Surrey now has its very own street food market: Epsom Social food hall. I was super excited to be invited down for their soft launch to get to know Surrey’s first food market, and the newest place to be in Epsom! The best way to explore and get to know it was for me to tuck in…
San Sebastian in the Basque Country in northern Spain is world renowned as a foodie pilgrimage destination, and that’s not just for the Michelin-starred fine dining. The whole town revolves around the pintxos, these small plates really are the main attraction of the beautiful seaside resort.
Hensol Castle may be relatively new to distilling, having only been running for two and a half years, but its history with the spirit goes right back. One former resident was one of the signatories involved in the infamous Gin Act of 1751, which was created to curb the gin craze which had gripped the country.
It’s not every day you find some of Surrey’s finest street food tucked away in an old aircraft hangar in a field. New Orleans-inspired Poor Boys set up shop for a residency under the corrugated metal arch of The Barn KT9 for the Winter Festival running through Thursday-Saturday evenings in November and December.
Without juniper, there’s no gin. It’s the one continuous aspect of the spirit we love that makes up its heart and soul. So much so that it’s the law for something to be called ‘gin’ it has to have juniper as its predominant flavour (and have a minimum strength of 37.5% ABV).
Kinrara Distillery, based in the heart of the Cairngorms national park in Scotland, really want to make it the star of the show and not just a legal necessity or tick box exercise with their Estate Juniper Edition Wild Juniper gin. While most British gins feature juniper from places across continental Europe, Kinrara have only used juniper berries foraged from the picturesque area around the Aviemore distillery for this gin.
Everyone’s favourite gin festival is back after a pandemic-induced year off! Junipalooza from Spirits Society brings together gin makers and fans and I couldn’t wait to get stuck in again at the events’ home in Tobacco Dock. This was my first year attending more than one session, taking on both the first session on Saturday and returning for my usual Sunday session too. Being able to pace things a bit more gently while getting used to seeing people in real life again was a big help and meant that I could take more time with each distiller, getting to know more about what they’re doing and why.
Back when I was growing up in Dorking in Surrey, there weren’t any Michelin-starred restaurants. We had a few chain restaurants, plenty of pubs, and lots of antique shops. Now, on the site of what I knew as Pizza Piazza (remember those?) sits chef Steve Drake’s Sorrel putting this town in the South East firmly on the foodie map. The beautiful red brick and timber building dates back to 1733 and the remarkable original features are still on display throughout.
Tony’s Chocolonely bars may look fun, but they’re serious about changing the world too. On the outside it’s all about the packaging’s bold fonts and bright colours, but open it up and you find delicious chocolate made slave-free. Tony’s new campaign, “A Sweet Solution to a Bitter Truth”, aims to completely end slavery in chocolate production and make the businesses involved accountable for their supply chain – including the human rights of those involved.
Victory London and Vault Vermouth, two of London’s finest independent spirits makers, have teamed up for a very special collaboration: Champagne & Oysters Vermouth. I love oysters, champagne and vermouth, so when I heard that this was on the way I eagerly refreshed the Victory shop waiting for the bottles to become available. I wasn’t the only one though, and within an hour Victory had sold out of their batch, and it wasn’t long after that before Vault had fully sold out too.
The Biggar Gin Co, founded by brothers Stuart and Euan McVicar in 2018, has been on my radar for a while. Its bold eye-catching typography, and rave reviews had drawn me in so I was really excited to be introduced to Stuart as part of my support of International Scottish Gin Day.
While I was gifted a Biggar Gin glass and mug as part of my collaboration, this has in no way affected the views in this blog.