Monthly Archives: March 2018

Getting the gins in with Hayman’s

Posted on by under Europe, gin

There are plenty of ex City boys making trendy versions of gin, but the real deal is out there too. Nick went to meet the Haymans, who’ve been keeping gin in the family since 1863

Line them up barman

You’d never guess there was now a gin distillery in Balham, South West London, and, if you didn’t know where to look it’s unlikely you’d find it if you did. I went past the rather secret entrance a few times.

I rather expected something Victorian, Dickensian even, but no. The converted industrial unit is shining bright and beautifully fitted out inside. You know Grand Designs? Or as we call it in my home ‘Better Houses Than Yours’? Well this is the kind of thing that gets Kevin all excited. Continue reading →

Lemons over the Atlantic

Posted on by under Europe, food, food producers

With the Beast From The East arriving imminently, Nick probably didn’t pick the best night to go to New Covent Garden Market to see how top restaurants get their fresh veg every day.

“It’s called the ‘Flash’,” one of the market traders tells me, almost invisible under his layers and layers of warm clothing on this freezing night in Vauxhall.

He’s talking about the beautiful display of fresh veg outside his unit on Buyers’ Row at New Covent Garden Market. Boxes and boxes of vegetables and fruits, from the exotic to the everyday, all painstakingly assembled into an eye-catching tribute to the freshest produce money can buy. Continue reading →