How to grow juniper and start a gin garden

Top notch London distillers, Portobello Road Gin, have come up with a gintastic scheme to boost Britain’s declining juniper – they’re encouraging gardeners to grow their own juniper trees and send the berries to the distillery to turn into bespoke booze. To get the campaign up and running they’re sending out juniper saplings with purchases of a 75cl limited edition bottle from Waitrose this summer.

Being keen booze-growing gardeners we’ve been asked to help promote their efforts and have got our gloved mitts on one of their saplings. They’ve also handily sent out some juniper growing instructions, put together by TV gardening ace Alice Vincent, which we’ve published below. We’ve gone for the ‘grow it in a large pot’ option, which will soon be the centerpiece of our new gin garden. The pot in question is a rather splendid charcoal fibreglass piece which, at a capacity of 40cm cubed, should give ample room for growth over the next few years.

We’ve sprinkled a layer of wood chippings on the surface of the compost to make it look tidy and make it feel more like it’s in a Scandinavian woodland setting, and less in a scruffy garden in Somerset. It has been in its new home for over a week and already looks like it’s in for the duration (ie not gone brown and crispy just yet).

And while we’re keen that our new tree will help us get in with the gin crowd, there are other boozes we’ll be looking to make with a bumper juniper harvest. Our book, Brew it Yourself, has a few recipes requiring juniper, including a Viking inspired rye ale, while Rich has been guzzling a top notch juniper liqueur and is desperately trying to deconstruct it in order to make his own version.*

How to grow juniper trees from a sapling

Alice Vincent’s top tips

1 Make sure the soil is well-draining to ensure your juniper grows well in a wide range of temperatures. Junipers are really hardy and great for beginners so once you’ve planted it there’s not much TLC required.

2 The juniper sapling provided is a plug plant, which means it comes with its ready to go in compost. You can plant it all year round.

3 You can grow Junipers in a large plant pot or in your garden. Make sure the area is free of weeds and other plants.

4 Dig a hole about double the size of the rootball and surrounding compost, and gently tease out the roots.

5 Pop the rootball into the hole and gently pat the soil around it. Give it a good drink of water.

6 For the first two weeks, water your Juniper two to three times a week. Then let it be – if it gets too wet, it won’t be happy!

7 Little further cultivation should be required. Wait for the plant to start producing the wonderful Juniper berry!

Get your limited edition gin from Waitrose or order your own juniper sapling from Portobello Gin’s website www.portobelloroadgin.com

Our fibreglass planter came from planters-online.co.uk

*Junique, a white wine/juniper liqueur – well worth seeking out if you have a penchant for juniper. And wine. Tastes amazing over ice. Get some here.

The post How to grow juniper and start a gin garden appeared first on Two Thirsty Gardeners.

from Two Thirsty Gardeners http://twothirstygardeners.co.uk/2017/08/how-to-grow-juniper-and-start-gin-garden-portobello/

Review: Charles Bentley Bistro Set

Let us be clear, this summer has not really been the weather for outdoor dining. Late spring saw us galavanting around the garden with fistfuls of BBQ-ed meats, skipping around in flip-flops and sniffing armfuls of fragrant blooms. But the moment the kids broke up for school holidays, Monsoon Season UK announced itself and ruined everything. Ever since, our outdoor excursions have been confined to rain-dodging dashes to the brewing shed for supplies before skulking back inside to sulk in front of Netflix.

But we live in hope of a sunny September, when we can kick back and relive the sun-kissed delights of alfresco dining. We managed to get our fists on a nice bistro set just before the weather turned nasty – it’s a swanky one from Bentley that ticks all the boxes. Well-constructed and sure footed, it will perch proudly on a patio, decking or balcony garden. Made from steel and painted with a coated powder finish means it’s maintenance free – just give it a cursory wipe down to remove any spilled Bolognese – and comes in a variety of colours, from soft hued lilac to zingy lemon yellow.

You can fold down the table and chairs faster than shouting ‘flash flood!’, and its slim profile means it doesn’t take up valuable space in the shed; space that could be filled with other, more precious items – such as sacks of apples and bottles of booze.

Cider season will soon be upon us and the table and chairs will be replaced on the patio by the cider press. But for now, we dream of sitting betwix the welcoming metal limbs of our Bentley Bistro Set – Bolognese optional; pint of cider, compulsory.

Charles Bentley Bistro Set
Price: £69.99
Available from: BuyDirect4U

The post Review: Charles Bentley Bistro Set appeared first on Two Thirsty Gardeners.

from Two Thirsty Gardeners http://twothirstygardeners.co.uk/2017/08/review-charles-bentley-bistro-set/

The five best new gins

Earlier this year we listed our ten favourite new gins for the Independent (you can read the piece here) and, since its publication, we’ve been regularly contacted by distilleries eager to shower us with booze for any potential updates. Every week it would seem another new gin or three is being released, often using interesting or unusual ingredients, and they’re mostly of an excellent quality. Being generous gin guzzlers we suggested we could publish an update on our own site. We would include the five best samples since that initial piece. And we would call it ‘The five best new gins’.

“Count us in” cried the distilleries –  so, without further wasted words of introduction, here they are…*

Marylebone Gin, 50.2%

£49.49 per 700ml bottle

This is a proper London Dry Gin, made in London and distilled to a boozy 50.2% ABV. It has gently floral aromatics and a big depth of flavour, but we like it best because you can really taste the juniper – fruity and bitter, crying out for a splash of tonic and a slice of lime. In fact it made such a good juniper accented G&T we used it as one of our g(u)inea pigs** for another Independent feature to find out the best drinks mixers*** (you can read that one here).

Click to buy a bottle

Nicholson London Dry Gin, 40.3%

£34.95 per 700ml bottle

With this spirit we’re taking you back to gin’s heyday and a booze originally made in 1736. It meets the ‘new’ criteria because it has only just been revived, using the Nicholson family’s recipe. It’s another London Dry Gin with prominent juniper flavours accompanied by some nice spice of coriander along with a bit of nutmeg and some fresh citrus notes. A top notch traditional gin.

Click to buy a bottle 

Slingsby Navy Strength Gin, 57%

£63.96 per 700ml bottle

If you thought Marylebone gin was strong, brace yourself for this nautical number distilled in Harrogate from the town’s famous spring water. Botanicals used include primrose, milk thistle and, perhaps inevitably for a Yorkshire product, rhubarb. Have a sip and you’ll be met with a joyous rush of booze but will also notice it’s surprisingly smooth. It’s quite a citrussy drink up front – and you should also be able to detect a few hints of that rhubarb – and it finishes in a well rounded swirl of mellow juniper flavours.

Click to buy a bottle

Earl Grey Forest Gin, 39.5%

£67.50 per 700ml bottle

We’re heading over to the Peak District for this special gin which comes in one of the most stunning ceramic bottles we’ve seen. Ingredients from the local forest go into the distillation and include pine, bilberry, gorse and moss. The gin then receives the addition of a locally blended Earl Grey tea, which itself includes bergamot and Sicillian lemon, along with local spring water. The result is a wonderfully complex drink, with subtle herby and woody flavours mingling with fruit and floral notes and releasing the comforting fragrances of the Earl Grey. Take your time with this one – it’s a bit special.

Click to buy a bottle

Durham Gin, 40%

£29.99 per 700ml bottle

“I’ve got to leave old Durham Town” warbled avuncular, mustachioed whistle-smith Roger Whittaker. He wouldn’t have been in such haste if he’d filled his cup with this tasty booze. Durham Gin is a London Dry Gin made from a savoury mix of ten botanicals, featuring the likes of cardamon, orris and celery seed. It’s a fresh, floral number with peppery overtones and a long smooth finish – just the ticket for a gin heavy G&T. Top marks marks too for the holographic-tastic bottle label which was inspired by the Rose Window – Durham Cathedral’s vast, stained glass-terpiece. 

Click to buy a bottle 

 

*All prices correct at time of publication)

**This wordplay isn’t working, is it? GINea pigs. Get it now? No? Hmm, sorry…

***And to complete the ‘new’ theme, try combining it with one of the ace new mixers from Double Dutch. We’re quite keen on the pomegranate and basil mixer, but they do some great tonics and ginger beer as well.

The post The five best new gins appeared first on Two Thirsty Gardeners.

from Two Thirsty Gardeners http://twothirstygardeners.co.uk/2017/08/ive-best-new-gins-slingsby-nicholson-forest-earl-grey-marylebone-durham/

Chelsea Flower Show 2017

Early this summer saw us once again swap the leafy lanes of Somerset for the filthy underground tramways of Big Smoke in order to rub shoulders with the gardening elite at the Chelsea Flower Show. Nick was absent from this year’s festivities (he claims to break out in hives when confronted with folks wearing posh frocks and Panama hats) so it was up to me to bag some ‘quality content’* for this here website.

After elbowing past Gloria Hunniford at the gates, there was time for a few circuits of the showground and a swift game of ‘Chelsea Celebrity Bingo’** before knuckling down to work.*** My previous visit to Chelsea was all about the long lens, used to snag pictures of unsuspecting celebrities who were busy flitting between show gardens like booze bees in search of their next free Moet fix-up. For this year’s visit, I revisited the high risk, maximum reward, RIGHT UP IN YOUR GRILL voxpop format, as unleashed with devastating effect at Toby Buckland’s Garden Festival (then swiftly abandoned after a confidence crushing encounter at last year’s Chelsea.)

Often referred to as ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’****, Chelsea has always been a showcase for cutting-edge horticultural craft, setting the trends for the season ahead. But what does Chelsea mean to the garden designers, exhibitors and punters that inhabit the show? Let’s find out…

Thanks to all those that humored me. Take it away, folks!

 

Jake Hobson
Niwaki

What’s the best thing about the Chelsea Flower Show?
The atmosphere

If you could take one thing home with you, what would it be?
A Wills Bees bespoke wallet.

After a hard day’s gardening, what drink do you reach for?
A nice cold beer

————————-

Lee Connolly
Skinny Jean Gardener

What’s the best thing about the Chelsea Flower Show?
Finding gardening inspiration

If you could take one thing home with you, what would it be?
A nice vegetable from Chris Evans’ Taste Garden.

After a hard day’s gardening, what drink do you reach for?
A pint of something

————————-

Sally Newall
Editor

What’s the best thing about the Chelsea Flower Show?
The whole occasion. It doesn’t get more British than this

If you could take one thing home with you, what would it be?
A treehouse

After a hard day’s gardening, what drink do you reach for?
G&T made with Hendricks and lime.

————————-

Fred Foot
Bulldog Tools

What’s the best thing about the Chelsea Flower Show?
The variety of people that visit.

If you could take one thing home with you, what would it be?
A bunch of flowers for the missus.

After a hard day’s gardening, what drink do you reach for?
A pint of Abbot ale, served in my pewter tankard with a glass bottom and a King’s shilling in the base.

————————-

Jaap Sneeboer
Sneeboer Tools

What’s the best thing about the Chelsea Flower Show?
Meeting the gardeners

If you could take one thing home with you, what would it be?
My wife!

After a hard day’s gardening, what drink do you reach for?
Prosecco. Possibly gin, but I think Prosecco.

————————-

Charlie Edmondson
Pepe garden furniture

What’s the best thing about the Chelsea Flower Show?
A Mecca for gardening

If you could take one thing home with you, what would it be?
One of my relaxing products

After a hard day’s gardening, what drink do you reach for?
A glass of sauvignon blanc. Then another.

————————-

Paul Whittick and Brian Smith
Chelsea Pensioners

What’s the best thing about the Chelsea Flower Show?
Living here

If you could take one thing home with you, what would it be?
Jo Whiley

After a hard day’s gardening, what drink do you reach for?
H20 Mango. (Brian would grab a Guinness)

————————-

Alan Titchmarsh
Legend

What’s the best thing about the Chelsea Flower Show?
Being inspired by the new plants

If you could take one thing home with you, what would it be?
I haven’t spotted anything yet

After a hard day’s gardening, what drink do you reach for?
A nice G&T

————————-

Rich Hall
Comedian

What’s the best thing about the Chelsea Flower Show?
The sheds

If you could take one thing home with you, what would it be?
The Royal Bank of Canada Garden. All of it.

After a hard day’s gardening, what drink do you reach for?
A cold Modelo beer. It’s Mexican

————————-

Kate Wyer-Roberts (with Dominic)
Garden Designer

What’s the best thing about the Chelsea Flower Show?
The sheer variety of things to see.

If you could take one thing home with you, what would it be?
This Nicolas Morton pebble seat

After a hard day’s gardening, what drink do you reach for?
G&T with Fever Tree tonic, or a Badger ginger beer.

————————-

Ann-Marie Powell
Garden Designer

What’s the best thing about the Chelsea Flower Show?
I love everything!

If you could take one thing home with you, what would it be?
Charlotte Harris’ garden

After a hard day’s gardening, what drink do you reach for?
Fizzy wine. I like my wine!

 

1. James Basson’s Maltese ode to Minecraft.
2. A panda trashing the ‘Chengdu Silk Road Garden’
3. All hail the May Queen! The M&Gs flower dress.
4. Ever increasing circles on The David Harber trade stand
5. Trumpet time on Manjo Malde’s ‘Beneath a Mexican Sky’
6. Charlotte Harris’s Canadian cool.
7. Stag, bear, horse, horse, horse, (and what looks like the rear end of a swine)
8. Joe Swift, Wishing he was fishing.

 

 

---

* Pictures of flowers
** That bloke from Strictly – Tick. Nick Knowles – Tick. Raymond ‘Bindweed’ Blanc (he gets everywhere) – Tick, tick, tick
*** Taking some pictures of flowers
**** See also ‘Billy Smarts Circus’

The post Chelsea Flower Show 2017 appeared first on Two Thirsty Gardeners.

from Two Thirsty Gardeners http://twothirstygardeners.co.uk/2017/08/chelsea-flower-show-2017/

In pictures: Langham Wine Estate’s fine vines

English sparkling wine is now recognised as being among the best in the world, but this year we heard reports that late frosts and unseasonal high winds were causing havoc with the nations vineyards. So we darted off to Dorset to view the vines at Langham Wine Estate and can happily report that all looks good for another great harvest and some more exceptional wines.

Langham Wine Estate is situated in Crawthorne, Dorset, with a south facing aspect and the perfect chalky soil for growing Champagne grape varieties

 

The vineyards have been planted with three varieties – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier – and their buds were on the verge of bursting into flower when we visited

 

Trellis wires need to be raised in late spring to give the rapidly growing vines something to latch onto

 

Inside one of the barns where wines are pressed, fermented and aged in barrels

 

Langham Wine Estates range of wines includes classic cuvées, rosés and a limited edition blanc de noir

 

Thanks to Daniel Ham, Langham’s winemaker, for showing us around the vineyards

For more information on the Langham Wine Estate vineyards and a list of stockists visit www.langhamwine.co.uk

The post In pictures: Langham Wine Estate’s fine vines appeared first on Two Thirsty Gardeners.

from Two Thirsty Gardeners http://twothirstygardeners.co.uk/2017/07/in-pictures-langham-wine-estates-fine-vines/

3 garden tips of the season

Spring brings out the best in Mother Nature. This is when she gets the opportunity to take back the original definition of the word “blooming” into its literal and natural sense of the word. You witness the fields reawakened with the presence of azaleas, redbuds, dogwoods, carpet phlox, daffodils and flowering quince. The air smells sweet of the fruity fragrance of cherries and pears along with some rhododendron and forsythia. In case you haven’t realized yet, welcome to the Piedmont landscapes. Some of you may be expecting “Welcome back to the Piedmont landscapes”. Because by the time these flowering beauties have been enumerated, you have reimagined Piedmont all over again as if meeting it for the first time.

Gardening enthusiasts familiar with this kind of landscape would have loved to see and smell the flowers for all of the four seasons that they have lived in the Piedmont landscapes. Green is good as far as landscapes may go. But not so good if it is at the expense of that sweet smell and lively colors. With these concerns noted, you should keep in consideration these four-season gardening tips:

1. Apply color contrast. 
Not all leaves are green and it does not mean lack of health on the part of the plant. Think of the burgundy leaves associated with certain flowering plants. As much as your plants bloom in spring, they don’t last that long. So to balance the color schemes present in your garden, have some plants with colors other than green to make up for the absence of some flowers. It also creates the illusion that winter hasn’t gotten that close yet.

2. Know which flowers can get through the winter and bloom in spring.
Some gardeners have their stock of tubers and bulbs bought from some specialty gardening stores. Plants like tulips, daffodils, amaryllis and crocus, to name some, survive the winter season. Think of them as similar to animals who hibernate in the winter only to come out come spring time. Except that these plants bloom in spring to make your garden colorful again. Asiatic and Oriental lilies are lovely in spring but tough in winter. They have flowers that you’d love to have on your vase by the guest room.

3. Sequence your plants based on which blooms first in the summer.
Hydrangeas are recommended to include in your collection of blooms. Different breeds bloom in different parts of spring with the Annabelle hydrangeas blooming first. Blue mophead hydrangeas bloom next and finally, pinky winky hydrangeas. Pinky winky hydrangeas are interchangeable with firelight hydrangeas and limelight hydrangeas depending on which breed do you find in your chosen gardening store first. Various breeds of hydrangea are known to be “southern belles” which gives you an idea of how well the blooms would flounder in the hotter months.

from Sublime Wind Chime http://www.sublimewindchime.com/2017/07/28/3-garden-tips-of-the-season/

Enjoy these two easy home grown gin cocktails

Every summer we tramp up and down the land providing booze making demos, with a home grown twist, for punters eager to expand their drinks repertoire.* This year’s tour kicked off at RHS Hampton Court where we impressed the assembled masses with a close up look at some key gin ingredients, including a juniper tree, sticks of licorice root and Rich’s Bearded Iris before conjuring up a pair of tasty cocktails – recipes below.

Our summer supply of gin was kindly provided by Tanqueray – it’s our favourite of the widely available gins and a great example of the London Dry style, showing off the juniper with a minimum of other complimentary botanicals. It’s also a great base for any number of drinks, including our cocktails.

We each made a home grown cocktail, asking the crowds to vote for their favourite**, and have reproduced the recipes below. Try them out and let us know which you think is best…

Grow you own cocktail recipes

Nick’s ‘cool as a minty cucumber’ cocktail

Nothing can be more refreshing than an ice cold gin cocktail infused with the fresh summer flavours of mint, cucumber and lime. And to make it couldn’t be easier. You’ll need (per serving)…

• 50ml gin
• Six to ten mint leaves
• A slice of cucumber the thickness off a thumb
• Half a lime
• Tonic water
• Ice

To make, simply put the gin into a small jug or cocktail shaker, add the mint leaves (scrunching them up first) and the cucumber (chopping it roughly first). Squeeze in the juice from the lime, then bung in the de-juiced rind for good measure.

If you’re using a jug, bash it all about a bit with a spoon; if you’re using a shaker, give it a vigorous shake then let it sit for a few minutes while filling a tall glass or tumbler with ice cubes. Pour in the gin and top up with tonic (we suggest a ratio of 1 gin to 2 tonic, but you can adjust for your own preference). If you’re serving this to someone special, top with a sprig of mint and thin slice of cucumber. If it’s for yourself, don’t bother – they’ll only get in the way.

Enjoy.

+++++

Rich’s rhubarb collins

Make it a rhubarb boozeday with Rich’s cocktail, which first requires making a simple syrup.

For the syrup…
• 600g rhubarb
• 200g caster sugar
• 30g grated ginger (optional)
• 500ml water

Chop up the rhubarb into 4cm pieces and lob the above ingredients into a pan. Bring to the boil then simmer for approximately 15 minutes with the lid on, until the rhubarb has turned into pulp. Carefully pour the hot mixture into a pitcher, and then strain through a muslin cloth and funnel into your chosen bottles.

For the cocktail…

• 50ml gin
• 25ml rhubarb syrup (or 50ml for those with a sweet tooth)
• 25ml freshly squeezed lemon juice

Put the ingredients into a cocktail shaker, along with a 5-6 large ice cubes. Give it a good old shake before straining it into a tall glass half-filled with ice. Top up with soda water. Drink.

Rich in action at RHS Hampton Court’s cookery stage

 

*Or, more likely, eager to snaffle some free samples

**They were far too polite to express a preference, generally hailing both as tasty successes

 

The post Enjoy these two easy home grown gin cocktails appeared first on Two Thirsty Gardeners.

from Two Thirsty Gardeners http://twothirstygardeners.co.uk/2017/07/enjoy-two-easy-home-grown-gin-mint-rhubarb-cocktails/