As an optimistic student, I decided to eschew all caffeine and only drink herbal tea. I was doing pretty well until the pressures of life and work took hold.

Then I found myself reaching for harder stuff. The PG Tips temptation was too much to resist and I was soon hooked.

In time, I found myself rationing instant coffee to a level teaspoon per mug.

But the true turning point came when I started having to start work at 6am on a regular basis.

Nowadays a large mug of filter is usually the first thing on my mind as soon as I get up.

So when I noticed that the Lahloo Pantry tea room had opened in Clifton Village in Bristol, I was in two minds.

I liked the company’s style, having seen their offerings at various West Country food festivals over the past couple of years.

I was even seduced into buying a packet of their ‘Smokey’ tea on a sunny day in Dartmouth, which I’ve drunk a grand total of three times.

In fact, I’ve just checked and it’s out of date.

But always keen to try new things, I suggested it to Mr Foodies South West when he was next in town and we headed there after a Sunday walk at Ashton Court.

Tucked away on Kings Road, it lives up to its slogan, ‘A Very Modern Tea Room’, with the teas and their paraphernalia lining the walls and complimenting the minimalist decor.

I ordered a pot of wild rose tea and a cheese scone while Mr FSW ordered the Bristol Brew and a slice of chocolate and pear cake.

My tea tasted like water with a few petals thrown in, but the process of drinking it was really pleasant, mainly due to the see-through teapot and dinky handle-less teacups.

The cheese scone with creme fraiche and savory jam was delicious, and the dishes on the menu looked pretty good too.

Combined with the chilled ambience and friendly table service, it’s a calm retreat in the middle of the city.

I may not be a herbal tea convert yet, but I’m sure I’ll be back.

 Camel Valley Vineyard in Cornwall is applying for Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) recognition for its Darnibole wine, the EU-wide equivalent of the French Appellation d’origine controlee (AOC) which is given to products of a certain standard.

 The vineyard near Bodmin, which was stated by Bob and Annie Lindo in 1989, has this year already trumped champagne-makers including Bollinger at the Bollecine del Mondo wine competition in Verona, Italy, with their sparkling “Cornwall Brut” wines.

If successful the PDO will apply to white wine made from Bacchus grapes grown in one small 3.5-acre section of the 24-acre vineyard which has “an ancient slate sub-soil” and “a steep south-facing slope”. Previous years’ vintages have already won International Wine Challenge awards.

Mr Lindo said: “All previous vintages of Darnibole Bacchus have won a Gold medal and critical acclaim, so there is something that we consider to be special about that small area. It produces intense, steely Bacchus with a delicate restrained aroma.

 ”What we are trying to say is that we have a bit of special ground here.”

Mr and Mrs Lindo now run the vineyard with son Sam, the three-time and current UK Winemaker of the Year.

They have set strict criteria for the wine covered by the PDO, with only one breed of grape, all picked by hand and turned into wine in their on-site winery, with no artificial sweeteners.

The wine is already used by double Michelin-starred chef Nathan Outlaw at his restaurant in nearby Rock.

Divine

The AOC system has been used by French vineyards for generations and there are thousands applying to various terraces of grapes across the country. It is also used for other products including Roquefort cheese and is strictly controlled by the Institut National des Appellations d’Origine, part of the French Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries.

It is based on the concept of “terroir”, that the combination of several factors, including soil, climate, grape variety and environment, will combine to give a wine a distinctive character that is marketable to buyers.

Similar systems are used in other wine producing countries like Spain and Italy and the PDO is a similar system used across the EU as a whole.

Other British foods and drinks which have achieved PDO status include blue and white Stilton cheeses and Cornish clotted cream.

Few things are taken as seriously as pasties in Cornwall, so much so that the Cornish Pasty Association last  year landed European Union Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for the traditional recipe (albeit with a caveat to suit Ginsters). It means only pasties made in Cornwall to this recipe can be called “Cornish”.

Entries for the March 3 contest – just before the March 5 feast day of St Piran, the patron saint of Cornwall and tin miners – will be strictly limited so early registration is advised.

The competition is open to professional and amateur pasty makers in Cornwall, the rest of the UK and across the world, with categories for traditional Cornish pasties and open sections for other varieties made east of the Tamar.

Entry costs £10 and includes free entry for the competitor and a plus one to Eden on Saturday, March 3.

Competitors can either enter online by going to http://www.edenproject.com/come-and-visit/whats-on/other-activities/cornish-pasty-baking-competition or by ringing the Eden Box Office on 01726 811972.

The inaugural World Pasty Championships are a chance for professional and amateur pasty makers in Cornwall, the rest of the UK and across the world to parade their wares.

Competitors can enter categories for the traditional Cornish pasty or open sections for other varieties.

Get that down yer Gregory luv

Now in its third year, the festival on the Camel Estuary outside the recession-proof playground Rock boasts some of the most top-quality local seafood around.

I first went in 2010 when it was at its previous home, see what I wrote, or rather didn’t because I was enjoying myself and what I did with the razor clams I was given by a very nice man.

Anyway, the Rock Oyster festival 2012 takes place at last year’s venue, in the grounds of Dinham House, from Friday June 22 to Sunday June 24.

Discarding chaff about how the festival will “showcase some of the county’s best food and chefs, acclaimed headline music acts and a full programme of kids’ activities” here’s the lowdown.

Chefs: Stephane Delourme and David Sharland from Rick Stein’s The Seafood Restaurant; James O’Connor from St Moritz Hotel; Tom Scade from Tides at The Mariners, Rock; Andy Appleton, head chef at Fifteen Cornwall; and star of BBC2’s Great British Menu, Paul Ainsworth.

Music: half a dozen alternative music acts from around the world, including Friday night headliners the Dub Pistols, who were voted the best live act of 2011 by DJ Mag, and the Mercury Prize-nominated band The Bees.

Ticket info: A limited number of discounted weekend early bird tickets are now available from the festival website, at the rate of £40 per adult, with under 17s weekend tickets priced at £10.

Website: www.rockoysterfestival.co.uk

Personally I am a big fan of old school gentlemanly conduct – holding doors open for ladies/the elderly, helping mothers with their prams etc. It helps offset the fact that on a daily basis I swear like a trooper with Tourette’s (which must be a bloody awful affliction incidentally).

I experienced one of these heartwarming moments the other day when I visited Tart, a cafe and foodstore on the Gloucester Road in Bristol. Jane and I popped in one Sunday morning for breakfast – it does decent locally sourced fry-ups, excellent pancakes with bacon and truly superb cheese scones – and it was heaving.

Tarts at, erm, Tart. They also do excellent cheese scones, amongst other things

This is a good sign on its own but made all the better because Tart has squatters next door.

You see, Costa Coffee applied for planning permission to open one of their ubiquitous, bland, coffee shops of despair slap-bang next door to Tart. And when councillors quite rightly refused them planning permission they opened it anyway and said they would appeal against the decision. Even Bristol Civic Society criticised their actions.

Photo copyright Foodies South West

It’s a classic strong-arm attempt by high-street bullies. When the appeal comes before the planning inspector they want him/her to think “Well, it is open now, may as well let them stay”. Which would be bad.

But there is a happy ending to this first battle (the war still rages). While Tart does a roaring trade, Costa, to my eye, is struggling with only a handful of people in every time I walk past.

And to warm the cockles of even the most seasoned of hacks, when I paid the breakfast bill in Tart and said how great it was that they were busy and Costa empty, the waitress replied: “Yes, we’ve actually been doing better business since it opened.”

Ha!

So news of a new brewery being set up in Cornwall is welcome. I haven’t had time to visit the Harbour Brewing Company yet or sample their ales, so will save comment for then and I look forward to doing so.

The brewery, set up by Rhys Powell and Eddie Lofthouse, officially opens for business today.

In the meantime, here’s what they themselves are saying about their operation.

Rhys Powell and Eddie Lofthouse have set up the Harbour Brewing Company

PRESS RELEASE Follows

Two Cornish brewers have made their dream a reality and are launching a new craft brewery in North Cornwall.

The official opening of The Harbour Brewing Company will take place on 20th January 2012, where Dan Rogerson MP and Vice Chair of the Parliamentary Beer Group will officiate.

Brewer Rhys Powell and Eddie Lofthouse turned their dream in to reality in early 2011 by setting up the Harbour Brewing Company from scratch, based on the ethos of creating a craft brewing process and brand.

They apply a progressive and innovative approach to their beer style and brewing technique, whilst honouring traditional and proven methods to produce a range of full flavoured, balanced and creative beers.

Eddie said: “We are committed to making beers that are contemporary and deliver an uncompromising taste experience. We use pure Cornish spring water sourced on the hillside next to the brewery, and only the finest raw materials. We believe this is the only way to deliver a premium quality product.”

Starting with an installation of a brewery system which allows the brewing to be as creative as possible, their business took format their premises near Bodmin. The 10 British brewers barrel (bbl) system was designed in California and built in Hungary by the American firm Bavarian Brewing Technologies.

Rhys, who studied brewing and distilling at Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh, explained their unconventional equipment choice: “We chose a combined mash lauter tun, rather than a separate mash tun and a lauter tun, as it gives us all round flexibility with process control and use of adjuncts. It’s more efficient than a traditional British set up.

“We’ve also gone for sealed cyclindroconical fermentation vessels rather than traditional open vessels as it is more hygienic, allows faster fermentation, and ease of yeast harvesting.”

The business partners’ aim is to create a quality, great tasting product, which is different to other Cornish Beers in both taste and branding.

Speaking about the inspiration for the Harbour Brewing Co, Eddie said: “Mass-market bland beer aimed at gaining a market share is not what we are all about. We are all about taste and creativity.

“Beers from all over the world inspire us. The craft beer scene in the USA is an obvious place to draw inspiration and ideas, but there are great breweries and beers from all over the world.

“We are a product-focused business and for us it’s not all about profit, we have set out to make great beers that people enjoy drinking.”

Harbour Brewing Co have a starting range of four different beers including: Harbour India Pale Ale, their strongest beer made using a blend of six British and American hop varieties; malt driven Harbour Amber Ale; Harbour Light Ale; and the Czech-inspired pilsner Harbour Lager. All of the range will be available on draft and in bottles.

They are also working on speciality beers for their Harbour Special range, which will push the boundaries and incorporate some quirky ingredients including cassia bark, bog myrtle, rhubarb and chilli.

Competition for the Cornish lager market

The St Agnes outfit’s brew took the Gold gong at the festival, which kicked off yesterday (January 18th) at Manchester’s Sheridan Suite.

6.5%! Loopy juice!

The 6.5% ABV old ale is described in CAMRA’s Good Beer Guide 2012 as a “strong and fruity, well-balanced premium ale”.

Nik Antona, the CAMRA director, praised the outstanding quality of the champion.

“The beer is well-balanced, highly drinkable, and certainly belies its strength. A worthy winner, I congratulate this thriving Cornish brewer on their success today,” he said.

Stouts category
Gold- Cairngorm, Black Gold (Aviemore, Highlands)
Silver- Cambridge Moonshine, Black Hole Stout (Fulbourn, Cambridgeshire)
Bronze- Acorn, Gorlovka (Wombwell, South Yorkshire)

Barley Wines category
Gold- Coniston, No 9 Barley Wine (Coniston, Cumbria)
Silver- Moor, Old Freddy Walker (Pitney, Somerset)
Bronze- Isle of Skye, Cuillin Beast (Uig, Isle of Skye)

OVERALL result
Gold- Driftwood, Alfie’s Revenge (St Agnes, Cornwall)
Silver- Cairngorm, Black Gold (Aviemore, Highlands)
Bronze- Coniston, No 9 Barley Wine (Coniston, Cumbria)

As I see the same usual miserable people around me, gloomily chewing on salad leaves in the belief that a few weeks observance before returning to GluttonyVille is somehow good for them, I am busy working out whether, sharing a house with other people, I can get away with making the kitchen look like an abattoir.

Vegetarians look away now

My inspiration for this gristly plan, which probably contravenes the contract I signed with the landlord, is Le Charcutier Anglais by Marc Frederic, a Northerner who swapped the gloom of the British Isles for years on the continent in France and Germany learning the secrets that allow them to make so many brilliant taste sensations from the humble pig.

They called (well the French anyway) him Le Charcutier Anglais and today he is based in Devon and travels the UK and mainland Europe teaching others his craft.

Me at work on my victim at Westaways

It was Marc, real name Mark Berry, who ran a butchery course I did around this time last year at Westaways HQ in Newton Abbot, where he impressed us all with his knowledge, skills and above all, patience. He showed us how to take half a pig and turn it into various hams, bacon, sausages, ribs etc.

It isn’t your typical cook book; the first section gives guidance on how to butcher a pig carcass along the same lines as the lesson we were given, complete with tips on tools needed (including a bone saw). While not all readers, few even, will have the time, money or inclination to get into butchery on this scale it is an interesting look at the art of the professional butcher.

Where the book comes into its own is where he goes into how to use the various parts of the beastie you might have just dismembered.

From blood, through offal to pate and other preserved meats, the book is atreasure trove of methods and recipes that show how easy – though occasionally time consuming and/or messy) creating your own charcuterie products can be. The main focus is on pigs and dishes derived therefrom. But there are other meaty recipes on show as well.

What they show is that there really is no reason you cannot have a crack at doing these things yourself. Like me with my coppa ham you might bugger it up, but practice makes perfect!

When I finally found time to flick through the book it was one of those ones where you read a recipe and think: “I can do that. And that. And that. And that.”

With one eye as always on my wallet (the raison d’etre for launching this blog in the first place), while Marc places emphasis on using quality meats, many of the recipes call for cheaper cuts of meat.

My favourite part is the pages devoted to making your own black pudding, be it the traditional British version, the French Boudin Noir or the German Blutwurst. I love black pudding, but how many people would consider making it themselves? Yet it is very easy, as the basic recipe shows, albeit with a possibility that those living with you might think you have become a serial killer – should you be able to find a butcher who can sell you blood in the first place.

Marc Frederic aka Mark Berry

Intermixed with the recipes are helpful times and tales from Marc’s childhood and time working both in the UK and abroad, shot through with ribald and self-deprecating humour, which make the book as much fun to just sit back and read through as it is to use it to make recipes.

Now, off to find someone who will sell me six litres of pigs’ blood. And then I shall paint the kitchen red.

Bon appetite.

You can find Marc Frederic on Twitter or on his blog or at his company website

The brewery in Southville won the title of Best Drinks Producer in the BBC Food and Farming Awards and will be included in a special awards programme to be aired on BBC Radio Four at noon on Friday (November 25).

The shortlisted entrants were decided on votes from the public and the winners by an expert panel of judges chaired by chef and restaurateur Richard Corrigan.

Bristol Beer Factory

George Ferguson, founder of the Bristol Beer Factory said: “We see this as an accolade for Bristol and the craft beer industry as a whole and feel very lucky to be representing independent brewers up and down the country who put so much care and attention into producing high quality craft beers.

“We strongly believe that independent local businesses, whatever they are, are capable of producing higher quality products and services than national mass-producers. We make a truly local beer – using local suppliers and materials and re-investing in the area.”

The judges liked the fact that the Bristol Beer Factory is at the heart of the community in Southville and Ashton and central to the regeneration of the area.

They also loved the Brewery’s “Twelve Stouts of Christmas” idea of a dozen beers specially-created to celebrate the festive season, including one made with fresh raspberries, which are being launched this Saturday (26th November).

Bristol Beer Factory was founded six years ago after a chance conversation in Bristol’s Tobacco Factory theatre and arts venue, when Mr Ferguson decided to buy the under-threat building which now houses the brewery. Originally known as the Ashton Gate Brewery, which boasted 120 pubs in the area, it was closed after Georges’ Brewery took it over in 1933.

The Bristol Beer Factory is having an Open Day at the brewery this Saturday to launch the Twelve Stouts of Christmas.