In the Welsh Wind launches independent bottling arm with limited edition single malt

In the Welsh Wind has launched independent bottling arm with a limited edition Mackmyra eight-year-old single malt.

Based in West Wales (where part of my Welsh ancestry hails from) In the Welsh Wind is an award-winning distillery.

They were offered a barrel of Mackmyra Swedish single malt whisky which was aged in a Banyuls cask. Banyuls being a fortified wine from south-west France.

The resultant whisky is a stunning single malt whisky. 

What does it taste like? What does it look like? It is a golden colour and the taste is absolutely stunning. There's a good underpinning of a toffee-caramel flavour, but there's definitely rich, sweeter notes which I'm presuming, comes from the wine cask that it was matured in.

There's also something else which is there, which adds another level of flavours which is a pleasing resinous-like taste.

I can certainly recommend this Welsh whisky if you are looking out for a bottle of whisky for Father's Day, or if you need to buy a bottle for yourself.

A bottle costs £75. It's an interesting marriage between a Welsh and a Swedish distillery, which has worked very well indeed. 

However, In the Welsh Wind produces a vast range of very different spirits, such as whiskies and gins.

"In the Welsh Wind ‘Welsh Origin Whisky’ is a single malt whisky distilled using Welsh-grown barley. Entirely processed in Wales and distilled at In the Welsh Wind, we work with our local farmers to bring you a uniquely Welsh whisky."

Should you wish to purchase a 30 litre cask of spirits they will cost £1,500. For details of this service visit https://inthewelshwind.co.uk/.

If you want to sell a bottled gin or whisky under your own brand, In the Welsh Wind will also help you to have a special spirit crafted to your own specification. 

Plus they also offer real distilled vinegar, too!

Dream roll alert! Sandwich taster wanted to judge entries at ‘The Grammys’ of the sandwich world

It's the 27th year of the British Sandwich Week celebrations.

To help mark this momentous occasion the organisers have decided to launch the search for Britain's top sandwich fan. And, to borrow an expression, "it could be you!"

The organisers of the two largest biggest and most prestigious events in the sandwich calendar, British Sandwich Week (www.britishsandwichweek.com) and The Sandwich & Food to Go Awards (otherwise known as ‘The Sammies’ - the Grammys of the sandwich calendar), is calling for foodies like you, the readers of That's Food and Drink, to apply for the dream job of becoming an official judge at this year’s event. 

The successful applicant will join a panel of industry experts, such as top celebrity chef Theo Randall.

Along with the other judges, including Theo,  you’ll be responsible for taste testing some of the finest and most innovative sandwiches from all over the UK, as sandwich making chefs go head-to-head to compete for the accolade of creating ‘Britain’s best butty’.  

But there's more! You and a companion (of your choice, obviously!) will be invited to attend the glittering and prestigious award ceremony in London as special guests of honour and the organisers will also provide you with overnight accommodation and rail travel to and from the event. 

You, clearly the ideal candidate for the job, will chomp your way through 24 sandwiches designed and created by the UK’s leading sandwich designers, choosing a winner for every category and the best overall ‘in show’.   

The winners will be revealed by celebrity chef Theo Randall and comedian Jo Caulfield during the special guest onl gala evening at the Royal Lancaster Hotel, London on Thursday 5th May 2022. 

Jim Winship, who is the director of The British Sandwich & Food to Go Association, gives some more details of the dream job and tells you how to apply. Jim said “Are you batty about butties, have a penchant for paninis and think sampling some of the county’s most innovative sandwich creations sounds like your idea of heaven, then we definitely need to hear from you. 

“Superior tastebuds, plus a demonstrable obsession with sandwiches, are key attributes for our ideal candidate,” he went on to say.

“Also, we do recommend that the successful applicant should wear some comfy clothes on the day, as we'll have a lot of sandwiches to get through!"  

The job, currently being advertised, comes with a unique salary, payment in sandwiches,  and the best news is that you'll be able to keep your current job while you're helping out! (EDITOR: So you'll be paid in bread! Sorry.) 

Jim continued: “We must, of course, stress that the role is unpaid and voluntary, it’s not a way for somebody to earn a crust, but it’s sure to be a fun experience! Plus, you will get to attend The Sammies Awards dinner with a guest of your choice.  

“The Sammies is always a highlight in the calendar and a great party the entire industry looks forward to each year, and nobody more so than the judges.

“The awards dinner is also a precursor to the annual British Sandwich Week, a seven-day celebration aiming to support the industry and celebrate the nation’s love of a good sarnie.” 

The ideal candidate will be selected on their suitability for the role after filling in the application form here, including the reason why they think they deserve to be selected: https://www.britishsandwichweek.com/sandwich-taster-dream-job/ .

To apply for the dream job, head to link above and fill out your details. Applications are open until Friday15th April, the successful candidate will be notified by Friday 22nd April. 

This year’s Sandwich & Food to go Awards takes place on Thursday 5th May 2022 at the Royal Lancaster, London. For a full list of nominees and shortlisted companies visit:

https://awards.sandwich.org.uk.

British Sandwich Week takes place from 22nd  – 28th May 2022 – now in its 28th year, the annual event showcases the breadth, quality and innovation found within the UK’s sandwich and food to go sector. Find out more https://www.britishsandwichweek.com/  

(EDITOR: Although this is a voluntary roll the successful applicant could put this on their CV. After all, how many people could boast on their CV of having sat on a panel of food judges with luminaries such as Theo Randall?)

Cottage Delight Make this Platinum Jubilee extra special with royally inspired food

Cottage Delight has decided to help Brits (and others!) celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee by launching some Special Edition Platinum Jubilee inspired products that are truly fit for a Queen.

To get us Brits baking and celebrating over the bank holiday weekend esteemed British brand, Cottage Delight, has created and developed a special range of Platinum Jubilee themed hand-crafted jams, chutneys, pickles and more, perfect for royally-good bakes, treats, and puddings, that everyone can enjoy whilst celebrating the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee (2nd June to 5th June 2022).

The range of special edition Platinum Jubilee inspired products are certainly dressed for the occasion, with resplendent platinum robes, they not only look great they taste great too. 

Home cooks and bakers across the country will get plenty of confidence and inspiration from using Cottage Delight. An impressive array of delicious tasting recipes, that are fit for a queen, have been created for people to try including Triumphant Union Jack Trifle and Clotted Cream and Strawberry Flavoured Scones. So, whether you are baking for a street party with neighbours; catering for a garden party with family; or putting together a picnic with friends, Cottage

Delight has got you covered!

There are seven special-edition products in the range which includes including: strawberry jam made from British strawberries and the ideal spread over scones or create a fruity jamtini cocktails RRP £3.99 (340g).

The smooth and creamy lush lemony lemon curd made with fresh lemons to slather over fresh crusty bread or use to create lemon meringue pie RRP £3.99 (310g)

The classy caramelised onion chutney made by a slow process of caramelising onions for hour after hour in oak aged balsamic vinegar RRP £3.99 (350g).

The Celebration Clotted cream, which is an iconic British classic, vegetarian and gluten free RRP £4.29 (170g).

The Fabulous farmhouse pickle crunchie garden vegetables to serve with cheese or cold meat RRP £3.59 (320g).

The Marvellous orange marmalade made from the juiciest oranges to create a luxurious flavour RRP £3.59 (350g

And then there's the splendidly sweet apple chutney which is absolutely perfect for marinating the traditional Sunday roast pork chops RRP £3.59 (325g). 

If you need Platinum Jubilee street party recipe inspiration, then check out all these recipes each created using Cottage Delight:

• Triumphant Union Jack trifle

• Farmhouse Pickle Cheesy Scones

• Champion Caramelised Onion Scotch Eggs

• Lucious Lemony Curd Meringue cupcakes

• Sensationally Sticky Orange Marmalade Cake

Plus, there are two gift sets ideal for gifting your loved ones and self-treating during the summer celebrations. The Perfectly Patriotic Preserves includes the Jubilee British Strawberry, Lush Lemony Curd and Marvellous Orange Marmalade RRP £12.99. The Truly Grate for Cheese includes the Classy Caramelised Onion Chutney, the Splendidly Sweet Apple Chutney and the Fabulous Farmhouse Pickle RRP £12.99.

The full range of products and gift sets are available by visiting www.cottagedelight.co.uk and you can also find a selection of the special range in leading independent retailers across the UK including Notcutts, Squires and Garsons garden centres.

Who and where are Cottage Delights? They have been creating great tasting foods in the beautiful Staffordshire Moorlands for over four decades. A spokeswoman said: "Celebrating flavour and bringing inspiration to you and your table is our passion, because great taste means great times.

"Our lovingly developed range brings people together through exciting flavour adventures, including tempting treats for those following vegetarian, vegan and gluten free diets. We have been dedicated to traditional methods and quality ingredients for nearly 50 years and are proud owners of 210 Great Taste Awards."

She went on to add: "It’s not just our ingredients we source with care and attention. Our glass jars and bottles are made from 100% recycled glass and we have worked with Peak Waste for over 25 years, achieving 0% to landfill, minimising our impact on the environment."

12 Day real ale festival is on at all Wetherspoon pubs

The Wetherspoon spring real-ale festival makes a very welcome return, with the 12-day event launched yesterday, Wednesday 30 March.

There's a fantastic selection of a quarter century (that's 25!) of fantastic different festival ales and beers, at all Wetherspoon pubs, until Sunday 10 April.

The festival’s beers will feature 19 very special types, which are brand new to Wetherspoon, having never before featured nationally in their pubs. Besides which, 18 of the festival’s ales are brand new or occasional brews which have been produced again especially for this event

Vegan and vegetarians are also catered for, plus people who have coeliac disease can enjoy special gluten-free beers.

There are also special ales from three international breweries. All three international brewers have featured at past events and are among the most popular festival visitors.

This will be the third occasion for which Young Henrys Real Ale (4.0% ABV) has been brewed for their bi-annual event and the fourth time that Young Henrys has featured, while the ale Terrapin Jazz (5.5% ABV) is new to Wetherspoon, although this is Terrapin’s fourth festival brew.

In their autumn 2016 real-ale festival, Birrificio Foglie d’Erba Hot Night at the Village (5.0% ABV) was voted ‘beer of the festival’. This supremely popular ale makes up the trio of international brews this time around. 

There are two speciality beers among the 25 festival ales:

Daleside Morocco Ale (5.5% ABV) is brewed with spices, while Mauldons Cherry Porter (4.8% ABV) is produced using cherries and is also a gluten-free ale.

Others to look out for are Jersey-based Liberation’s The Jester (4.8% ABV), a new beer from a very popular festival brewer, as well as the vegan-friendly stout

Dragonhead (4.0% ABV) from Orkney Brewery.

Also definitely among those beers to check out are Otter Brewery’s Hawthorn (4.0% ABV), Oakham Triple Beam (5.0% ABV) and Nine Tenths Below (5.9% ABV) – the strongest festival ale, from Titanic Brewery. All of the festival ales will be available to order via the Wetherspoon app, as well as at the bar.

Our special third-of-a-pint glasses will again be available, helping you to sample many of the fantastic festival ales – with three for the price of a festival pint. So you can taste the ales without getting under the weather!

Don’t miss this spectacular and eagerly anticipated spring showcase at the world’s biggest real-ale festival – across Wetherspoon’s pubs.

I shall be visiting my nearest Wetherspoon pub to enjoy the festival and also a meal, too, pretty soon.

Supermarkets stop selling disposable BBQs. Expert reveals why and suggests Alternatives

With supermarket chains Waitrose and Aldi banning the sale of disposable barbecues this summer, Barbeque loving Brits are looking for alternative ways to cook their meal whilst outdoors.

Disposable barbecues have long been a staple of many people’s summers. But the ban on the sale of disposable barbeques has sound "green" reasons behind it. After all over, one million of these single-use grills ending up in landfills each year. And they can cause wildfires or burn injuries if not properly used or adequately disposed of.

The team at the online campsite booking site Pitchup agree that our time spent in the outdoors must be sustainable.

Alex Russell, Head of Sales at Pitchup shares his insight on the importance of no longer using disposable barbecues and has suggested five of the best sustainable alternatives.

“We're aware of the increase in searches for ways to camp safely and with eco-friendly camping products - which includes the way people cook their food whilst they are camping.

“It is understandable that as the weather starts warming up, Brits will want to get outdoors with one of the most popular activities being cooking up something on a barbecue.

“But single-use disposable barbecues that can be easily bought in supermarkets can have an massive damaging impact on the environment and also on local wildlife.

“An immediate danger with disposable barbecues is they can produce a quantity of carbon monoxide, with fumes emitted during cooking and long after the flames are extinguished.

“Incidentally, should you ever use a disposable barbecue and find yourself feeling symptoms such as feeling sick, dizzy, or having difficulty breathing, this could be a sign of carbon monoxide poisoning."

He went on to say: “Also, these disposable barbeques usually contain charcoal and it's an unfortunate fact that it's most likely that it wasn't sustainably sourced. So every disposable barbecue will already  have had a negative impact on the environment. Even before you put a match to it."

Alex also raises some other important issues surrounding safety. He said: “Not everyone who use these disposable barbeques use them safely. For example, if a person places a disposable barbecue directly on the ground, it can completely destroy the ground beneath it and creates a risk of fire spreading."

 (EDITOR My wife and I have witnessed the result of what happened when someone had placed a disposable barbeque on a picnic table at a beauty spot. Unfortunately although the table was made to look like wood it was constructed of plastic and the disposable barbeque melted the surface of the table and ruined it for other visitors.) 

“Disposable barbecues can't be recycled and they can't be composted, so many millions of them end up in UK landfills each year.

“While disposable barbecues only last for around one and a half to two hours during their use, it can take the aluminium or iron they are made from approximately 200 years to fully decompose once they are thrown into a landfill."

Are there any alternatives? Yes. According to Alex there are, so those who can't cope without a sizzle on their campsite or in their back garden will not have to go without. 

What Alternatives Are Out There?

Portable barbecues make life easier for people who find themselves without a garden, or one with little outdoor space. They're also pretty nifty for people who like to spend their summers making regular trips to campsites in Cornwall, Wales Scotland or anywhere else.

The bonus is that the fact they're reusable makes them more economically and environmentally friendly. Also there are plenty of different types to choose from.

IKEA Korpon Portable Charcoal Barbecue

It is hard to believe a portable barbecue that ticks so many boxes is available for such a modest price. For under £20 this portable barbecue is lightweight, more eco-friendly than disposables and suitable to use almost anywhere.

Its legs easily fold up, so storage and transportation isn't a problem. It also comes with a strong carrying handle.

The specially designed grill plate, with smaller ventilation holes than more traditional barbecue griddles means you're less likely to lose food to the hot coals.

This barbecue is available for £19 directly from IKEA and also online from them. www.ikea.com.

Landmann Piccolino Portable Charcoal Barbecue

This unbelievably lightweight barbecue makes it the perfect pick for avid barbecuers who tend to move about.

It is exceptionally small and easy to pack away, so you can fit it in your car boot, in a cupboard at home, or maybe under your patio furniture or in your garden shed?

This barbecue is widely available. It is priced at £47.03 on Amazon.

Cobb Barbecue Cooking System

This futuristic design doesn't look like any barbecue you've used before, but it will still deliver the same great barbequed foods. You can also use it to smoke foods, cook roasts and even cook pizzas!

It has the advantage of using a minimum amount of charcoal, so is a greener option. And the Teflon cooking plate also makes it easy to clean, too!

With its padded shoulder bag, it's really easy to carry so is even a safer, green option for hikers. 

It costs £139.99 on Amazon.

Berghoff Table Top Barbecue

This compact barbecue has a sustainable cork lid that doubles as a heatproof mat that can be placed almost anywhere. (EDITOR: Probably not plastic tables no matter how good the wood grain effect is!)

Once lit, the lid also functions as a vent.

The strong carrying strap also makes it easy to carry. This is another unit that's ideal for hikers.

Also available for £139.99 on Amazon.

BioLite Base Camp Barbecue and Pizza Oven

This all-rounder is one of the more expensive portable barbecues, but it's lightweight and is a stunning camp stove and grill combo which can not only barbeque, but also cooks pizzas, too.

It also features a USB charger which generates electricity from the heat generated, plus an LED light, making this a very handy camping cooker. And, in my opinion, very eco-friendly indeed! 

The BaseCamp converts heat into usable electricity for large-format cooking and charging. It's designed to use only fallen branches or small pieces of firewood, so cooks wood-fired meals and charge devices all at the same time. 

They point out "It's a smarter alternative to fossil-fuelled stoves, creating an elevated cooking fire that burns smarter than any fire you're used to."

This barbecue is available for £399 directly from BioLite. https://row.bioliteenergy.com/

Many thanks to Alex and the people at Pitchup for their excellent help in putting this feature together.

https://www.pitchup.com/campsites/England/South_West/Cornwall/.

Over three quarters of British businesses still unaware of Plastic Packaging Tax

This story is for mainly aimed at our friends in the food and drink industry. 

With mere hours to go until its implementation, waste management and recycling experts Veolia state that 77% of British retail and manufacturing businesses are still completely unaware of the new Plastic Packaging Tax.

Research conducted by Veolia, examined the views of British-based senior decision makers across retail and manufacturing businesses on the upcoming Plastic Packaging Tax. 

The tax places a £200 per tonne levy on producers or importers of plastic packaging if they fail to include at least 30% recycled content and will come into force tomorrow,  1 April 2022.

The survey reveals that only a fifth (22%) of the manufacturing and retail businesses asked had already started using recycled content in their packaging. 

To reach the UK’s Net Zero goals, many more businesses must reduce their reliance on new or virgin materials. 

Most British retail and manufacturing businesses also support an escalator in percentage of recycled content threshold (63%) and cost charge (50%) as an incentive to use recycled content.

Veolia Northern Europe Zone Senior Executive Vice President, Gavin Graveson, said: “The UK’s Plastic Packaging Tax is the right way to start getting businesses to push sustainability up the agenda, but it really must go further. 

"A tax escalator would make choosing to incorporate recycled content in packaging economically and environmentally preferable to the use of virgin materials.

“Not only could the UK save up to 2.89 million tonnes of carbon emissions annually if all plastic packaging included 30% recycled content, it would also bring about incentives for investment in domestic infrastructure which could make the UK a world leader in plastics recycling.”

The British retail and manufacturing businesses who had made changes to their plastic packaging reported:

Two thirds (66%) have reduced the amount of unnecessary or avoidable plastic packaging

Over half (58%) now use recycled content

54% have changed the packaging design to make it more recyclable

39% have chosen alternative materials to plastic for their packaging

Working from three specialist sites in London, Essex and the Midlands, Veolia operates a full process to recycle plastic materials from homes and businesses, and turn them back into plastic pellets ready to be used to manufacture new plastic items. 

This can process over 100 different grades of plastic from consumer, commercial and industrial sources, and pass these materials back into the supply chain for further reuse. 

Backing the operations is the support team that can ensure compliance with the complex legislation involved in the reprocessing of these materials, and Veolia’s own Sustainable Packaging Academy.

Worldwide, it's Veolia's aim to recycle 610,000 tonnes of plastic waste annually within two years. That's equivalent to 16,944 million 4 pint milk bottles.

Incidentally, Veolia is part of the international cross value chain Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), currently made up of nearly thirty member companies, and this has committed over $1.0 billion to develop large scale solutions that will minimise and manage plastic waste and promote solutions for used plastics.

Food and drink manufacturers and retailers who need to investigate how this law will potentially impact on their business can learn more here https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-need-to-register-for-plastic-packaging-tax and here https://www.veolia.com/en/solution/plastics-recycling-major-environmental-issue.

(Image courtesy of  adnovak and Pixabay)

Salcombe Brewery Co. Re-Launches Brewery Tours

The Salcombe Brewery Co. is "thrilled" to announce they are re-launching their highly popular brewery tours and are keen to once again to share their knowledge and award-winning beers with visitors. 

Brewery tour bookings and vouchers cost £20 and can be nought at www.salcombebrewery.com.

Head Brewer, Sam Beaman, said: “Brewery tours have always been a strong highlight for us. We really love showing visitors around our site, sharing our brewing expertise and knowledge and giving them an insight into our beers at not to mention the  extended tasting sessions!

"COVID restrictions meant we weren't able to run these for almost two years. We are really thrilled and pleased that we can now re-launch our tours and welcome visitors both old and new."

The tours which are 90 minutes in duration are to take place from April 2022. Visitors will get a welcome in the taproom, which includes a glass of beer. 

After this you'll tour the brewhouse and have an opportunity to question the experts on any beer-related topics. 

The tour ends back in the taproom, where you'll enjoy a flight of Salcombe beers. Brewery tours cost £20 and can be bought online at www.salcombebrewery.com. 

Brewery tour vouchers can also be purchased for £20. These are valid for one year and can be used to book tours within that period. All brewery tours must be booked in advance.

Salcombe Brewery's range of beers is available nationally in pubs and hospitality venues, plus as various retail outlets and online from www.salcombebrewery.com. For further information on Salcombe Brewery Co. please visit www.salcombebrewery.com follow Salcombe Brewery Co. on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.  

You'll find the brewery at 

Estuary View

Ledstone

Kingsbridge 

TQ7 4BL

Customers want more green retailers

According to a Mood Media survey, 67% of shoppers say it's important the brands they shop at are committed to being greener and environmentally friendly. 

Almost the same number, 66%, agree stores where they shop need to be environmentally friendly. Consumers aged between 35 and 44 feel especially strongly about brands and shops sharing their sustainability values.

While the COVID pandemic and successive lockdowns put a hold on green issues and sustainability, it's again top of brand agendas. 

When it comes to in-store sustainability in the retail industry, including food retailers, there's a clear sense shoppers feel unimpressed by the pace of change as they pay close attention to the sustainability initiatives of the retailers they engage with on a day-to-day basis.

“Our role is to help brands create an emotional experience with their customers. This includes evaluating and setting up solutions and processes to support them in reducing the environmental impact of their points of sale and to assess how to improve their efficiency and optimise their technological solutions,” says Jonathan Wharrad, VP Global Retail Brand Experience at Mood Media.

“Finally, it’s about supporting them through the life cycle of their technical solutions. All of this is to ensure the best in-store experience for their customers.”

Mood Media is working with Design Conformity to advise retailers on how to reduce their carbon footprints and implement greener retail designs.

Adam Hamilton-Fletcher, who is the MD at Design Conformity added: “At Design Conformity we’ve been championing carbon assessment for a number of years, but recently we’ve seen a genuine change in the industry. 

"Europe's leading the way and pushing their companies to provide accurate, verified carbon efficacy data which they can report to customers and shareholders. 

"We're working with global brands, retailers and interior specialists such as Mood Media to provide Life Cycle and Carbon Assessment to ISO standards, so companies can report improvements. In the past, sustainability was a ‘nice to have.’ Now carbon is becoming a currency.” 

Partnerships with quality manufacturers, including Bose, Samsung and LG, allow Mood to ensure components are chosen carefully and last longer, reducing the environmental impact of having to replace equipment. Furthermore the company has developed Mood HarmonyTM, a point-of-sale content management platform designed with energy efficiency in mind, using fewer than 10 watts of power with few in-person updates necessary.

When equipment does need to be replaced, a further partnership with CHG ensures it can be recycled, further reducing the installation’s impact.

“For retail to recover, stores cannot ignore consumers and their desire to reward companies going beyond words on sustainability and taking effective action,” concludes Jonathan Wharrad.

For more information on sustainability in retail, download Mood Media’s White Paper: https://moodmedia.com/gb/resources-gb/sustainability-in-retail/

Speaking from a personal point of view the major chain coffee shop that my wife and I prefer is a greener and more sustainable and uses rain water for toilet flushing. 

It's one of the Eco Pod premises that Costa is rolling out over the country.

This is what Costa says about them:-

"A special frame made from sustainably sourced FSC timber, which replaces the typical steel frame and so reduces each building’s carbon footprint

"Super-insulation, which keeps the stores warm in winter and cool in summer

"Intelligent positioning of the buildings, designed to make the most of the sun’s heat and so reduce the amount of energy needed to keep them warm and rooftop solar panels."

https://www.costa.co.uk/behind-the-beans/planet/reducing-our-footprint

(Image courtesy of knight07/Pixabay) 

Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin

Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin has created a masterpiece, well, a series of four different but equally brilliant masterpieces, with their excellent Seasons Collection.

When I opened the box I found myself humming Vivaldi's Four Seasons, because the Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin Four Seasons collection features four gins called Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Let's start my review with Spring. the scent of the gin, or the bouquet, if you'd rather be technical, evokes fresh meadows, newly opened flowers and Spring sunshine.

The flavour is nice and crisp and the finish is both smooth and very long. I don't always take my gin with tonic, but I found that a bottle of high quality Indian Tonic Water brought the tastes of the Scottish botanicals out very nicely.

But then we move on to Summer. This is different again. Smooth, but with a refreshingly nice edge to it. There are citrus notes that come bubbling to the surface, but not overly so, as the experts at Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin have managed to balance the citrus notes with the botanicals. This is for long, iced drinks on the lawn or in the conservatory. Delicious!

Now we find ourselves moving into the next season which is Autumn. Or Fall if you are in America. The original name used in Britain before Autumn became popular. But I digress.

This is ideal for the Autumn. A great gin for those of us determined to squeeze the last bit of warmth from the Autumnal sunshine. It's a more robust gin which has a satisfying warming bite to it, with a smattering of Autumn berries. Gently spiced. I think I detected a slight hint of pepper? 

I think this would make a great base for some wonderful cocktails after you have harvested the last of your garden's fruits. Haven't got a garden? No matter. Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin's Autumn Gin is probably all you need!

And now we reach the last season, Rock Rose Premium Scottish Gin's Winter. Wow! What a belter of a gin! 

Taste the juniper berries! The tasting notes describe it as an "earthy" gin and I can't argue with that. It's evocative of walks through muddy paths, drizzly misty days, of being sat in your conservatory and watching the snowflakes whirl and dance down whilst you drink your Rock Rose Winter gin. I like this with a premium ginger ale, which makes a perfect Christmas season drink. 

To learn more and to order your gins please visit https://www.dunnetbaydistillers.co.uk.

Wickedly Welsh Chocolate and Bryn the Dragon Egg

One of the best things to come out of Wales are dragons and chocolate from the Wickedly Welsh Chocolate Company.

Combine the two and you have Bryn The Dragon Egg!

Crack open the very substantial chocolate egg and you will find a very cute sleeping Welsh Dragon. 

"He is a very handsome Y Ddraig Gymreig!" said my wife, who is a fluent Welsh speaker.

Here is the story as told by the Wickedly Welsh Chocolate Company:-

They have been entrusted with the last real life Dragons Egg which, for millennia, was kept has buried deep in a Welsh hillside hidden from the world until now. 

The artisan chocolatiers at the Wickedly Welsh Chocolate Company have employed their considerable skills to have lovingly and carefully exact chocolate replicas of this uniquely Welsh treasurer.

You can carefully break open the egg and free baby dragon. And before you ask, yes, it's very edible hand made using delicious white chocolate. But you'll see from my photograph that Bryn looks golden? This is because Bryn is carefully and lovingly brushed with an attractive golden shimmer. (Sorry about the quality of the picture, but I'm a writer not a photographer!) 

What is inside Bryn? A very tasty salted caramel truffle. Yum! 

Incidentally the top section of the egg is very easy to crack open (but do it carefully!) and to reveal Bryn.

The side of the egg which houses Bryn is smaller but also much heavier than 'normal' non-Dragon Easter eggs. Well, that's obviously because it's a Dragon's egg! The weight is a very respectable 180g (minimum) and will make a great Easter treat for any chocolate lover and Welsh Dragon lover, no matter what their age or sex.

Bryn's adoption fee is a very reasonable £8.99. To add to the excitement Bryn comes in a box that is either green, yellow or purple. But Bryn will choose the colour for you, so it'll come as a pleasant surprise. 

To order please click on this link:- https://www.wickedlywelsh.co.uk/products/bryn-the-dragon-easter-egg

Incidentally Wickedly Welsh Chocolate is based in Haverfordwest, which is where some of my Welsh ancestors came from.