Here at Belvoir Fruit Farms, we’ve been trawling through your Great Scot! competition entries. My, they are impressive!

We’ve loved reading your poems and donning the correct accents to deduce the hidden meanings. And it’s been terribly difficult choosing the winners from the forty-one tickling and touching entries. Pats on the back all round for your efforts.

Sadly, there can only be five winners. So without further ado, here are those fantastic five. Congratulations – your Ginger Cordial will be posted very soon.

Beverley kicks us off with this ditty from Derbyshire.

Ey up, mi duck, ah’s it gooin? Arta rate?
Ah’m jus’ in me way fer a trawl up Bath Strait,
Sundee dinner, termorrer, if I ain’t got a badly rabbit,
So up ter market for nobby greens, as is me ‘abit,
Call in ter Bailey’s, gerra nice chunk o’ pork,
An ov’er t’ Copper Kettle ter gerrova t’walk,
Dahn t get me ‘Appy Liza from John’s News,
Might tret mesen ter a bag o’ peppermint chews,
Back dahn ter bottom, past owd swimmin baths,
Remember when it wer theer? We did ay some laughs,
Call in t’chippy for fish n mix wrapped,
Eight quid, ‘e’s askin’, I must be ‘afe tapped,
Berra then cookin; though, when yer stuffed from that ‘ill,
Eyup! Is this me bus? Nah, this un’s gooin’ ter Mill,
Theer’s my bus, stuck up be’ind it,
See yer agen, duck, and if it ain’t lost yer won’t find it!

Next up is Jill with this delight from Dundee.

We bide in a toon thats cried Dundee
Its a braw wee place tae be
If ye’re a culture vulture we hae the airts
Wir universities hae fowk fae a the pairts
Theres twa fitba teams an the hame o The Dandy
A totty wee airport thats affy handy
Theres a train station, an buses an a
An we looked affy bonny when we were covered in sna.

Gemma from Bradford was picked for her rhythm and rhyme

T’was Bradford I wer’ born n bread, Mi ma n fatha too,
Wi back t’ backs n high rise flats n a sky of grey not blue,
A town a closed down factories, yet Bradford holds me heart,
cos that is where me family is, of which Bradford feels a part

Laura made us chuckle with an inspired second verse

I’m from Warrington, mate, I cannot lie,
It’s a town’a strange iden-it-i an’ I’ll tell yer why,

We’re arf way from Manchest-oh,
Arf way from the ‘Pool,
So when 50%’s saying ‘our kid’,
The other ‘arfs calming down and playin’ it keewl.

It’s rightly called the Warring-town,
Cos our scallies, they like ta fight.
But the Norf west’s God’s own country,
So don’t take the mickey mate, only I’ve got that right!

Emma is our final winner with this gem about Gloucester

Glawster’s got old spot, rugger and beer
So catch the next buz and we’ll see yous ‘ere.
Walk the via sacra, it aint that far,
An’ bring ya babby ‘cos its safe from them cars.
See the cathedral mind, we’re famous for that,
‘Arry Potter wuz filmed there and that’s a fact.
We wuz ‘oping he’d use ‘is magic and charm
To rustle us up a Belvoir Fruit farm,
Cos thats all we’re missin’ in this city of old,
Class in a glass would turn us silver to gold!

And that’s it. Well done everyone. If you’ve been inspired by these entries and are feeling creative, enter our new competition.

So then, did you get a visit from Cupid?

Did a beautiful stranger sweep you off your feet, wine and dine and you, before arranging a private viewing of one of the most romantic films of all time?

Or did this Valentine’s Day pass without even a flicker of love?

Perhaps there was somebody who you really wanted to surprise, but the opportunity didn’t arise. Maybe nerves got the better of you. Or worse still, you forgot.

So that’s why this week we’re offering you the chance to show your affection to somebody special – and make up for any mishaps, missed chances or plain forgetfulness on your part.

And what better way than to say it with biscuits?

The lovely people at Biscuiteers hand-make delightful biscuits. Their creations are so impressive, you almost don’t want to eat them. One little nibble, though, and you’ll be in love. Which is why they’re the perfect gift for any sweet-toothed sweetheart.

If you’re one of our three winners this month, we’ll arrange for a box of Biscuiteers’ finest creations to be sent your loved one along with three bottles of our ever-romantic Raspberry & Rose Cordial.

How to enter

Remember acrostics? Well, we want your romantic odes in this almost-forgotten format. To refresh your memory, we’ve composed one for the ever-delectable Mr Clooney.

Grey but improving
Even my husband’s approving
Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?
Revealed you as a knockout
Gosh! Films, I’ve seen too many
Except of yours – they’re worth every penny

We think you can do better. So let’s have your odes, please. Pop them in the comments once they’re composed and perfected.

Good luck!

P.S. If reading competition terms and conditions is your thing, you can find them here.

P.P.S. If you cannot wait to get your hands on some delicious Bicuiteers biscuits, simply use the special code BLV15OFF to get 15% off your website order. You’ll have to be quick, though – it’s only available until the end of March.

Monday is Burns Night. And with this annual event approaching rapidly, here on the farm we’re celebrating all that’s Scottish with a fabulous new competition.

Burns Night may have been held on a completely different date if merchants born in Ayrshire didn’t realise their mistake. The first Burns Supper was held in 1801 on what they thought was Burns’ birthday. It was two years later that they realised they’d got the wrong date and to this day the celebrations take place on the 25th of January.

And to make this Burns Night go off with a bang we’re offering top-notch prizes to five lucky winners. But like Burns’ poetry we’ll tease you and move on.

We’ve got our haggis, cock-a-leekie soup, tatties and neeps ready for the main supper and also a fine bottle of Scotch whisky to accompany proceedings. Perhaps, like us, you need a little something to take the edge off the whisky, so we suggest mixing our organic ginger cordial with a bit of water and whisky to provide a less overpowering version.

Each supper starts with a reading of Burns’ poem The Selkirk Grace:

Some hae meat and canna eat,
And some wad eat that want it;
But we hae meat, and we can eat,
Sae let the Lord be thankit.

Burns’ poetry uses the Scottish language and dialect to comment on the wonderful Scottish landscape and people that inhabited it. Which neatly brings us on to this month’s competition. Because we’d like you to do the same.

The Competition

In true Burns style, we’d like you to compose a poem about your hometown or homeland – and if you can put it in your own dialect, even better!

Submit your poem in the comment box below.

Five lucky winners will each receive a gift pack of three bottles of our ginger cordial. We’ll announce the winners on the 22nd February along with some exciting news about new drinks for this summer.

So find your muse and grab a pen, and we look forward to reading your entries! (Terms and conditions are here.)

As the final firework illuminates the night sky and the last embers on the bonfire burn out, our thoughts turn towards the next seasonal celebration – Christmas!

We love the Christmas period. There’s a real sense of magic in the air. And plenty of good food and drink on the table.

Belvoir Fruit Farms Winter Berries cordial is the perfect tipple at Yuletide with its fruity blend of elderberry, blackberry, orange, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg. We’ve always considered it a delicious, alcohol-free alternative to mulled wine.

So when we heard that Delia Smith had used our beloved Winter Berries cordial in her Mulled ‘Wine’ For Drivers cocktail recipe (you can find it in her new book, Delia’s Happy Christmas) it’s safe to say we were thrilled.

When told about Delia’s seal of approval, Pev, our owner, said he was “Absolutely delighted. This year we have celebrated 25 years of making the country’s finest cordials and this endorsement from one of the most respected names in the industry is the icing on the cake.”

So what better way to celebrate this brilliant news than with a new competition?

Christmas dinner dreaming

Perhaps the best thing about Christmas is getting the family together for a big roast dinner. It’s just a shame you have to peel all that veg beforehand.

So if you didn’t have to cook Christmas dinner, who would you choose to prepare your festive feast instead?

Delia? Gordon? Jamie? Perhaps you’d plump for ex-England rugby player and Celebrity Masterchef winner, Matt Dawson? Or maybe you’ll decide on Stephen Fry – even if he can’t cook, the after dinner conversation will be terrific.

Or perhaps you’re fed up of turkey, and would prefer something a little different. Why not choose Ching-He Huang from the Beeb’s Chinese Food Made Easy? Or Ray Mears for a spot of wild food!

Tell us in a comments who you would like to cook your Christmas dinner and why, as well as what would be on the menu.

Writers of the ten best entries will each receive a copy of Delia’s Happy Christmas and two bottles of our delicious Winter Berries cordial.

The closing date for entries is Friday 27th November so we can post your prize in time for Christmas. Riveting terms and conditions can be read here.

Well, it certainly seems that autumn has rolled up its sleeves and got to work.

Last weekend saw the climax of the 2009 World Conker Championships. Congratulations to the winners. Sadly, our shoe laces, vinegar-soaked conkers and fancy dress costumes remained in the cupboard this year because we’ve been concentrating on a big competition of our own.

Belvoir Fruit Farms has teamed up with the wonderful people at Nursey Sheepskin to offer you a fantastic prize that’ll warm your heart – quite literally.

One lucky winner of our new competition will receive a toscana lambskin gilet worth nearly £300 courtesy of Nursey. It’s the perfect garment for strolling across the fields or through the town in the colder months. Don’t worry about size because Nursey Sheepskin will make your prize to order. And since they’ve been making sheepskin garments by hand for over 200 years, you can guarantee that plenty of care and experience will go into the making of your gilet.

(If you’re not our lucky winner, but would like to get your hands on some of Nursey Sheepskin’s garments, you can order their new catalogue here.)

Three runners up will receive three bottles of cordial and stylish Belvoir Fruit Farms jute bag, so there’s plenty to play for.

The competition

Since as far back as we can remember, one page has been missing from the fabled Belvoir Fruit Farms cordial recipe book. Some have suggested the page contained a recipe that its creator felt was too much of wild idea and so discarded it forever.

We often speculate on the cordial recipe this page contained. Everyone has their own theory. How about you? What do you think that cordial recipe was?

Maybe it was just a simple but delightful blend of flowers and fruits. Or perhaps it was something much wilder. With flowers and fruits never used before (or since) in the making of drinks.

How to enter

Once you’ve hatched a brilliant idea of what the missing cordial might be, leave your suggestion in the comments. And who knows? Perhaps we’ll give the winning entry to our team to concoct!

We very much look forward to reading your weird and wonderful suggestions!

Closing date for the competition is 30th October 2009. Riveting terms and conditions are here.

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!

Some of you may remember our promotion to celebrate the release of Atonement, the Oscar-winning film starring Keira Knightley and James McAvoy. Well, that was two years ago and we’re chuffed to announce that we’ve turned to the big screen once again to offer you another fantastic prize.

Bright Star is an epic drama based on the secret love affair of Romantic poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Written and directed by Jane Campion – also responsible for 1993’s revered Oscar-winning flick The Piano – Bright Star opens in cinemas nationwide on 6 November.

So, hands up those who’d like to win tickets to preview screenings of Bright Star and a book featuring a selection of John Keats’ finest poetry?

Wow. That’s a lot of hands! Well, there’s even more good news … the tickets and books are just the runners up prizes.

You could be the lucky Belvoir Fruit Farms drinker who scoops first prize – a luxury break for two at Maison Talbooth, one of Britain’s finest hotels.

Maison Talbooth is in the heart of Constable Country on the Suffolk/Essex border (and can be seen in Constable’s famous 1828 oil on canvas Dedham Vale.) This idyllic location provides the perfect setting for a relaxing night away. Pamper yourself and your partner with a day using the first-class spa facilities, a romantic evening meal and a hearty breakfast the following morning – all courtesy of Belvoir Fruit Farms, Pathé and Pride of Britain Hotels.

How to enter Belvoir’s Bright Star competition

Click here to visit our online competition form. Fill it in, hit submit and then relax with a cool glass of elderflower cordial. The closing date is Wednesday 30th September, so you’ve got plenty of time to get your entries in. (Full terms and conditions can be found here.)

Jolly good luck to you all.

Right, we’re off to prepare ourselves for the release of Bright Star by reading some Keats. As we know many of you are keen poets, can you recommend which of his poems to start with? Let us know in the comments.

Plenty of good news around at the moment: It’s our twenty-fifth birthday, the sun has got his hat on and Andymonium is in full swing as the super Scot reaches the semi-finals at SW19.

And here’s some more good news – it’s competition time!

The Great Belvoir Buffet

So let’s suppose we were inviting thousands of you to our big birthday bash. We’d take care of the soft drinks, obviously. But we’d like you all to bring a plate of Belvoir-related nosh. Or a jug of your best cordial-infused cocktail.

What would you bring?

Perhaps a tasty cheesecake that makes splendid use of our elderflower cordial? Or maybe some lime & lemongrass muffins? You might have your own twist on the Dragon’s Breath cocktail that you’d like the world to sample.

You don’t to need to be the world’s best chef. We’re just looking for ideas – or even novel ways of presenting them.

Feel free to include recipes with your suggestions, or – since it’s become a theme here at Belvoir On For Britain – deliver them using verse and rhyme.

To be in with a chance of winning, just pop your suggestion into the comment box below.

Five lucky winners will each receive a limited edition Belvoir Fruit Farms cordial jug, a box of Belvoir tumblers and we’ll throw in a bottle of cordial to fill them, too.

Good luck!

(Not very interesting terms and conditions can be found here.)

Thanks again to everybody who entered our Belvoir On For Britain ‘Perfect Picnic’ competition. Winners have been announced, but don’t despair if your entry wasn’t chosen; we’ll be running plenty more competitions throughout the year. A new one will be announced next week, in fact.

In the meantime, let’s ponder what could be this summer’s most perfect of picnics. It’s on Sunday, 5th July and it’ll take place on Aorangi Terrace.

Any idea why?

Want to hazard a guess?

Okay, here’s a clue: It’d probably involve strawberries and cream washed down with Belvoir’s traditional organic lemonade.

Any closer?

Or still scratching your head?

You probably know exactly what Aorangi Terrace is. And, indeed, where it is. But here’s the twist: You probably don’t know it as Aorangi Terrace.

Baffled?

What if we told you the word Aorangi is the Maori spelling of Aoraki – the official name for Mount Cook, the highest mountain in New Zealand.

Does that help?

Maybe not – but Aorangi Terrace is sloped, too.

And perhaps the reason this slope is named after a mountain in New Zealand is because it was used by the London New Zealand Rugby Club. That was until 1981, when the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club asked for it back.

Solved it?

Yes, Aorangi Terrace is in Wimbledon. It’s the slope where fans gather with picnics to watch the big games on a massive TV screen. You might call it Henman Hill, Murray Mound or even Rusedski Ridge (awfully sorry, Greg – but we don’t think many people do).

Monday saw the return of SW19’s big tennis competition for another thrilling fortnight. Expect glorious sun followed by intermittent showers and lots of hyperbole about Blighty’s own Andy Murray.

After Murray’s win at Queen’s, expectation for him to take the men’s title at Wimbledon is so high it’s vertigo inducing. The press have dubbed it – quite brilliantly, may we add – ‘Andymonium’.

He’ll have to get past the brilliant Federer, but if Murray does do it, he’ll be the first Briton to lift the trophy since Fred Perry was victorious on the hallowed grass courts in 1936.

And we’ll be raising a glass of elderflower champagne to the lad.

Do you think Murray can win? Are you attending this year’s tournament? Will you be picnicking on Sunday 5th July on Aorangi Terrace / Henman Hill / Murray Mound / Rusedski Ridge ?

Let us know in the comments!

Maybe it’s our fault. Maybe we were drunk on sunshine. Those two weekends of gorgeous weather that graced us a few weeks ago must’ve made us a bit giddy with excitement. You see, it was during those sun drenched days we came up with the idea of the Belvoir On For Britain Flower Show. We sat back and imagined all these wonderful sunny pictures flooding into the Belvoir Fruit Farms inbox.

And then it clouded over, turned cold and started raining.

So we understand if you haven’t had a chance to take a photo of you and your garden for the competition. But don’t worry. You’ve still got two weeks to capture your back yard in full bloom. And we’re sure the sun’ll come out tomorrow (tomorrow, bet ya bottom dollar…etc).

And even if it doesn’t, you’re a talented bunch so we’re sure you’ll come up with a splendidly creative way to take a good floral snap in the absence of sun.

Once you’ve taken your picture, send it to photos@belvoirfruitfarms.co.uk. Remember: two lucky winners will win a pair of tickets each to RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show on Saturday 11th July.

Picnic rucksack competition winners

We’ve been trawling through all your entries for April’s picnic competition over the last few days and have picked our favourite five.

And here they are. Congratulations to them. And a big thank you to everyone who took the time to enter. We sincerely appreciate your efforts.

Deborah went for a very English approach, including the much underrated hard-boiled egg in her picnic. A terrific choice, we thought.

A picnic for St George’s Day,
By the river, a sunny day,
To a pretty Cotswold town I’d go,
Still & quiet, just me & my beau,
Home-made sandwiches, hard-boiled eggs,
Sausage rolls & chicken legs,
And at the end, to help us digest,
Some Belvoir cordial – Ginger’s best!

A few Sherlock Holmes wannabes in the office think Yvonne is giving her nationality away in the first sentence of her winning entry. We’re inclined to agree.

My ideal picnic would be next to the loch with my wee daughter. We would have ham sandwiches, sausage rolls, fruit, any other foods that take our fancy and Pear & Elderflower Pressé to wash it down with. After our food we would feed the swans and ducks, then I would let my daughter play at the little park. And before we head home we would stop of for an ice cream.

Lorna puts Bono in his place and brings a Bear along as a contingency plan. Superb!

As nice as Scotland is for picnics – generally it ends up with everyone sitting in the car munching on soggy sandwiches waiting for the rain to go off so we can rescue the soaking wet tartan blanket – my ideal picnic would have to be on a huge yacht in the middle of a turquoise sea – sounds nice eh!! We would be eating prawn cocktail, then black forrest gateau for dessert ,washed down with a huge Dragon’s breath cocktail. Padraig Harrington would be there teaching us a thing or two on the onboard golf course (as you do) and just because he looks really nice. U2 would be singing for us, but Bono would be banned from talking and of course we couldn’t leave out Bear Grylls incase we ended up shipwrecked on an island and had to live off berries and frogs.

Kerry dreams of Belvoir, dashes around au naturel and then heads off on a picnic – all in one wonderfully epic poem!

BY GEORGE! LET’S HAVE A PICNIC!

In my dreams, I’m packing hampers,
Filled with caviar, Belvoir and champers.
A handsome prince in a sweeping cape,
Moistens his lips with some Muscat Grape,
Before carrying me off on his dashing white horse,
To enjoy a fruitsome picnic of course after course.
He holds my hand as we sip chilled Belvoir,
Before crushing me juicily with ardent “fervoir”!
But, alas! Alack! My alarm clock goes!
Where are my maidenly, demure, wee clothes?
I dash to the mirror-what a bummer!
I’m an ordinary mum in the British summer.
I pack my cool bag and summon my kids,
I ensure all my presses have nice tight lids.
We jump in the car, setting off at full throttle,
Before stopping to sip from our Belvoir bottles.
We’ve Dragon’s Breath Cocktails, they’re fruity and fun,
We eat soggy sandwiches and stroll in the sun.
We’re fortified by flavinoids, we never feel annoyed,
Our entente is so cordiale at the day we’ve just enjoyed.
The bairns are bathed, we’re home at last, the picnic’s packed away,
Belvoir’s brought its sparkle to another summer day!

Nicola would talk cathedral construction and the Chronicles of Barsetshire over cucumber sandwiches and cordial down by the Cam.

Dream picnic?
I’d love a lazy sunday lunch with Sir Christopher Wren on the backs in Cambridge. It’d be good to get author Anthony Trollope and my favourite monarch Richard III along too. And who could resist a guest appearance from Colin Firth?
I reckon they’d like the traditional picnic fare – cucumber sandwiches and strawberries and cream washed down with ginger cordial.
With all that talent we could discuss everything under the sun, literally. Perfect.