• Nobody likes ice melt watering down their G&T on a hot summer’s day. Our tip would be to freeze some tonic ice cubes beforehand.
• Create your own lime ice cubes, and add to your favourite cool drink for a refreshing twist.
• Placing edible flowers, mint or raspberries in your ice cubes can give a bright and playful garnish.
• Use a cupcake tin to make fruit-filled ice cubes, then add them to pitchers of water.
• Freeze grapes to chill white wine without watering it down.
• Boiling water before freezing will give you crystal clear ice cubes!

Here’s an idea for a great gin-based summer cocktail from Rupert too:

G & Liberty

Strawberries, mint and cucumber are all true summer flavours, combining beautifully with dry gin and apple aperitif for this perfect party cocktail.

Serves 1

• • 50ml dry gin
  • 25ml apple aperitif
  • Classic Indian tonic water
  • Handful of strawberries
  • Handful of fresh mint sprigs
  • Cucumber to garnish

1. A few hours before the sipping begins, dice fresh strawberries and tear your mint leaves. Add these to a healthy amount of your dry gin, (infusing your gin with these flavours beforehand will prevent the need to pick mint from your teeth later on!)

2. Strip a cucumber down its length with a peeler and wrap a thin belt of cucumber around the inside of the glass. Fill your glass with ice to hold the cucumber in place.

3. Now it’s time to layer up your drink. Start with your home-infused dry gin, next add the apple aperitif and top up slowly with ice cold Indian tonic water. Finish with a gentle stir to mix it all up.

www.conkerspirit.co.uk

Nestled just outside Crewkerne, on the Somerset/Dorset border is Wayford Vineyard. It was founded almost 15 years ago, back in 2007, by a group of 10 neighbours who decided to try their hands at viticulture. That first year was a real labour of love, with the group painstakingly planting 4,000 Pinot Noir vines by hand. Over the years they carefully tended the vines as they grew — each member of the team caring for a section on the vineyard – pruning the vines, mowing the field, repairing posts and wire, killing weeds — trying to ensure that conditions were just right to produce the best possible grapes to be turned into the best possible sparkling wines, all the while dreaming of the first Wayford vintage. The time and effort paid off, and eventually they were able to create their first vintage — a 2014 sparkling wine. Since then, the wine has gone on to win bronze, silver and gold awards in the Wine-GB West Competition. One of the group, Clare Challis, said, “Pinot Noir is a notoriously difficult vine to grow, but it produces an exceptional sparkling wine – it is one of grapes used to make Champagne.
“We now have a similar climate to the Champagne region 10 years ago, but our soil is not the same as the chalky terroir of the
Champagne region but a mix of clay and green sand with some underground springs that pop up in the vineyard. But still the vines thrive and it is these differences of soil type across the south west that give each vineyard its own distinct taste and aroma.”
Wine making in the West Country comes with its own set of challenges.
“The south west has a great reputation for making excellent still and sparkling wines, we have perfect weather conditions most years, though last year we lost our whole crop to a late frost in May,” said Clare. “But this is just the first worry in a growing season. But there has been no frost this year.
“Rabbits, pheasants and the deer can also cause us problems as they find the new shoots a tasty breakfast though picturesque from the window.
“As the vines grow, they put on lots of leaf growth almost in front of our eyes, an important job is to remove the lower leaves to allow the sun to ripen the grapes and to allow the air to circulate as if we have wet muggy air we can end up with downy mildew which will also affect the harvest.
“We test the grapes to get a balance between the sugars and acids, this is how we know they are ready to pick — although a less scientific way is when the blackbirds start to eat them, we know they are ready!”
Each Wayford vintage is subtley different. The variability in the weather each year creates a natural variability in the wine from vintage to vintage. Wayford wines are also stored and matured on the lees (a technique frequently used in sparkling wines which involves leaving the wine in contact with the yeast cells left over from the fermentation process) which provides
character, and even more subtle differences in complexity from vintage to vintage.
“We are looking forward to the release of our 2018 vintage, as that was an exceptional year,” said Clare. “And we will have our first sparkling rosé available this summer too.
“The summer of 2018 gave the perfect summer conditions for a bumper grape harvest, plenty of rain to swell the grapes early in the season and a long hot summer to ripen them. We have only tasted the 2018 ourselves with our wine maker and think it reflects the season and the growing maturity of our vines so we hope it will be well received when entered into the SWVA
annual competition later in the year, we look forward to releasing this wine for sale around Christmas time and are enjoying our 2017 vintage at the moment which is drinking well according to our customers.”
“We only ever use our own grapes to make our sparkling wine, and our wine is made using the traditional secondary fermentation method.
“We are passionate about our vines and the wines they produce, and we think our wine has an aroma, character and flavour which makes it the very best!”

GingerBeard’s Preserves is all about making awesome tasting, award-winning products and not surprisingly, they are made by made with a ginger beard.

The results came in earlier in the month; Harry Calvert, director and founder of the company says: “We were so chuffed when we saw our chilli-based products featuring in the list of winners. We were among some fantastic brands so we are feeling very proud of our achievement.

“Seeing our best-sellers like the Beer, Bacon and Chilli Jam, the Chipotle Ketchup and the Habanero Hot Sauce get recognition from industry experts, just reaffirms that we are making some awesome tasting preserves”.

The Clifton Chilli Club are the UK’s largest chilli club channel and know a thing or two about hot sauces and chillies. They have tried over 8,000 chilli products in their lifetime and help judge the hotly contested (no puns intended!) Great Taste Awards. 

Jay & Nick from the Clifton Chilli Club say: “ We wanted to acknowledge and celebrate and categorise the incredible range of chilli products available by creating the National Chilli Awards 2022. Long gone are the days when shops and supermarkets stocked one or two chilli-based hot sauces.

“This evolution deserves recognition, and this is why we created categories for the National Chilli Awards 2022. So many producers are now offering considered and cleverly made chilli centric products that challenge people’s perception of sauce styles such as BBQ, ketchup, Asian style and fruit based.

“We are grateful to every producer who entered the National Chilli Awards 2022 and it was our pleasure to provide all winners with award artwork for their relevant products as well as engraved plaques for each category winner. We look forward to the 2023 awards!”.

GingerBeard’s Preserves love collaborating with breweries and local food businesses. The collaborators among the winning products will be names that beer lovers may recognise including Arbor Ales, Bristol Beer Factory and Moor Beer. Also featuring among the collaborators are Otomi, a Mexican import business with a colourful shop filled with all things Mexican in the Clifton quarter of Bristol.

The winning products in these awards were:

• Milk Stout Chipotle BBQ Sauce – Bronze in the Chilli BBQ Sauce Category
• Chipotle Ketchup – Bronze in the Chilli Ketchup Category
• Habanero Hot Sauce – Bronze in Medium Chilli Sauce Category
• Beer, Bacon and Chilli Jam – Silver & Category Winner in Chilli Jam Category
• Sweet n Hot Lime Pickle – Silver in Chilli Chutney/ Pickle Category
• Jerk Rub and Seasonings – Bronze in Chilli Rub / Spice Mix Category

GingerBeard’s Preserves don’t just do chilli products, so do check their website to discover their original flavours! 

To celebrate Windrush Day on 22 June, Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones MBE, founder of The Black Farmer range of food products and based near Launceston on the Devon/Cornwall borders, launched a new campaign, ‘The Windrush Initiative’. The campaign aims to put diversity at the top of the food industry agenda.

Led by the brand’s namesake and founder Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones – a child of the Windrush Generation himself, the Black Farmer ‘Windrush Initiative’ will celebrate the huge contribution made by the many individuals who travelled from Caribbean countries to Britain in the post-war era.

The campaign aims to challenge the under-representation of black people/people of colour in senior roles within the food industry and inspire future generations, by bringing greater attention to the success stories of the many Windrush Heroes who have played an integral role in Britain’s success since the mid 20th century. The Windrush Initiative is supported by a national advertising campaign, along with a limited-edition range of celebratory sweet chilli sausages.

Wilfred, who was awarded an MBE in 2020 for services to farming comments: “As Britain’s only black farmer, I have witnessed first-hand the woeful lack of ethnic diversity in the food and FMCG industry. I have been dealing with the major retailers for years and without exception, their HQ management teams are almost exclusively white. That needs to change, as it is at odds with their customer base and shop floor staff who are hugely diverse.”

“My mission is to use my own success to champion greater diversity and representation within the sector, through initiatives such as our Black History Month campaign and our Windrush Celebration. As a child of the Windrush generation, I feel it is really important to celebrate Windrush Day to not only reflect on the achievements and contributions made by that generation for the greater good of Britain but to help inspire future generations on what can be achieved.”

All the major supermarket retailers have stepped up to support The Black Farmer Windrush Campaign by stocking the special pack of pork and chicken sausages, which features a picture of Wilfred as a five-year old boy not long after he arrived in the UK from Jamaica.

To find out more about The Black Farmer Windrush Initiative and the inspirational stories of many of Britain’s Windrush Heroes visit theblackfarmer.com/windrush-celebration/

Having now mapped the tasting notes of its full range of clothbound cheeses, Quicke’s hopes to shine a spotlight on the big differences between artisan cheddar and mass-produced block cheddar. Going above and beyond the reductive 1-5 strength rating that is so often associated with Britain’s favourite cheese, the story of the pastures and the seasons at Home Farm is perfectly encapsulated within the Quicke’s Cheddar Tasting Box, with all wedges now coming with their own flavour map. 

Illustrating the breadth and complexity that can be achieved from working in harmony with the land, the flavour maps attest to the powerful influence of the aging process and the unique microflora within Quicke’s cheese stores. The 3-month matured Buttery Clothbound Cheddar begins with an initial taste of fresh milk, with buttery notes carrying through from mid taste to after taste, joined by peeled almond at the finish. At the other end of the scale, the 24-month matured Vintage Clothbound Cheddar has a caramel sweetness running through the full flavour journey, accompanied by umami halfway through the initial taste and featuring buttery, sharp and salty notes along the way. 

Mary Quicke MBE explains: “The Flavour Mapping Project has been a labour of love, originating from countless conversations on the farm, as we’ve graded our cheese. Just as the cheese tastes different as you make your way from the rind to the centre of a clothbound truckle, there’s a multi-layered story to tell on the palate too. Building upon the work of organisations such as the Academy of Cheese, which is achieving great things with its structured approach to tasting, we hope that our flavour maps can help illuminate a new dimension of cheese for all those curd nerds out there. Cheddar is a fantastic place to start with this project, as I think many will be surprised at the diversity that is being produced from our little corner of Devon, but we really hope other cheesemakers will use the framework too. There’s a whole world of taste, texture and terroir to explore and a map is an essential tool for any journey!” 

To watch Mary Quicke’s video introducing the Flavour Mapping Project, visit www.quickes.co.uk. 

And our new fave might just be Brickell’s. Founded by Rob Gore (grandson of the founders of Westcombe dairy) the ice cream is made in the traditional way, using milk from their own herd of Holstein fresian cows, cream, egg yolk and cane sugar, and without any artificial stabilisers, emulsifiers or preservatives.

There’s a range of ‘classic’ flavours – vanilla, chocolate, salted caramel and roasted strawberry – as well as seasonal specials such as rhubarb crumble, and the utterly delicious sounding cinnamon toast which is made using sourdough from At The Chapel bakery in Bruton.

And even better, you can order online and get it delivered straight to your door!

For anyone who doesn’t know, can you explain what tempeh actually is?

Tempeh is made by forming cooked soya beans into a block and adding a culture to initiate a fermentation process. The end product has a firm texture, a nutty taste and is highly valued for the protein and fibre content. It has been a staple of Indonesian cuisine for centuries.

How do you use it?/What sort of dishes would you use it in?

The benefit of tempeh is that it can be used in so many dishes, I quite often start the day with scrambled tempeh, you can use it in sandwiches (in place of a BLT) or add it to the BBQ, the possibilities are endless. Tempeh does need to be cooked first, but it takes on flavour really well.

Is there just one type of tempeh or many variations?

The traditional soya bean tempeh is probably our most popular but we have also branched out by adding some more interesting flavours. These add an extra dimension to the dish, depending on what you are cooking. We offer a seeded batch tempeh, a four bean tempeh, tempeh with red quinoa and tempeh with Cornish seaweed.

Does tempeh have any particular health/nutritional benefits?

Absolutely, tempeh is high in fibre, high in protein and contains prebiotics which are known to help aid digestion. It is also packed with minerals (like iron & calcium) which are more bioavailable than traditional plant based foods thanks to the double fermentation. It is great as part of a nutritious diet, a particularly good plant based source of protein.

When and why did you first learn to make tempeh?

I started making tempeh whilst living on the Kenyan coast but with mixed results. So, before moving back to the UK, my wife and I travelled to Indonesia so I could learn to make tempeh from the masters.

What drove you to start Tempeh Meades?

In Indonesia, tempeh is eaten every day and bought fresh from the local market, whereas in the UK I could only ever find longer life, pasteurised tempeh. And the difference is substantial: fresh tempeh is simply more delicious, and has a much firmer texture. My plan was to make that fresh, Indonesian-style tempeh available to order across the UK.

Is it easy to find all the ingredients you need?

You can make tempeh with just about any pulse, grain or seed, although I have yet to find anything that tastes better than without including the soya bean. We source our organic soya beans from Italy but try to get the majority of our other ingredients from within the UK: our red quinoa comes is grown near Bath, and our seaweed is from Cornwall, for example.

What’s the biggest challenge in tempeh production?

Temperature control! The culture used for tempeh thrives in a hot & humid environment (i.e. Indonesia and not the UK!) so it needs to be kept warm. The flipside is that once the fermentation is active, you need to make sure the tempeh doesn’t overheat and whilst also ensuring it doesn’t cool too much. It’s a real balancing act and requires a lot of supervision over the 2 day fermentation. 

Has your tempeh been well-received locally?

It’s been embraced incredibly well in Bristol, where we make our tempeh. Our initial plan was to primarily sell to cafes and restaurants but we started the business just before Covid hit so had to dive straight into home deliveries. We were absolutely thrilled with the response. Bristol has a very strong foodie community (both vegan and omnivore) always keen to try new things, and who were happy to keep us going by stocking their freezer with our tempeh! And through this, we have built a loyal customer base locally. 

Available to order online from www.tempehmeades.com in various sizes, starting at 250g (approximately 3 servings) from £4.50. For inspiration and recipes visit www.tempehmeades.com/recipes

Few venues can truly attest to be as committed to provenance as Malcolm Church’s award-winning Bear & Blacksmith in South Devon…

“This time of year is my favourite time to cook because there’s so much you can do,” says Malcolm Church, Head Chef and Proprietor of The Bear & Blacksmith in Chillington. “We’ve got beautiful venison being shot right here on our own farm; there are brilliant root vegetables being harvested and some lovely fish in season. Yesterday, I made an oven roasted brill with a hazelnut crumb, celeriac puree, roasted veg and a rich lobster sauce – all sourced locally and as fresh as can be”.

It’s only 5 minutes into our conversation and I’m positively salivating. Malcolm and his team live by the ‘plot to plate’ mantra and as I sit and chat to this seasoned foodie, I quickly learn that everything he serves is proper homegrown grub – farmed, butchered and cooked onsite. 

“I’ve just bought some fantastic lobster off one of the fishermen I used to fish with” he tells me, “He doesn’t charge me silly money, so why should I charge you silly money? I want people to be able to head to The Bear & Blacksmith and enjoy half a lobster thermidor for less than £15. Good food should be affordable.” 

Humble Beginnings 

Malcolm’s foodie journey started out at sea, where he helped run a family business on a boat called The Salcombe Fish Wife. Day in and out, they would catch local crab and seafood to supply nearby Devon businesses. But through hard work and toil, a young Malcolm ended up injuring his shoulder and had to pack up his seafaring days aged just 16. 

“To cut a long story short, I was having a pint at my local pub when the landlord asked if I fancied trying my hand out in their kitchen,” he recalls, “So, my very first job as chef was here at The Bear & Blacksmith cooking Sunday Lunch doing a full 45 covers. I just loved the buzz of the kitchen. I loved the vibe and wanted to learn more. Thankfully, the chefs were willing to teach me, so that’s where I began”. 

Malcolm and his partner Claire are a true local success story. Starting off with just three and a half acres, a little polytunnel and a handful of pigs, they’ve grown their business to include a barn, nearly 70 acres of land and a string of local and regional accolades recognizing their achievements.

“People don’t always realize what goes on behind the scenes here at The Bear & Blacksmith” Malcolm explains, “We farm our own lamb, we farm our own pork and we grow our own vegetables wherever possible. It’s hard work! Last night, I finished up in the kitchens and I had to go down to the farm where there were stubble turnips to roll in the ground. I didn’t finish until midnight, when I finally got out of the tractor”. 

Homegrown Produce

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of The Bear & Blacksmith is its commitment to provenance and quality ingredients. There will always be homegrown dishes on the menu and guests have been known to rave about the exceptional Devon lamb dishes. What’s their secret? They raise around 150 sheep on their farm and keep everything in house, from rearing through to butchering. 

“The sheep are Claire’s domain,” Malcolm laughs, “She’s always wanted them”. He cites a long list of pedigree breeds from heart – many of which you’ll find on the menu – and it is abundantly clear to me that these guys genuinely love their animals. Only the highest quality meat is brought to the table and they are certain that it’s their commitment to proper husbandry that leaves guests wanting more.  

“If you grass feed your sheep and you don’t force them – like large scale commercial farms – you’ll end up with a better product,” I’m told; “Yes, it takes about 10 months to rear a lamb, but when you then put that lamb on the plate it’s one of the best things you’ll ever eat.”

Down in Chillington, everyone gets involved in the farm and growing. “We’ve got polytunnels and we try to grow all our own veg. We grow runner beans, broad beans, potatoes, courgettes, red cabbages, green cabbages, black peppers, tomatoes, aubergines…” 

The list goes on and on and anything that the team can’t grow on site, is sourced from other local foodie heroes, such as Martin Berryman in South Milton, just 3 miles away.

What’s on the menu?

While The Bear & Blacksmith will always be a country pub at its core – with a fiercely loyal clientele to boot – don’t expect to find a menu comprised purely of chips, pies and burgers. While they do offer a popular a la carte menu, featuring pub classics like burgers and fish & chips, diners are also treated to a constantly evolving specials board which is decided every morning and varies according to what is available on the day. 

Malcolm maintains that the key to creating his big, bold flavours is good quality produce. “We love to try different things and different flavours. It’s all about playing and having fun. But when you know where your ingredients are from and you know the background of it, you’re halfway there.” 

His love and passion for food is abundantly clear, but it’s his dedication to the community that is most admirable. “Many places will boast they are local, but they’re in it for the money,” Malcolm concludes, “They might not know where their meat is from and that’s not supporting the West Country, is it? I’ve been a farmer and I’ve been a fisherman. I know what goes into making quality food and ingredients and that’s why we do what we do.”

It’s a truly local, truly Devonian enterprise and as I sit and listen, I find myself getting pulled into the magic. If there’s one thing to take away from my chat with The Bear & Blacksmith, it’s that extraordinary flavours can be found right on our doorstep.

Interested in trying Malcolm’s ultra-local food for yourself? Head to thebearandblacksmith.com to book your table, or try your hand at Malcolm’s Lamb noisettes recipe. 

A: I’ve been working in the brewing industry for 18 years. Whilst I was a student studying Biotechnology at Kings College London, I found myself enjoying the beers that I was trying in the local pubs of West London. After graduating, I decided to pursue my passion for beer and went on to attend Heriot-Watt in Edinburgh, where I studied for an MSc in Brewing & Distilling. 

Q: Do you need any formal training to get into brewing?  

A: Technically you don’t have to have training in the UK to brew beer, but it certainly helps. Formal training gives you the discipline and the understanding of the biological and chemical reactions that happen throughout the brewing process.  

Q: How large is the Bath Ales brewery? 

A: We’re currently producing over 22,000 brewers barrels of beer annually at Hare Brewery and have the capacity to brew over 14.5 million pints every year!  

Q: What’s the best part of being a brewer? 

A: The best part of brewing is working together, as one team, to create something that people take genuine enjoyment in. The people in the brewing industry all have the same passion, so they are great to be around.   

Q: Are there any challenges that people wouldn’t expect?  

A: The biggest issue at the moment is lines and taps in pubs, where our beers are served. We make great beer but then are so reliant on the skill of the bar staff to clean the lines and look after the beer; serve it at the correct temperature and in the right glass. The perfect serve is really important to us.  

Q: For somebody who knows very little about beer, can you explain the difference between an ale and a lager please?  

A: For the average beer drinker, the difference between an ale and a lager comes down to how the beer looks, smells, and tastes. Ales tend to be fruity and malty while lagers are clean-tasting and frequently described as ‘crisp’. In brewing terms, lagers use an entirely different type of yeast during fermentation. Lager ferments for between 7-14 days at a cool temperature and ales ferment for 3-5 days, in warmer conditions.  

Q: More and more people are drinking beer in the UK. Why do you think this is?  

A: Beer is the third biggest drink in the world other than water and tea, so has always been very popular! In terms of younger drinkers, they’re craving a wider variety of beer styles and becoming more adventurous when it comes to their regular drink choices. The craft beer revolution hitting the UK in such a big way, has been integral to people becoming more adventurous in their choices and the variety of beer styles that they’re willing to try.  
  

Q: What is your favourite beer from the Bath Ales range and why?  

A: Lansdown is one of my favourites – it’s light, fruity and refreshing. Perfect for summer and available in cans, bottles and on draught, in pubs throughout the West Country.  

Q: Are there any microbreweries in the UK that you think are producing nice beers? 

A: There are some great brewers up in Bristol and Bath – I’m a real fan of Wiper & True and Good Chemistry.   

Q: What’s the best way to enjoy a pint?  

A: Sitting in the sunshine with family, good friends and a pint of Gem! 

www.bathales.com

Whilst the UK is one of the biggest global consumers of wine, it may surprise you to learn that it is also one of the smallest wine-producing countries in the world. Things are slowly changing though – the area under vine in the UK has increased by 135% in the last decade and winemaking is becoming one of the UK’s fastest growing industries…

For many years, the climate across the West Country has lent itself to the production of sparkling wines. Lower temperatures across the growing season can make it harder to ripen grapes, meaning the wines that are produced have particularly high levels of acidity. Whilst this would sometimes be an undesirable trait for still wines, these grapes perfectly lend themselves to the production of sparkling wine. Indeed, winemakers in Champagne will often pick their grapes before they are fully ripe to preserve these high levels of acidity.

Few have taken advantage of these growing conditions better than Camel Valley, located in Nanstallon, just outside of Bodmin. Cornwall’s winemaking conditions are very similar to Mosel in Germany, due to the hilly terrain, cool growing season and slate-rich soils. So, it was particularly fortunate that ex-RAF pilot Bob Lindo spent a year working in Germany’s vineyards. He founded Camel Valley with his wife, Annie, in 1989 and they’ve been making award-winning wines there ever since. As testament to the quality of their fizz, Camel Valley has since scooped up a plethora of awards; including ‘Best International Traditional Method Sparkling Wine’. You’ll also notice their bottles on the wine lists of many of the West Country’s most prestigious restaurants.

Over on Cornwall’s south coast you’ll find the vineyards of Knightor Winery. The wines here tend to have a slightly more ‘new world’ influence than those at Camel Valley. The winery itself is located a couple of miles from the Eden Project, and the capsules that sit on top of the cork are made of Cornish tin in a nod to the areas mining history. Whilst Knightor make exceptional wines, I highly recommend their Vermouth. Vermouth is fortified wine that is aromatised with a unique recipe of herbs and spices, and the balance of sweetness and flavour that Knightor achieve across their range is why they’re one of my favourite cocktail ingredients at the moment. The Rosé Vermouth is also a great drink to pair with cheese and makes an interesting after dinner alternative.

Moving east, Lyme Bay Winery work with growers all over the country to source the best grapes for their still and sparkling wines. The wines are made in a more aromatic style to pair with the seafood dishes the surrounding area has become famous for, which is best reflected in their ‘Bacchus Block’. I like Bacchus, as it’s probably the only grape that has a dominant ‘grape’ characteristic once it’s been made in to wine. Lyme Bay have added additional complexity to it by ageing a small amount of this wine in old oak barriques.

There are some excellent wines being made in the West Country, but unpicking the nuances of grape and region can be a tricky (and expensive) task. Thankfully, there’s help at hand from Mark Banham, owner of Morrish and Banham Wine Merchant in Brewery Square, Dorchester. Mark started in the wine trade in 1990 and became a Wine & Spirit Education Trust Certified Educator in 2014. He now presides over a wide range of wines to enjoy either in their tasting room or at home. Morrish and Banham hold wine tasting and food matching events across Dorset on a monthly basis, and for true enthusiasts, Mark also runs the Morrish and Banham Wine School.

English Wine accounts for around 1% of the UK wine market, which isn’t too surprising considering we pop over 100 million bottles of Prosecco a year. But recent changes in climate and additional investment are meaning that some of the wines we’re making are ranking high on an international scale. Try swapping your usual pre-dinner drink for a glass of West County fizz next time you’re out, you might just be surprised…