A good 'off the peg' defensive strategy for a small sum?

vitamin_joe

I'm a newbie, haven't invested before. I'm looking for a passive investment, one that I don't have to manage too much. Something that won't necessarily give great returns, but will protect against a bear market, inflation and volatility. I've looked very briefly at Vanguard Ls and L&G multi-index, but I'm not keen on government bonds, and I'd like to have some gold in there possibly as well. I haven't ruled them out; it's mostly the government bonds that put me off. I'm hoping to start with 3 or 4K, and probably not add much more for a long while. 

edit- I'd consider putting my own portfolio together, but it would have to be a simple and passive one, as I'm a novice. I'm also not that interested in managing a fund, or trading.