In a quiet and very beautiful corner of Lincolnshire sits the Belvoir Fruit Farm. It’s here we quietly go about mixing and bottling our naturally delicious drinks, and then make sure all our favourite farm shops, delicatessens and supermarkets have enough of them.

But last week, our beloved little bottles were propelled towards the bright lights of the big city on the crest of a wave.

Amidst the throng of London Fashion Week, beautiful people sat on deckchairs and happily quaffed their way through 25cl bottles of Belvoir’s Organic Lemonade, Organic Ginger Beer, Elderflower Pressé and our classic cucumbery Summer Cooler.

It was all part of the ‘chill out’ beach shack created for Swami’s Surf Company at 180 The Strand.

Swami’s – named after the renowned surfing spot in California – is a bespoke surfboard manufacturing company that, according to Vogue, “is fast attracting the cool and hip of the surf world”.

Giles, founder of Swami’s, told us after the event:

London Fashion Week finished yesterday and what a great week we had – huge response to our surfboards and beachwear line.

We found that the cucumber was a particular hit for the more refined palate and people loved the spicy ginger hit, so I think it’s official that the fashionistas love to quaff Belvoir!

Thank you so much for supplying them, we’re even bigger fans of yours now than we already were.

We were glad to be of assistance. Although don’t expect to see our MD, Pev Manners, in a pair of Bermuda shorts any time soon.

This week at Belvoir Fruit Farms we’ve dusted off our party frocks, blown up the balloons and poured ourselves a delicious Belvoir cocktail as we celebrate something very close to our hearts.

There’s a dedicated week for everything these days whether it’s celebrating teddy bears, lauding felt hats or hugging vending machines… But some, we feel, are more deserving than others and that’s why we are celebrating everything organic with National Organic fortnight (that’s right, it’s so good they’ve given us fourteen whole days to party).

The fortnight launched on 5th September and there is still plenty of time to celebrate this year’s theme ‘Wake up to an Organic Breakfast’.  Here at Belvoir we have been washing down our organic toast and honey with some Organic Ginger Belvoir Cordial.

But we’ve become bored of the monotonous toast and cereal, so we’ve searched for an alternative and here’s a couple of our favourite suggestions:

Prepare the night before:
Bran Conference Pear and Bullace Breakfast muffins.
We thought these looked great as not only are these a sweet treat in the morning, they are healthy for your digestive system too. If you find it difficult to find Bullace, we suggest using cherry plums which are lacing our hedgerows this very moment.

In a dash: Belvoir Breakfast Smoothie.
The best things to start your day-fruit and a kick of Organic Ginger Cordial.
Fill a glass as you usually would with a mixture of Organic Belvoir Ginger Cordial and water.  Add the juice to a blender with raspberries, bananas and any other fruit you may fancy.  Simply whiz the mixture and enjoy.

Long, leisurely and lazy.
We’ve done a poll at Belvoir Fruit Farms and our favourite breakfast treat is a poached egg.  Whether it’s with bacon, homemade hollandaise sauce or simply on its own with some wholemeal buttered toast (all organic of course) it was a clear winner.
Let’s be havin’ your perfect poached egg recipe, Delia. It never fails.

If you fancy  brushing up your organic knowledge, why not head down to the Organic Food Festival in Bristol this weekend. You can sample organic delights from across the globe, pick up some cooking tips from organic chef Sophie Grigson and learn how to make chutney at the Granny Skills Workshop.

If the Autumnal weather is getting to you and you’d rather hibernate, perhaps stay at home and experiment with this dish we found from across the pond.

We were thrilled to discover that our Organic Ginger Cordial has crossed the Atlantic and is commemorated with its own Belvoir Ginger Cake!

Drop us some post and let us know how you are celebrating Organic fortnight. Why not send us your photos of our Organic Belvoir Ginger Cakes or even better, a slice? And do give us your suggestions for a great breakfast too.

This weekend, we’re making the short journey down from the Belvoir Fruit Farm to the grounds of Burghley House for this year’s Burghley Horse Trials.

Arguably the premier equestrian social event of the year, the Burghley Horse Trials hosts some of the greatest international riders in a thrilling 4 star three day event. And with over 600 trade stands (the MetroCentre – Europe’s largest shopping centre – only has 342 shops), there’s plenty to do if horses aren’t really your thing.

At this year’s Burghley, you’ll be able to invest in some new headgear from James Lock & Co., wolf down a few delicious oysters from Loch Fyne or, if they aren’t old enough to ride the real equines, treat your little ones to a rocking horse from Stevenson Brothers.

And, of course, Barbara and the team will be bringing you the best of Belvoir’s bottled beverages on our stand in the Foodwalk. You’ll be able to buy cases of your old favourites and sip some of our award-winning newcomers.

Do come and say hello if you’re in attendance. It’s good to talk.

Speaking of which, if you can’t make it to Burghley, why not celebrate 50 years since the UK introduced trunk dialling from pay phones?

You can read the full article on the BBC’s On This Day website, but this little snippet is a nice insight into life in Britain half a century ago:

We can only wonder what Mr Marples might make of the telephone system today.

If we don’t see you at Burghley, have a fabulous weekend.

Shining brightly at the Great Taste Awards

Have you entered our Bright Star competition yet? We’re just about to top 500 entries. If your name isn’t in the hat already, click here to enter. Remember: you could be the lucky winner who bags a stay at the exquisite Maison Talbooth in Constable Country. How very delightful.

Speaking of winning, Belvoir Fruit Farms is very proud to the be the recipient of two Great Taste 2009 Awards from The Guild of Fine Food.

Our brand new Elderflower, Gooseberry and Muscat Grape cordial grabbed a gold star just months after hitting the shelves. And Belvoir’s Lime & Lemongrass Pressé was also awarded a gold star by the panel of fine food retailers, chefs, restaurant critics, food writers and other industry experts.

The team at Belvoir Fruit Farms works tirelessly to bring you our range of delicious drinks, so it’s great to be officially considered “close to perfect”. Pats on the back all round then.

Such is our success, we’ll be sharing our drinks with royalty soon.

An evening with Queen

On Friday 4th September, the Belvoir Fruit Farms trailer (pictured above) will roll into the grounds of Harewood House in Leeds, home to the Queen’s cousin, the Earl of Harewood, for what promises to be a magnifico (oh oh oh oh) night of music. Come and visit us, speak to the team and try our award-winning cordials and pressés.

The evening’s entertainment, The Music Of Queen – A Rock & Symphonic Spectacular, presents you and your family with an opportunity to hear the classic songs of Mercury, May, Taylor and Deacon sung by stars from the West End smash hit musical We Will Rock You with the backing of a 60-piece symphony orchestra and full rock band. It should be fantastic – let’s just hope the stage is big enough for all those performers!

This open air concert is a great chance for a final picnic this summer. So why not bring your cheese and crackers, Victoria sponge and bottle of Belvoir in one of these wonderful wicker picnic hampers available at Swings & Pretty Things?

It sounds like a perfect evening to us. And if you can’t make it to Leeds, why not take your family and friends for a picnic in one of Britain’s best spots?

Have fun!