up some cupboards and do a proper review. Starting with clothes in the bedroom should be easy… Just remember the six-month rule! You can keep special items with real, sentimental value in self storage units, see www.bigyellow.co.uk/personal.

Grab a regular cuppa – After the initial blitz, make yourself a cup of tea. Looking around with fresh eyes can often make all the difference. Personal storage at Big Yellow is ideal for all those things that you simply can’t bring yourself to throw away. Like your Mum’s old china? If you’re not using it for tea and cake, donate it to Charity or put it in storage for your own children.

Get your friends involved – to help and to donate to. Everyone knows that ‘Many hands make light work’. You’ll find that the things stored and cluttering up your rooms may be real treasures to someone else, and you can have a good catch up at the same time.

Change rooms regularly – by switching from room to room you can keep busy and cover the whole house. The home office can be the most difficult job. Visit www.bigyellow.co.uk as we can help with personal and business storage needs.

De-cluttering isn’t easy, but if you can keep your precious items safe in Big Yellow storage, there is real satisfaction and positivity created in having clean lines and empty surfaces in the home.

Image via shino 誌野 on Flickr

Image via shino 誌野 on Flickr

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Tips and Tricks: Keeping Your Garage Clear of Clutter

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

The garage is the go-to place for clutter in the average modern household. So much so that many people can hardly squeeze out of their cars due to the mountains of unwanted garden furniture and outgrown toys rest in the garage safe from the cold.

The garage can be a great place to store items but it has become a regular dumping ground to the average household and it is essential that space is made to enable vehicles to be stored in their rightful spaces instead.

With the help of Big Yellow Self Storage, you can sort through items in your garage and keep those that may not be needed at present, but will be used at some point, away from a space you are likely to access on a daily basis. Once you have cleared your garage of those items that are no longer needed, you can begin to arrange and organise the space so that you and your motor can fit in as well!

Use plastic crates and bins for large items which should be grouped according to type. This kind of storage is ideal for sports equipment as it provides protection as well as giving you easy access to what is inside.

If you don’t already have some, install shelving units in your garage. Either purpose build or DIY shelving works if you consider the following things: the size and the weight of what it is you’re storing. Remember smaller items can be placed within baskets and then onto shelves to reduce the space they take up. Also consider the amount of floor space you will need to access the car once it is in place.

Install cabinets and peg boards to house dangerous objects securely or use ceiling storage (pre-made or large S hooks) to keep heavy items out of the way. Again, carefully consider the weight of what you’re storing to ensure that it is safe, secure and unlikely to fall onto the vehicle you’re planning to protect in your garage.

Please keep checking this blog for more facts, tips and tricks on storage, and the website at http://www.bigyellow.co.uk/personal to get a free, personalised quote.

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Tips and Tricks : Storing Sports Equipment

Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

Sports equipment is traditionally one of the most difficult things to store, as it tends to be rigid, and usually takes up a lot of space. For those with smaller sports equipment, just dumping balls, rackets, or a boxing kit into a bin or bucket is unsightly and not good for the equipment either.

In order to make full use of the space and equipment you have available to you, create an area in your garage or basement that can be used as a sports centre. You may even think about investing in a well-built storage system which you can use to store your sports equipment, as well as other clutter.

If you do not wish to splash out on a full storage system, there are alternative ways of storing different types of sports equipment. For example, ball claws are a clever, modern invention that you can attach to your walls, to hold onto footballs and basketballs, or for cricket bats, you could use a bat storage systems that usually rest over fence tops, making use of handy areas you would not usually consider for storage.

The list is endless including racket racks, and weight, rope and matt storage extensions or cages. Using these can help de-clutter your home or garage space as well as protect your expensive sports equipment from unnecessary damage in the long term.

If you need to store large sporting items such as children’s bicycles they have grown out of, goal posts, or even tennis nets you could benefit from investing in a Big Yellow Self Storage room of your own. Other cumbersome equipment such as skis, snowboards, surfboards and even yachting equipment could also benefit from a dedicated storage space.

We offer special deals at the moment for new customers of 50% off the first eight weeks. Do not let sporting clutter take over your life; please visit our website at www.bigyellow.co.uk/personal for further details.

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All hands on deck: cleaning with kids

Monday, July 25th, 2011

Every parent has the same problem with young children getting sick of their toys, or simply growing out of them. The problem is that the house ends covered in toys rendered useless, and simply gathering dust. If this sounds familiar, and you cannot bear to just throw these expensive toys away then Big Yellow Self Storage are here to help.

We offer units in a range of sizes, starting from just ten square foot, so if you plan to have more children you can store these toys for them, instead of shelling out more money in the future. As well as saving you money, this can also help to reduce dust which clutter, such as toys, tends to gather.

Cleaning your home can become quite a chore when you have to do it on your own. Working with other people to clean and organise your home makes the bain of your life suddenly become a more manageable task, and with a few minutes of planning also a great family activity.

While children are on holiday for the summer, getting them to help with fun cleaning games, such as using sock puppets to make dusting fun. You could also incorporate cleaning into play by allocating time to create the sock puppets before the cleaning begins.

Racing is another engaging way to get family members on board. For this you will need to plan and prepare- set a task, establish your expectations and introduce any rewards and forfeits before the game begins so that everyone involved knows the rules and plays by them. A great example of this is to set the task of collecting 5 items from one room each and racing to be the first to put them back in their rightful place. Within 10 minutes the whole room will be clean. You could also incorporate relay style races and team races to vary the games week by week.

Musical cleaning is an excellent way to make chores entertaining and enjoyable. Create a circuit or running order of chores and establish individual starting points for each participant. Begin the music and explain that when the track changes you move on to the next chore.

A combined effort not only allows cleaning to be completed more quickly but it also means that you have combined two of what should be daily tasks into one. Keep checking back to our Big Yellow Blog for more tips and tricks on cleaning and de cluttering during the summer months. For self storage solutions that match all your needs, check out http://www.bigyellow.co.uk/personal.

Sock puppet via Pinprick on flickr

Sock puppet via Pinprick on flickr

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