nourish team The nourish team has tried some new releases and old favourites to get you through the winter season. From gins to non-alcoholic beers and cocktails, award-winning butter, vibrant coffee, and more, there is something for everyone.
Adnams Blackcurrant Gin
Adnams have once more given their Copper House gin an upgrade, this time instilling flavours of blackcurrants to make their latest gin – Adnams Blackcurrant.
Lightly spiced, with star anise, liquorice root, and cassia bark, this gin has a lingering finish and would make a great long drink to enjoy around the fire.
We served it over tonic with ice and found that this very adult drink and far away from the automatic connection with blackcurrant drinks from our childhood! In fact, the Adnams Blackcurrant is not sweet at all, and is an everyday gin and would work well in cocktails as well.
• £29.99 adnams.co.uk
Old Hall Farm Salted/Unsalted Butter
Christmas mornings are made from brown bread, butter, and smoked salmon, and if you want a creamy, award-winning butter then look no further than Old Hall Farm.
In this year’s Great Taste Awards, their butter won two stars and little wonder. It is made with cream from their Jersey ‘goddesses’, and this handmade butter is cultured for three days with lactic cultures and, for the salted, seasoned with Maldon sea salt. The result is a butter that is rich in both colour and taste and is perfect spread on fresh bread for the ultimate indulgence.
• £4.50 for 200g oldhallfarm.co.uk
St Peter’s Without®
A Suffolk stalwart, St Peter’s Brewery are leading the market among the British alcohol-free producers, and they offer four 0% beers, perfect for those embarking on Dry January.
The range includes Without® Original, Without® Gold, Without® Organic, and Without® Elderberry & Raspberry. The beers are full bodied and bursting with flavour – in fact, you would struggle to know that they are alcohol free!
Whether you are an ale or larger drinker, the range has something for every taste, with their Without® Elderberry & Raspberry being our favourite with its berry undertones. St Peter’s has definitely created a beer that you can enjoy, but with none of the alcohol.
• From £14 for 8 bottles stpetersbrewery.co.uk/
Powters Chefs’ Pig Sausagemeat
Made using Powters award-winning Newmarket sausagemeat from British pork, Chefs’ Pig Sausagemeat is a great base to start from. The recipe itself was created in 1851 by William Harper, great-grandfather of the current owner and in 2012, their Newmarket sausage became the 50th British food product to be awarded the Protected Geographical Indication from the European Commission.
We found the sausagemeat to have a nice amount of spice, and it was very succulent, and juicy. This would be a great foundation for sausage rolls and meatballs, as well as a good base to create your own stuffings with.
• RRP £3.55 for 400g. www.powters.co.uk/
0% Highball Cocktails – Adnams
For those driving or wanting to cut back on their alcohol intake, Adnams are stocking a new range of 0% Highball Cocktails: Classic G&T, Pink G&T, Cosmopolitan, Mojito, Italian Spritz, and Ginger Dram.
Developed by The Original Free Drinks Company, these small batch, sparkling, ready-to-drink cocktails are produced in the UK, are made with natural ingredients and are all under 100 calories.
We enjoyed the Ginger Dram, which is a refreshing version of a whiskey mac and with a warming ginger note, but our favourite was the Mojito – just add fresh mint and enjoy the refreshing notes. A great alternative to the usual alcohol-free options on a night out.
• £2.49 each adnams.co.uk
St. Giles Gin
St. Giles Gins, created by Simon Melton and his wife, Alison, offer three gins as well as a seasonal special, the St. Giles Spiced Orange & Cranberry Gin.
We love the St Giles Raspberry, Rhubarb and Ginger Gin, and it was our favourite of the day. Not too sweet, this was a refreshing gin, and it wasn’t overpowering in spite of the big flavours it offered.
The Signature St. Giles Gin was very smooth and is an easy drink, while the Divers’ Edition comes in at 57%, yet is incredibly sooth with caramel notes. All three are very drinkable indeed and would make great gifts for the gin lover in your life.
• From £38.50 stgilesgin.com
Old Hall Vineyard 2020 Bacchus
The fourth wine from Old Hall Farm in Woodton, their Bacchus was launched at the end of June.
A delicate white wine, it has gooseberry and mellow apple flavours. Grassy notes make for a rounded finish, and this is a wine that is very easy to drink with friends.
This is a light Bacchus, being 11.5% in volume, and it works well with the other wines from Old Hall Farm Vineyard – a 2019 Sauvignon Blanc and two sparkling, the Norfolk Brut and Boudicca Blush Brut, sales of which support The Boudicca Appeal at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, with the sparkling wines also making wonderful gifts.
• £15 oldhallfarm.co.uk
