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Our producers are true artisans, and all invest great time and energy in creating food
and drink that reflect the nature of Cornwall.
Camel Valley : www.camelvalley.com
The wines
produced at the Camel Valley Vineyard encapsulate the pleasures
of a perfect Cornish summer. Almost exactly halfway between the
Atlantic and Channel coasts, the vineyard’s 8,000 vines lie in a
sheltered position on the south-facing slopes of the beautiful
Camel Valley, benefiting from the mild climate of this part of
Cornwall. Traditional methods are used in growing the grapes,
while a New World approach is taken when it comes to the
winemaking itself, and this combination has proved incredibly
successful. The ‘Cornwall Brut’, the Cornish answer to
Champagne, has received a great deal of critical acclaim, both
in the UK and abroad, earning the vineyard’s winemaker, Bob
Lindo, many high-profile fans – this is the bubbly served at
Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant.
Menallack Farm :
The south
coast of Cornwall feels a million miles from the madness of the
modern world, and it even has it’s own mild and mellow
microclimate. It is in this oasis of calm that you’ll find Caryl
and John Minson, busy producing some of the best farmhouse
cheeses in Cornwall. This is a long way from industrial cheese
making – the cheese is made in small batches by hand, in the
converted granite barns on the farm. Caryl and John are
perfectionists when it comes to cheese, and adamantly refuse to
cut corners, speed up their processes, or compromise on their
ingredients. They start with the unpasteurised milk from small
local dairy herds, and then handcraft their cheeses, slowly and
laboriously, to produce a true artisan product. The result is
cheese that reflects the seasons and has a wonderful sense of
tradition.
St Austell Brewery :
The St
Austell Brewery is something of a legend in Cornwall, with a
rich and complex history going back over 150 years. Despite the
fact that some of their beers can be found as guest ales in pubs
much further afield than Cornwall, St Austell Brewery remains an
independent family company. As you would expect from an old
Cornish brewery, the ales brewed here all have an abundance of
character, and both the beers that feature in our hampers are
2004 ‘Great Taste Awards’ medal winners. The first, ‘Tribute’ is
arguably the classic Cornish ale: a fresh ‘citrus’ nose
followed by a satisfying hoppy palate make for a beautifully
rounded beer. Clouded Yellow is a wheat beer of great
sophistication, with a complex yet subtle balance of spices and
vanilla and a suggestion of sweetness. These two beers perfectly
demonstrate Cornish tradition and inventiveness working in
tandem. |
