If you haven't got tickets for Centre Court, Sarah Louise Dean explains how to capture the spirit of Wimbledon in your own home
If you don't care for the prices of the oldest and grandest tennis tournament in the world, why not stay home on a makeshift Murray Mount? Here's how to recreate the Centre Court experience in the comfort of your own home/garden/flyover.
Establish the mood
First things first. Setting the scene is of great import in the Wimblehome experience. Eat and drink al fresco, if you can. There's nothing more authentic than holding a plastic cup of warm drink between your thighs as you enthusiastically clap a cross-court backhand and look for rain. If at all possible, sit on grass. Don't have a garden? Not to worry, bring the outside in with this grass rug. Next you'll need a couple of deckchairs, a picnic set (we like this fetching stripy number from Optima) and a picnic blanket. Oh, and don't forget your poodle. To complete the ambience, we suggest turning the television down and instead warming up to the soothing sounds of this ode to Wimbledon.
Choose your attire
This is simple. Wear white, preferably a playsuit. If you're seeking fashion inspiration, look no further than the subtle style exuded by Bethanie Mattek-Sands. Now you know what to do with your dead tennis balls.
What's your poison?
The only proper answer to this question is Pimms, of course. You can make your own Pimms cup by following this recipe, which concludes: "This drink is known to be popular in Southern England". How true. But if you have the stomach lining of an ox, may we recommend this delightful liqueur?
Time for tea
Tennis is associated with the copious consumption of strawberries, but according to wimbledon.com, the caterers also sell over 150,000 buns, scones, pasties and doughnuts, 30,000 portions of fish and chips, 22,000 slices of pizza and 12,000 kilos of poached/smoked salmon, all of which can be bought for a fraction of the price from your local supermarket.
But what could be more quintessentially English than starting with a nice sandwich? You can put all the best parts of Wimbledon together by taking two slices of white bread and smoothing on a large portion of strawberries and cream. Which may or may not taste better than Tesco's version. And how about some strawberry ketchup?
Wimbledon.com's entry on strawberries shows how important these are to proceedings, and sounds rather like an M&S advert: "To ensure utmost freshness, strawberries - usually Grade I Kent strawberries of the highest quality from LEAF-registered farms - are picked the day before and arrive at Wimbledon at 5:30am, prior to being inspected and hulled." We recommend re-enacting this experience by arriving at Waitrose at 8am and wrestling fragaria-crazed shoppers to the ground for the last remaining punnets. Taking along your tennis racket is not recommended.
If strawberries aren't your thing, how about that tennis staple, the humble banana? But please ensure that you dispose of the skins correctly.
If you really want to go native, you could look to the gastronomic choices of Wimbledon's finest players. According to murraysworld.com, Andy Murray's favourite food is "Pizza Express Pizza Pollo ad Astra with mixed leaf and salad dressing" followed by "Haagen Dazs Cookies and Cream ice cream" and "a Frappuccino." It sounds distinctly unhealthy until compared with Rafael Nadal's admission that during Wimbledon he "gets through copious amounts of Nutella".
Rain stops play
It is Wimbledon law that at some point the heavens will fall, so spend the rainy hours making some sports-themed cupcakes courtesy of Ikea. Because there's nothing that says Lawn Tennis Association like a rugby ball-topped cupcake. Apparently.
And if your Pimms-and-strawberry stupor means that you're now ripe for ludicrous gimmicks, recreate the playing experience with your very own Wimbledon table tennis set.
Follow our tips and by the end of the weekend you'll most likely be wet, sick and despondent. Game, set and match.
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jul/01/recreate-wimbledon-at-home
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