TORPENHOW ORGANIC
Winners of bronze and gold World Cheese Awards, we just had to sample the cheeses offered by this amazing organic dairy farm based in Cumbria. We loved the Oak Smoked Cheddar – the use of gentle, clean smoke from oak wood chips produces the most delicious taste and smell – as they say divine and it fully deserves its gold award.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
MALLARD POINT VINEYARD & DISTILLERY
What a discovery. An integrated vineyard and distillery with a host of unique selling points, producing still and sparkling wines plus award winning gins and vodka. Mallard Point strive to utilise the most sustainable production techniques and materials in producing their drinks and containering – for example, their innovative reusable and refillable aluminium bottles are a major step in terms of sustainability and they even provide cleverly designed reusable packaging. We tried their Single Estate English Rose wine made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier; this is a delightful rose wine with luscious red fruit and succulent nectarines. Crisp and captivating with wonderful floral aromas.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
INCOGNITO SPIRIT COMPANY
Another stand out company. With its imaginative and colourful branding Incognito Spirit’s range really lives up to the company’s claim that creativity is in its DNA; capturing the ethos of its remarkable cocktail bars. The company produce a range of 6 beautifully presented small batch spirits, all hand crafted in the Hampshire hills by its Artisan distillers. We were welcomed to the Incognito ‘world of pure imagination’ by sampling their Spiced Rum; sensational -the spicing respects the essential character of the base rums, as vanilla and blood orange introduce subtle, fruity notes upfront before heatwaves of ginger and cinnamon come crashing in. An indulgent experience.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
WTF (Wine That’s Fruit)
Aiming to redefine the world of wine, one can at a time, award winning, Herefordshire based WTF believes that not all wine has to be the same – they endeavour break the mould and bring on a new era of fruit wine. The company produce a range of 5 still and sparkling wines, all presented in recyclable Alu cans which use 75% less energy to recycle than glass, are easier to transport and deliver optimum freshness. All the wines are Vegan friendly, naturally gluten free, with no added sulphites. We tried the Strawberry Sparkling Wine – a sparkling delight based on strawberries freshly picked from the Herefordshire countryside – fabulous.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
SLOEMOTION DISTILLERY
Based near Yorkshire’s food capital, Malton, Sloemotion create great tasting spirits and liqueurs. Founded almost accidentally, when an initiative to improve wildlife habitats resulted in an abundance of sloes, founder Joff Curtoys, an ecologist by training, who had grown up drinking his father’s home made Sloe Gin, was inspired to create Sloemotion.
Using hedgerow botanicals, including sloe stones, the company produces a range of 13 products (including gift packs) encompassing brandy and gin. As fans of sloe gin we tried their award winning Sloe Gin with Elderberry – a really flavoursome drink with just the right balance of sloes coming through.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
