Eat, Sleep, Drink

After a chance meeting at the Didcot Street Fair I find myself on the way to meet Simon Collison, a man who knows more about the UK’s food and drink industry than anyone you’re likely to meet. I was there to discover the ethos of a man whose enterprise, Foodylicious, had caught our attention. He’s an extremely affable chap, with a generous smile and genuinely enthusiastic tone. I first ask him of the route of his career thus far and discover a raft of leading brands that he was responsible for bringing to the UK consumer.

Self-confessed food obsessive and fermentation advocate, Emma Collen, owner of the fabulous Jericho Kitchen Cookery School, had her passion for all things fermented ignited by a lesson from Simon Poffley, author of Ferment, Pickle, Dry: Ancient Methods, Modern Meals.

One aspect of the festive season that inspires a little reflection come January is our alcohol intake. Christmas and New Year seem to be a perfect storm for having one too many, and January can leave us feeling the need to cut back – hence dry January. So as to not feel like one has to totally abandon the booze – here are a couple of guilt-free cocktail ideas from some purveyors of fine, alcohol-free and low-calorie drinks that won’t have you feeling left out.