Earlsfield in South West London, tucked between the much better known Clapham and Wimbledon, is my home. It has also been home to Ben’s Canteen since 2014, which has for the past years been our go-to for brunch, countless dinners with friends and hosting big birthday parties. Now it’s entering a new chapter and has evolved into Bloody Bens bar, distillery and kitchen. I caught up with founder Ben Walton to talk about his latest venture.
Each year, coinciding with World Gin Day, more than 70 distilleries from all around the world descend on London for the Junipalooza gin festival. It’s Christmas day for gin fans across the country.
Having experienced New Zealand‘s breathtaking beauty at the end of 2018 we wanted to travel somewhere a little closer to home that might offer some similarities. As neither Kirstin or I had been to the Highlands before we decided on flying to Inverness in Scotland to stay in the beautiful Muckrach Country House Hotel in Speyside, at the north west of the Cairngorms (the largest national park in the UK).
I think street food is brilliant. It’s the most incredible way of experiencing different cultures and broadening your horizons through your stomach. I love to support small independent business, but what’s not so great is all the packaging and cutlery waste that often goes with it.
Beefeater is one of the most iconic drinks brands in the world. You see it behind almost every bar, no matter where you are.
Last year me and my wife Kirstin embarked on an adventure of a lifetime. New Zealand had long been top of both of our lists of places to visit and we’d finally been able to plan the trip we’d always wanted: 3 weeks across the 2 islands, exploring one of the most breathtaking places on the planet. Here’s some of the incredible food and drink we had in our time there…
New Zealand may be a small country, but its gins are slowly but surely making their mark on a global scale.
While my wife and I were travelling around New Zealand, we were fortunate to meet Joerg Henkenhaf, distiller and founder of Broken Heart gin, at his home near Queenstown. Broken Heart’s story has been told many times, so it was great to chat to Joerg more about his gins and how he created them.
Christmas 2016 feels like a long time ago now. Back then, my in-laws gave me a bottle of gin in a beautiful ceramic bottle. It was from their local gin distillery, The Gin Kitchen, then operating out of the back of one of the pubs in town, and who had just released their first gin a month prior: Gusty Monkey.
Sipsmith was one the first gins I ever tried when dipping my toes into the world of gin. It’s a delicious, well-balanced traditional London Dry that has always been synonymous with quality to me, and because of that, it’s always had a home on my gin shelf.
Earlier this year I started working at a fantastic charity called Breast Cancer Care. Every summer they run a great fundraising initiative called Afternoon Tea where supporters host parties to raise money to support the vital work the charity does. I couldn’t resist getting involved and combining two of my passions, gin and supporting good causes, by hosting an Afternoon G&Tea!
