Luscombe Drinks: Organic, Local, Delicious

I have already waxed lyrical about Luscombe Passionate Ginger Beer - their newest offering and absolutely lovely.  A great combination of flavours - and I don't necessarily like things to be 'mucked around'. The passionfruit flavour works really well with the ginger and light fizz.

It was good to revisit these:  Strawberry Crush, Damascene Rose Bubbly (I think I tried this at Exeter Food Festival), Raspberry Crush, Wild Elderflower Bubbly.  They were all good - my children, aged 14 and 15 polished them off as an after-school treat - they loved them.  They had the Strawberry Crush and Raspberry Crush.  They are not a huge fan of fizzy drinks normally - they prefer milk or water - but they really enjoyed these.  I think lots of parents would rather their offspring had these rather than the ubiquitous caffeinated, full-of-sugar alternatives.  Three of the four were organic and they are made in Buckfastleigh I believe - the site of a lovely lunch I had recently!

These are perfect for summer days - I stored them in the fridge and served them with ice.  It is very nice to sit down and sip a Luscombe drink in the garden whilst waiting for dinner to be ready (sorry, that was a dream...).

Ashridge Cider - Devon Blush - Worth £15 a Pop?

I recently attended a really interesting Tasting Panel, hosted by the great magazine that is devoted purely to food and drink from Devon, Taste Buds.  We tried all sorts of Devon produce (ice creams, chutneys and ciders) but for me the stand-out product was the Ashridge Devon Blush Cider.  

It contains a dash of blackberry liqueur - it's presented as a Champagne bottle and is such a summery drink.  The perfect balance of fruitiness and apple and blackberry flavours without being cloying.  I have previously tried Polgoon, a sparkling rose Cornish cider, another premium product, but I definitely preferred the Devon Blush Cider.

 Priced at £30.24 for a double box including delivery - so it's not exactly a cheap alternative to a pint of Strongbow.  But for posh summer drinking (weddings?) it's a beautiful tipple.