Tom Amery from The Watercress Company with Professor Paul Winyard and Dr Kyle Stewart from Watercress Research Ltd [Al Brady Photography] Watercress scientists celebrate breakthrough following 10 years of research. The Watercress Company commissioned the project, which saw the formation of a team of experts called Watercress Research Ltd. A commercial product will be launched in January 2024, which has been found to be instrumental for soothing nappy rash and various skin complaints. Research continues in this field, as a genetics professor has published medical papers demonstrating ..read more

Fowey RNLI outside Flapjackery Fowey Flapjackery, a Devon-based business renowned for its hand-crafted, artisan gluten-free flapjacks, is delighted to announce its shops have raised nearly £2500 for charity. The money was raised through a unique initiative that encourages customers to choose a more environmentally friendly option when they purchase flapjacks and other sweet treats. Flapjackery, which has shops in Tavistock, Plymouth, Falmouth, St Ives, Minehead, Bath, Wells, Fordmore Farm Shop near Cullompton, and Dartmouth, has not only been satisfying those with a sweet tooth but has also i ..read more

Alex Williams shaking the hand of NPD and Innovation Manager Zoe Plant with the team outside The Food WorksSW With their expert support and industry advice, North Somerset-based food and drink innovation centre The Food WorksSW is helping Well Fruited, the winners of their 2023 new business competition, get one step closer to realising their dream of seeing their new fruit SuperBlend™ drink on the shelves of independent farm shops, delis and major supermarkets. As part of their competition prize Alex Williams and Ben Kaye, the duo behind the drinks brand, have recently spent time in the centr ..read more

Devon-based Eversfield Organic Ltd, one of the UK’s leading organic grocery services, is thrilled to announce its incorporation of Coombe Farm Organic. This strategic move will double the size of Eversfield Organic’s online butchery business and enhance their ability to provide its customer base with the highest standard of ethically sourced meat. Mark Bury, Managing Director of Eversfield Organic, comments: ”We’re excited to be able to continue the outstanding mission that Coombe Farm Organic has set out to accomplish. We have been incredibly impressed by their ethos and their dedication to p ..read more

New venues offering food and drink set up all the time across the region and most fall into the obvious categories ranging from cut-price cafes to high-end restaurants.  But there’s a story emerging in North Devon which is in a league of its own. It is called The Collective at Woolsery, so let me spell out the basics of its evolution so that you can see what a very remarkable, and promising, story this is. First we must imagine a village which, like so many rural communities, was struggling a little as the nation’s demographics shift and change. The pub had closed, the village shop looks ..read more

Some of the greatest childhood memories are made when exploring outside, which is why Sandridge Barton’s free Vineyard Nature Trail looks sure to be top of parents’ bucket lists this year. The trail starts from Sandridge Barton’s Visitor Centre at Lower Well Farm and is great fun for kids, and informative for adults too. It's set in the countryside on the edge of the River Dart close to Stoke Gabriel in south Devon where an idyllic landscape of wildlife, trees, hedgerows, and woodland is also home to 32 acres of vineyards which produce grapes for Sandridge Barton Wines and the well-known Shar ..read more

Raising awareness for men's mental health, Philip Everett-Lyons, founder and CEO of South Devon’s Hattiers Rum, took on the Great Glen Way Canoe Trail with two of his closest friends, Martin Davidson and Rik Dyson. Having taken place ahead of Mental Health Awareness Week (Monday 15th May), the trio set out to raise vital funds from the challenge for mental health charity, Mind and are proud to announce they have raised a total of £1610 so far. Their journey started on Sunday 7th May and took five days to complete, covering 60 miles in their canoes. The Great Glen Way Canoe Trail is one of Sco ..read more

What a week of superb weather! The perfect picnic scenario, indeed. Lots of sunshine and cloudless blue skies, but without it being really scorching. The grass on our lawn has been bone dry by ten most mornings, essential if you want to avoid soggy picnic rugs, but the midday sun never reached the sort of temperatures which could turn bread to toast. Which may be a bit of an exaggeration, but there were times during last summer’s heatwaves when it was too hot to eat lunch under a burning sun. Perhaps that’s just me getting old. You cannot cope with heat in your older years like your could in y ..read more

It has been a tough couple of years for anyone involved with the South West’s food, drink and hospitality industry, which is why a well-organised ceremony celebrating remarkable achievements in the sector can mean the world to businesses great and small across the region.   That was the underlying theme of the much anticipated Food Reader Awards 2023, staged in Cornwall last week. “The South West’s food, drink and hospitality sector is currently operating in the toughest environment for many years, yet powerful feelings of pride and determination were the overriding emotions at this ..read more

It was a decade ago that I heard of a new form of barbecue which was just being introduced to the UK at the time and, being an avid outdoor cookery enthusiast, I was one of the first to purchase a kamado-style cooker. It was fairly expensive, but I was delighted with the results and have cooked many hundreds of meals on it since, including numerous Christmas dinners. This article as seen in the Western Morning News on Saturday May 13 A modern kamado is basically a new-take on a form of ancient Japanese clay-lined oven. You may have seen the egg-shaped wonders at garden centres or outdoor food ..read more