Summer competition: win the ultimate travel, food-and-drink bundle, worth over £5,000

Given its strong associations with the beach and hours by the pool, summer, for many, is a time to stay trim and lean by eschewing any extra calories and making a beeline for the Peloton.

Yet, as we tick by the peak of the season, the days of good weather and outdoor gatherings are slowly seeping away – which is why, on the whole, we advocate that now is the time to indulge, whether that be partaking in outdoor grill-outs or enjoying a few libations that’ll help keep you cool and relaxed in the balmy heat.

So, to help you maximise the most of the summer’s remaining few weeks, we’ve compiled a a travel and epicurean bundle that’ll send you exploring and bolster your final parties of the season.

Included in this culinary selection is a four-night escape to Corfu, where you’ll relax with a spa and local fare; a pizza oven that’ll help you realise your inner pizzaiolo dreams; a voucher to spend at one of London’s most premier butchers (ideal for slapping on a Big Green Egg); and a wide offering of several drinks, to help you wash it all down. Here’s what you can win…

To help you get the last of the summer sun, we’ve teamed up with the luxury hotel experts at Kiwi Collection to offer you the chance to win a sojourn to the superlative Angsana Corfu Resort & Spa – a Greek-island destination celebrated for its blend of sea, natural landscapes and the area’s eclectic heritage.

You and a guest will be treated to a four-night stay in an Ionian Seaview Grand Room – all rooms, including this one, are defined by their clean, pared-back interiors which allow full focus on the vistas of the waters ahead – and will include breakfast and two 30-minute treatments at the award-winning Angsana spa. Nine bars and restaurants, including a taverna and the largest sky-bar on the island, offer a wide selection of gastro experiences – meanwhile the 1,000 sq m infinity pool allows visitors the chance to burn off the calories.

Toast the final days of the fine-weather season with Gusbourne, the boutique English vineyard known for championing English sparkling wine. With the Gusbourne Icons Experience, you’ll be able to sample a selection of the label’s extremely rare wines, including its premium cuvée, Fifty One Degrees North, which are not typically available to taste. As part of the experience, a Gusbourne ambassador will take you through each tasting, before you refuel on a seasonal four-course lunch – prepped by head chef Anthony Coppard – that’ll be paired with your favourite bottles.

To continue the experience in your own abode, you’ll also be given a Gusbourne Blanc de Blancs 2018, which, according to Gusbourne’s Chief Winemaker, Charlie Holland, is “the very best expression of our Chardonnay grapes and our terroir.”

One of the most recognised culinary labels around, Gozney simplifies live-fire cooking with its easy-to-use pizza ovens. Here, you have the Roccbox, which is portable, reaches a heat of 500-degrees Celsius, has a built-in thermometer, and is either gas- or wood-fuelled, giving you the ability to realise your own pizzaiolo dreams in the comforts of your back garden (it also has a safe-touch silicone jacket that’ll protect any greedy, wandering hands from getting hurt). To complete the experience, you’ll also receive a turning peel, rocker, and server.

Before the summer fades into the colder months, make the most of the remaining days of sun with a few grill-outs. When it comes to the meat platter, HG Walter is often our supplier of choice, for its advocation of small, British, and, often, family-run farms on which the animals lead healthy, free-range lives – a practice that allows for an exceptional taste and flavour. The products on offer here run the barbecue gamut, from beef to poultry, veal and game.

To complement your weekend cook-outs, Noam’s light, natural lagers will do the trick. Defining its easygoing taste is the savoury, floral flavour of the ‘smaragd’ hop (a bittering hop), which, here, has been melded with a herbal base note, with all ingredients procured from the Hallertau valleys, known for being the largest continuous hop-planting area on the planet. To best enjoy this tipple, serve it at a maximum temperature of 6-degrees Celsius.

Ideal for bolstering the spine of your pantry, Nikkitas, a brand of food products that are a paean to Sparta, Greece, excels in producing olives, extra-virgin olive oil and honey. Notably, the oil is made entirely in Spartan family-owned groves, and is pressed and bottled within 24 hours of being handpicked, resulting in a polyphenol-rich golden-green liquid; whereas the honey is unheated and unpasteurised, leading to a pure, complex taste. Within this package are all five of the label’s items: extra-virgin olive oil; natural black olives; pine honey; thyme honey; and flowers-and-conifers honey.

For al-fresco dining, a selection of Forage Drinks, a premium canned British vodka spritz, makes for punchy on-the-go refreshment. Each can is made using British fruit juices, premium British vodka and soda water; there is no added sugar nor a use of artificial sweeteners; and there are two combinations that sing perfectly to local flavours: Pressed Apple & Rhubarb, and Pressed Gooseberry, Strawberry & Mint. Better still, each serving is under 100 calories.

Following its debut launch of The Mitre in Hampton Court, The Retreat Elcot Park is the second hotel from envelope-pushing British hospitality brand The Signet Collection. Set in West Berkshire, the 16-acre property spreads itself across a Grade-II-listed 18th-century pile that lays claim to 55 individually designed guest rooms, a whiskey library, honesty pantries on each floor, tennis courts and a croquet lawn; is surrounded by bucolic grounds; and has views of the Kennet Valley. Included in your two-night stay are two dinners (one at 1772 Brasserie, which dishes up the likes of Berkshire lamb rump; and Yu, a pan-Asian fine-diner); daily breakfast; a spa treatment for two; and a local activity, which, in the past, has included cocktail masterclasses and live music.

With a focus on sustainable sourcing of the world’s rarest truffles, Trubel is a pioneer in its industry, and every single one of its truffle-centred products is made in Marche, Italy, in small batches. Within this box are four classic truffle ingredients – White Truffle & Aged Parmesan Cream Sauce; White Truffle & Mashed Potato Paste; White Truffle, Ricotta & Tomato Pesto; and White Truffle & Spinach Paste – which, depending on the item, are perfect for incorporating into pastas, risottos, or, simply spreading on bread and crackers.

Seeing a gap in the market for a vibrant mixer, sisters Raissa and Joyce de Haas, founders of Double Dutch, have created drinks that “bring much-needed personality and flavour to the category.” Featured in this pack are 10 different mixers and tonics – including the signature Cucumber & Watermelon, and Pomegranate & Basil – which drinkers can either mix with gin, rum, tequila or whisky to create punchy cocktails within minutes, or, depending on the mood, simply sip straight.

Easy to drink, ideal for the warmer months, and featuring a covetable pink tint – these are some of the defining hallmarks that’ve made rosé a wildly popular go-to in recent years. Of the options on the market, we have a soft spot for Château d’Esclans’s Rock Angel Rosé, which has an aroma of delicate red berry and floral hints, with a taste that is ‘rich and racy on the palate,’ so says the feted label. Moreover, the use of partial oak aging imbues a creamy feel and texture, and the finish has a firm acidity.

Few alcohol brands are as synonymous with the golden-hued, feel-good summer months than Aperol, whose deep-orange tint and sweet-bitter taste are firmly embedded in the public imagination. To pad out your drinks cabinet, you can win an Aperol Spritz Gift Pack (which comprises a bottle of Aperol and two branded Aperol Spritz glasses); an Aperol Spritz Duo Pack (featuring bottles of Aperol and Cinzano Prosecco); and a single bottle of Aperol, which is ideal to store away for further top-ups. For best results, grab a large wine glass filled with lots of ice, pour in 75ml of Prosecco, then 50ml of Aperol, and finish with a splash of soda water and a slice of orange.

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