5 reasons to cut down your drinking with Bax Botanics

”Many people don’t see the point of an alcohol-free version of their favourite drink, but we all deserve a treat sometimes and it's better if we don’t drift into a dependence on alcohol" writes Bax Botanics founder Rose Bax. "This isn’t a time to be putting any extra strain on our bodies or our minds."

"There are alternatives out there now that are great tasting and actually give the feeling of having an adult drink.”

1. We created our alcohol-free spirit Bax Botanics to bring something truly delicious to people who want to keep off alcohol and enjoy something sophisticated and complex. These relaxing drinks keep you in good spirits using flavour, not alcohol or sugar: you get the oooooh at the end of the day and don’t have a thick head afterwards!

2. An alcohol-free spirit is a drink distilled from water using the same method as an alcoholic spirit i.e. vodka, gin, or whisky, but it is made using water that does not contain any alcohol. We filter our water to remove any microscopic baddies and then, as it is distilled, the drink is flavoured with the botanical ingredients specific to its recipe.

3. We distil two flavours traditionally using organic botanicals.

* If you want a bright summer herbal choose ‘Verbena’. This serve is close to a refreshingly dry G&T

* For a rich, bittersweet distillation go for ‘Sea Buckthorn’ This serve is decadent and relaxing. (This is my own favourite FB)

4. Our small business launched in January 2019 into an emerging sector. We’re now trying to overcome bars closing and the retail demand for alcohol as opposed to alcohol-free. The future will be tough, but our amazing drinks are loved by the people who have decided to drink less alcohol, and we have faith that this sector will grow.

4. You can buy from us on-line from www.baxbotanics.com with free delivery on 500ml bottles until mid-April. Just use voucher FD2020 at the checkout.

Follow us @baxbotanics on Instagram and Facebook.

Thank you! Rose and Chris.

5 Reasons is a free platform for small food and drink producers, importers and retailers to speak in their own words about what they do. See What is 5 Reasons all about? for a fuller explanation.

5 Reasons to try The Fresh Sauce Co

In the first of our 5 reasons food posts Mark Robinson and Victoria Monaghan of The Fresh Sauce Co explain how their chilled sauces can turn basic ingredients into a restaurant quality meal (see my comment below on the one I've tried)

• We’re Victoria and Mark and we’ve been making a range of fresh sauces from our dedicated kitchen in Suffolk for 3 years. We started the business following a trip around Italy, wanting to recreate the delicious pesto we tried when we got back home
• We quickly worked out that using the best and freshest ingredients gave us the best tasting sauces. We’ve now expanded our repertoire to include Asian dishes such as Jalfrezi, Korma, Satay, Laksa as well classic Italian favourites like green and red pesto and Bolognese.
• In the last year, we’ve been focusing on online sales, which happens to be very timely! We deliver in environmentally-friendly insulated packaging, by courier, so that the product remains chilled while in transit to reach you in perfect condition. You can even specify the day of delivery.
• Our sauces can transform simple store cupboard ingredients into delicious meals from around the world in minutes with options for vegans, vegetarians and carnivores!
• We have a Limited Edition sauce each month - this month (April 2020) it's a classic sweet and sour sauce made with pineapple juice tamari and rice vinegar - so you can make your own Chinese takeaway at home!

To read more about the range visit our website thefreshsauceco.

Fiona's view

I don't normally ask to taste the food and drink that's featured in this section but was offered a range of sauces to try and was quite intrigued by the idea that you could use them to jazz up basic meat, fish and veggies you might have in the fridge or freezer, particularly when the ingredients you might need to make more adventurous recipes could be hard to source at the moment.

So far I've tried the satay sauce which was absolutely delicious and really tasted as if you had spent hours in the kitchen. It was also dead easy - it cooked while I was making the rice to go with it - though I found you needed to add a bit more water than the 100ml they suggested. The sachets are ideal - and not expensive - for two but at £3.95 a pop might be a bit pricey for a family though obviously not in comparison with a takeaway.

They'd be ideal to order for an elderly relative or anyone else who is currently living on their own and unable to get to the shops - you could freeze half of what what you had made.

Disclaimer: I was sent a set of sauces as a free sample.

5 Reasons is a free platform for small food and drink producers, importers and retailers to talk about what they do. See What is 5 Reasons all about? for a fuller explanation.

5 reasons to buy Californian wine from James Hocking

James Hocking Wine is one of the U.K.’s leading specialist Californian importers.

Based in south Hampshire, James set up his Californian agency at the beginning of 2019. Previously, he was director of The Vineyard Cellars, part of The Vineyard hotel.

JHW specialises in boutique, family-owned wineries from California and other selected North American regions, and sells to high end independent wine merchants and wine-focused restaurants.

1. JHW imports wines from California’s leading boutique wines estates, many of which are family-owned and run.

2. JHW normally sells to some of London’s top restaurants, such as Goodmans, HIDE and The Dorchester. As a result, they are now selling direct to consumer at trade prices, with some incredible deals now available.

3. Offering free delivery on single bottles in the south Hampshire area from the “Fine & Covetable” range. These include Napa producers making tiny quantities, such as CAMi and Scarecrow.

4. JHW is an avid supporter of the U.K.’s top butchers, including Turner & George (@turnerandgeorge); he recommends their meat cuts as great accompaniments to his wines. Check out James’s instagram @jameshockingwine feed for some pretty awesome BBQ’ing skills.

5. James will personally deliver and has some very fetching black latex gloves (see picture) and excellent social distancing skills.

5 Reasons is a free platform for small food and drink producers, importers and retailers to talk about what they do. See What is 5 Reasons all about? for a fuller explanation.

What is 5 reasons all about?

I’ve been wondering how best to help drinks businesses who have been hit by the Coronavirus crisis (i.e. pretty well all of you). Initially I just thought of reviewing more wines and other drinks in the Best Buys section - and I will do that - but it’s difficult and expensive to get wines delivered at the moment, a hit smaller companies could do without.

So I’ve come up with the idea of creating an 'open mic' platform for YOU to tell potential customers what you do and why people should buy from or support you.

I’ve called it ‘5 reasons' to give it some structure and keep it short and punchy. Basically it will appear as 5 reasons to … say, buy your range of Spanish wines or whateverthenameis gin. Actually I can think of a LOT more than five reasons to drink gin at the moment

So it will be in your own words (I’ll tidy up typos and query anything that’s unclear) and can link to a wine, a beer or your website - whatever). No more than 200 words I suggest which need not just be about the product but about you and your business. And a call to action. What people should do next - how they can buy from or otherwise support you.

We’ll also need a high res image which shows the product or service, the place you’re making or selling it or - best of all - you, the team behind it. (You don’t need a fancy camera - I normally just upload photos from my iPhone but the dimensions need to be 1312 x 840px so take a horizontal shot.)

Although I initially thought of it as a platform for the drinks trade it could of course equally well apply to food so if you’re a small grower, maker or farmer and still trying to sell what you produce feel free to take advantage of it too. Or if you’re a charity, wanting people to support you at this difficult time. The space is yours. And it costs nothing.

I’m sure the idea will need refining as time goes on - do feel free to suggest improvements - but let’s give it a go. Contact me at fiona AT matchingfoodandwine DOT com with your suggestions or message me on my @winematcher Twitter account or at @food_writer on instagram.