Paula Goddard

It would be really handy if rather than just celebrating the life, and death, of Saint George on April 23rd, we could actually still have him in full working order. He defeated one piece of unwelcome wildlife for us 1800 years ago and now Britain's wine and gardening enthusiasts need his help again to defeat a nasty Asian invader - harlequin ladybirds have been spotted in eastern-England.

The recession is making many of us rethink our spending habits and, naturally, the supermarkets have cottoned on to this big time. Even the likes of Marks and Spencer is getting in on the act telling us how cheap it is to dine with them while drinking their half-price champagne. But there are better wine deals out there, you just need to know where to look.

Alcohol-free beers look like beer and smell like beer, but far too often they just don't taste like beer. Which is a shame, because there’s a large and growing market for ales without the alcohol. Motorists and muslims are prime targets, as are people on certain sorts of medication which don’t mix well with alcoholic drinks.

My new weekly wine column Paula's Wines of the Week for Mature Times website maturetimes.co.uk is now live. Each week I’ll be finding and recommending tasty wines. And if these have been marked down by a couple of pounds a bottle, even better. Because good wine needn't be an expensive business, but working your way through the bland and disappointing can be. That's where I come in.