Say "Cheers" to Devonia's Successful Summer, this Christmas

Devonia, the Devonshire-based fully sustainable spring water company is celebrating a bumper summer of sales. Plus the fact that it saved almost 150,000kg of glass from going to landfill. 

So why not "Say cheers" with a delicious South Devon Southside cocktail recipe, featuring Devonia sparkling water?

Devonia spring water company enjoyed an impressive summer. The company, which puts sustainability at the centre of it's entire ethos, sold 250,000 bottles of water and reused an impressive 201,000.

It's the only spring water company in the south of England with a business model focusing exclusively  on reusing glass bottles time and time again. 

Washing and refilling the bottles uses just 6% of the energy required to recycle glass, reducing CO2 by 94%. And of course, there's no plastic pollution going into the world's oceans, too!

Over Devonia's 18 years in business, the company has saved an amazing 144,995kg of glass from going to landfill, by collecting and reusing its bottles from hotels, pubs, cafes, restaurants, special events and private customers across Devon.

And it's not going to stop there. After adding 35 new trade customers to its books this summer, including 15 wedding and events venues, Devonia is on track to double the size of its operations in 2023. The company wants to move to a larger facility that will allow for more organic growth and is looking to hire new staff, as well as purchase new vans and machinery.

The Telegraph has recently declared Devon the greatest county in England, according to science. With the winning combination of the great outdoors and delicious local food and drink, it's hard to argue with that.   

Devonia's water ticks both boxes. It's bottled at source from a spring that bubbles up on the edge of a meadow near the villages of Beeson and Beesands, which are less than a mile from the sea. With a natural soft taste, both still and sparkling products are available in 330ml or 750ml bottles.

As well as being a sustainable business, Devonia supports the Dartmoor Rescue Group's Ashburton team, of which owner Neil Graham has been a full member for a number of years. By purchasing Devonia water,  customers are also supporting the incredible work of the mountain rescue team.  

Recipe: celebrate Devonia's summer successes with a South Devon Southside cocktail

A little Devonshire twist on a Rum Southside cocktail, enjoy this delicious drink made with fabulous local rum and sparkling spring water.

Ingredients – serves 6

12 large mint leaves, plus 4 large sprigs

1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

120ml freshly squeezed lime juice (approx. 4 limes)

120ml simple syrup (1:1 water and sugar)

240ml Devon Rum Co spiced rum

330ml Devonia sparkling water

1/8tsp salt

Large handful of ice, plus more for serving

Method:

Add the mint leaves and 2 lime wedges into a pitcher and muddle them (if you don't have a muddler, a long-handled wooden spoon will do).

Add the lime juice, simple syrup, rum and ice and stir 40 times (exactly, we're counting!) with a long-handled cocktail spoon (or your trusty wooden spoon).

Add the sparkling water and salt and stir well.

For each drink, fill a tumbler half full with ice, add a mint sprig and a wedge of lime, and pour your cocktail.

Stir gently and serve ice cold.

For further information about Devonia, please visit www.devoniawater.co.uk, follow on Instagram: DevoniaWaterCompany or 'Like' Devonia Water on Facebook.  

We would suggest laying some bottles of Devonia down for your family's Christmas this year?

That's Christmas: Bounce Back!

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Glebe Farm The Purest British Oats

Rebecca and Philip Rayner

Yum! Glebe Farm Purest British Oats are PureOaty and are pure tasty!

Its creamy and enriched with added calcium and vitamins and tastes absolutely delicious!

But there's much more to it than that. It's ideal for people like my wife who have been diagnosed with coeliac disease because their oat milk is guaranteed to be 100% gluten free.

The sister and brother team who own and farm it, Rebecca and Philip Rayner, proudly point out that they are the only farm in the UK that grows and processes the gluten free oats they grow into porridge flakes, oat flour and their absolutely delicious gluten free oat drink, PureOaty.

They are fully involved in every step of the way, growing, milling and manufacturing their own oats, so they can guarantee that they know exactly what goes into everything they produce.

In fact, from their farm in Cambridgeshire they are reputed as being the number one supplier of gluten free oats throughout the whole of Europe and supply customers and manufacturers all over Europe and even the rest of the world.

Their PureOaty is milk is great by the glass, in coffee, in hot chocolate, in smoothies, in hot tea or in cooking, too. 

You'll find some delicious recipes on their website at https://www.glebefarmfoods.co.uk/living-gluten-free.

In fact, we aim to use PureOaty in Christmas treat baking and making for this Christmas. A tasty oat milk Chirstmas pudding? Yes, that sounds quite good!

Saving money whilst cooking

Energy bills are increasing at the moment so we could need to reduce spending on how much fuel we use, especially in cooking.

I read a book many years ago which gave advice on how to cook whilst using reduced energy. 

The key point I can remember was that the author suggested not pre-heating ovens when cooking and just starting the cooking process from cold.

What other methods of saving energy during cooking can you employ?

Use microwave cooking if you can, plus try the combination oven setting on the microwave.

Look at buying a halogen oven which can help you save energy when you are cooking.

Think about using a slow cooker to cook stews, soups, casseroles, etc. 

Cook several items at once in your oven to save on energy usage. 

Don't overfill your kettle when you are needing to boil water.

Use ambient temperature to defrost foods that you have removed from the freezer rather than using the defrost setting on your microwave.

Check the energy settings on whatever electrical appliances you use, such as fridges, freezers, cookers, etc.

Use vegetable steamers to cook your vegetables, which will help save money.

Laylo's Lot #12: Tinto De Estremoz - The World's Nicest Boxed Wine

Picture a city made entirely from marble. Even the doorsteps and cobbles. 

Where vineyards sweep up towards a medieval castle - and the night sky is so clear it's peppered with thousands of twinkling stars. Very Christmassy, in fact.

You don't need to imagine this, because it actually exists. It's the walled city of Estremoz in Alentejo, Portugal. The home of the latest release from luxury boxed wine specialists, Laylo.

Laylo Co-founders Laura Riches and Laura Rosenberger worked closely with a Master of Wine, Clem Yates, to find a big, fruity Portuguese red blend for customers to enjoy this Christmas and winter.

The Lot #12: Tinto de Estremoz is made by Donzilia Copeto, Head Winemaker at João Ramos Family Estates. Donzilia's passion project for over two decades has been experimenting with the region's local grape varietals to create the perfect Alentejo blend. 

This 2021 vintage combines local varietals with a dash of Merlot and some Petit Verdot, aged briefly in French and Hungarian barrels. The result is a dark, inky red wine that's redolent of plump cherries, vanilla and a lick of spicy oak. With tannins that taste like liquid velvet. 

With each of their designs, Laylo seeks inspiration from the stories of the wine, the winemaker and the  region. 

For centuries Estremoz locals have mined the region's marble, and none is more valuable than the pink Rosa Aurora that wraps the Lot #12: Tinto de Estremoz.

Explained Laura Rosenberger: “We're proud of all our wines, but Donzilia's bend is Portuguese perfection. The spicy oak, vanilla and juicy ripe fruit are an ideal antidote to the colder weather. If it's possible to find a better fireside red for the equivalent of £12.33 per bottle, we'd love to know where!”

Laura Riches says: “Telling the stories of our wines through design is one of the most exciting parts of the job. The romance of a city made entirely of marble really captured our imaginations. We believe the finished product wouldn't look out of place on the cover of a glossy interiors magazine.”

The Lot #12: Tinto de Estremoz is exclusively available at www.drinklaylo.com for £36.99 per 2.25l box. Each box = 3 bottles, equivalent to £12.33 per bottle.

UK-wide next day delivery is FREE on all orders of 2+ boxes or £2.99 on single box orders. Customers also have the option to add a gift note.

Forget what you thought you already knew about boxed wine! Laylo seek out small, limited-availability parcels of premium wine, then wrap them in boxes that consumers can feel proud to have on their countertop.

And they are greener, too, because each box generates 90% less carbon than glass bottles and is 100% recyclable. The boxes stay fresh for 6 weeks from opening, so customers can enjoy 'the odd glass' without needing to commit to a bottle. 

Since launching in November 2020, Laylo's wines have earned a cult following of wine critics and wine lovers. Their wines score an average 4.8* (out of 5) on Trustpilot.

Laura Riches and Laura Rosenberger were named Startup Entrepreneurs of the Year 2022 at the Food & Drink Heroes awards and the business won Drinks Startup of the Year 2022 at the National Startup Awards Series.

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