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.

Belvoir’s Ginger Cordial is a deliciously warm and spicy beverage made with 100% natural ginger root. And after consulting the wise words in the fabled Belvoir Fruit Farms recipe book, it seems that ginger is a tremendous little tuber if you’re expecting a baby.

Allow us to explain …

“I have to be honest, my morning sickness has been horrendous.” Kirsty Gallacher recently told celebrity babble magazine Hello! “I’ve been experiencing terrible nausea. Digestive biscuits, which I carry everywhere, help to alleviate it, but I take a sick bag wherever I go just in case.”

Nice. Well, Kirsty, perhaps you should carry around ginger biscuits and a flask of Belvoir Ginger Cordial instead. Because ginger has long been touted as a remedy for morning sickness and other types of nausea. And it’s also meant to alleviate discomfort associated with indigestion, gas pains and stomach cramping.

(Words of warning: We are not doctors and nurses. If you’re feeling very unwell, don’t pin your hopes on a glass of cordial. Please go and see someone with a medical degree.)

If it does help with morning sickness, it seems we could see sales of Belvoir’s Ginger Cordial rocketing in Iceland. According to The Guardian, Iceland is experiencing a baby boom – there’s been a 3.5% increase in the birth rate this year. It’s been suggested that people’s new found amorous nature is a result of the economic meltdown. “I think many of us have sought solace in love,” explains blogger Alda Sigmundsdóttir. Back here in Blighty, we’ve sought solace in chocolate.

Not pregnant? Don’t worry – it seems ginger might be able to help with that, too.

In herbal lore ginger is said to be an aphrodisiac. It’s mentioned in chapter seven of the Karma Sutra (apparently), and in Melanesian Islands in the South Pacific it is employed ‘to gain the affection of a woman’. So much for a nice bunch of flowers!

Ginger is native to India and China. It takes its name from the Sanskrit word meaning stringa-vera which means ‘with a body like a horn’. Ginger has been important in Chinese medicine for many centuries, and is mentioned in the writings of Confucius. It is also named in the Koran, indicating it was known in Arab countries as far back as 650AD.

Ginger was one of the earliest spices known in Western Europe, used since the ninth century. It became so popular in Europe that it was included in every table setting, like salt and pepper.

So, this summer, why not make ginger popular at dinner tables once again with a bottle of Belvoir? Our range includes Ginger Cordial, Organic Ginger Cordial and a rather tasty Ginger Beer (available in 75cl and 25cl bottles). Find them in farms shops and supermarkets around the country or grab a few bottles from our online store.

The last time dear Blightly was in a recession, ITV decided to cheer everyone up by screening The Darling Buds of May. The show, based on the novels of Herbert Ernest Bates (a name to which we doff our bottle caps), follows the shenanigans of the loveable Larkin family on their farm in Kent. It starred the much-loved David Jason as Pop Larkin and launched the career of a little known Welsh lass called Catherine Zeta-Jones (who, as Mariette, ended up marrying a taxman – the poor thing). Re-run it, we say.

The larger than life Larkin family would no doubt approve of British Sandwich Week, which is currently in full swing. And as farmers, they’d probably opt for a classic ploughman’s. But according to The British Sandwich Association (who else?), a ploughman’s only ranks at eight in the top ten sarnie fillings favoured by us Brits. And, perhaps shockingly, there’s no place for cheese and pickle in the list. Here it is in full:

1. Chicken Salad
2. Mixed Selection
3. Chicken & Bacon
4. Bacon/Lettuce/Tomato
5. Prawn Mayonnaise
6. Chicken & Stuffing
7. Egg & Cress
8. Ploughman’s
9. Cheese & Onion
10. Chicken Caesar

We’re guessing a ‘mixed selection’ is one of those three-sandwich packets found in petrol stations across the country where you get two fillings you like and one that you don’t. But as Meat Loaf once bellowed, Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad.

One filling that rarely graces the Esso forecourts is Strawberry, Clotted Cream and Rose Petal. What a delightful sandwich! And we think we’ve got the perfect accompaniment….

Belvoir’s Raspberry and Rose Cordial

Belvoir’s Raspberry & Rose Cordial is a sweet, sensuous drink, packed with raspberries grown on UK farms and hand pressed by us. It’s perfect to quaff on long summer days as ripe raspberries help combat heat and thirst. Alternatively, use it as a base for cocktails: Try mixing 50ml gin, 75ml of lychee juice and 15ml of Raspberry & Rose cordial for a delicious Raspberry Blush.

Mythology says that raspberries used to be white. Things changed when a clumsy nymph,  furiously picking the fruit to appease a particular god’s rage, pricked her finger on a thorn. Blood spilled from her digit, forever turning the raspberries red. But don’t let that put you off. Roses are believed to make potent love potions, so Belvoir’s cordial balances not only taste perfectly, but also the anger of the gods.

In days gone by, raspberry juice was used to calm fever and gargling it would ease a sore throat. Raspberry syrup was said to dissolve tartar on teeth, too. So as well as making you feel better, your smile would be a couple of notches brighter.

Raspberries are high in querticin (whatever that is) and antioxidants which can provide a natural cure for hay fever.  Raspberry juice has reputed benefits for eye problems, mouth ulcers, toning the uterine muscles in pregnancy and is great for detox.

(Please note: Belvoir Fruit Farms is neither a doctor nor dentist; we are merely reporting herbal lore for the fruits and flowers in our products. We recommend you consult a medical specialist before declaring never to buy Lemsip, spectacles, Bonjela or toothpaste ever again.)

As for the rose petals, their scent is said to have an uplifting, restoring effect on the nervous system, and can relieve insomnia, lift depression, dispel fatigue and soothe irritability.

Of course, you don’t have to feel under the weather to buy our Raspberry and Rose cordial, it’s just as tasty even if you’re feeling right as rain. Speaking of which, where did those first signs up summer go?

Good day to you all. We hope you are well. We really do – after all, we wouldn’t resort to pleasantries and mere small talk when Blighty is under threat from a pandemic.

Oh yes, a fever is sweeping the nation. Although whether that fever is bringing high temperatures or a lot of hot air seems up for debate.

Here at Belvoir Fruit Farms, we’re just glad to see the return of those iconic war posters. This one, Coughs and Sneezes Spread Diseases by Herbert Mayo Bateman, is a particular favourite (thanks, National Archives!) and sits rather nicely with the design of the Belvoir On For Britain blog.

So as health and wellbeing seems to be at the forefront of people’s minds, we thought we’d open the fabled Belvoir Fruit Farm recipe book to a share a little information on the good properties of our much-loved ingredients. This week: the elderflower.

(At this point, our legal eagles would like us to point out that whilst we make incredibly delicious drinks, we are not medicine gurus and you should always consult your friendly doctor before quaffing our cordials in the hope of a quick recovery.)

Herbal lore

Every part of the elder – bark, leaves, flowers and berries – has been used within domestic medicine since the days of Hippocrates (smart guy; they still swear by him). Epilepsy, asthma, hay-fever, inflammation of the eyes and general nasal stuffiness were all treated with elder. Elder ointment was used for sprains and bruises whilst a distillation of elderflowers was thought to clear up complexions, the effects of sunburn and even freckles. It was also said to cure sore throats and alleviate the symptoms of colds and flu.

Modern herbalists have found that elderflowers contain flavonoids (17 points in Scrabble) which have antioxidant (19) and immunologic (18) properties.

Folklore

If you’re going in search of fairies. it is said that the best time is on Midsummer’s Eve beneath an elder bush. If you look hard enough, you just might see the Fairy King and Queen together with their entourage passing by!

An elder planted at your back door is believed to keep evil spirits from entering the house (we recommend a weatherproof, sturdy lock too) and act as a protector to the other plants in your garden.

Elderflower production

Still very much a tree of the woods and hedgerows, it is only in recent times that elders have been cultivated on a large scale. Belvoir Fruit Farms uses over 90 acres of land in the grounds of Belvoir Castle to organically grow its elders. Hand-picked and then hand-pressed, the elderflowers are infused with lemon and sugar syrup to create the unique fresh flavour of Belvoir’s Elderflower Cordial.

Belvoir’s Elderflower Cordial

Shoo the imposters, for Belvoir Fruit Farms is the original producer of elderflower cordial. To this day, we use the very same recipe Lady Mary Manners used to quench the thirst of friends and family over 25 years ago.

Belvoir’s Elderflower Cordial is delicious served chilled with still or sparkling water. And for a summer celebration, pop a small dash of elderflower cordial into a champagne flute and top up with fizz.

And if too much of this good stuff leaves with you with a sore head, elderflower cordial sans champagne is a perfect morning-after remedy that helps to clear the mind.

To stock up with Elderflower Cordial in preparation for The Big Sneeze, head to your nearest fine food retailer, discerning supermarket, or, of course, our very own online shop.