Today is World Book Day – the biggest annual celebration of books and reading in the UK and Ireland. And we’re all for it. It makes us dream of retiring to the garden on a hot summer’s day with a cool glass of our fabulous new Blackcurrant & Cox Apple Cordial and a good book.

Good books make you laugh. They make you cry. They make you think. Some even inspire you to do great things.

You never forget a good book.

So we asked some people around the office and our Twitter followers to tell us about the books that they’ll never forget. Perhaps you’ll agree with some of their suggestions. Or if you’re in the hunt for a new novel (for you or your children), maybe you’ll find some inspiration below.

The lovely Barbara (sales admin and event organisation) tells us her favourite book is Black Beauty. Written in 1877 by English novelist Anna Sewell, this children’s classic has sold over 50 million copies around the world, making it one of best-selling books of all time. (And we still love the theme tune to the TV series.)

Kim tweeted us to say River’s End by Nora Roberts is well worth a read. It’s a New York Times bestseller, so it would seem many people agree with her choice.

Becky (marketing manager) is a keen equestrienne and cites The Man Who Listens To Horses as her fave. This is the autobiography of the original ‘Horse Whisperer’, Monty Roberts.

Chris tweeted to recommend Modern Ranch Living by Mark Poirier. He tells us it’s “a blissful read, with a fabulous front cover to boot”. Can’t argue with that.

Pev (top brass) recalls King Solomon’s Mines as being a childhood favourite. Written by H. Rider Haggard and first published in 1885, it is the first English novel to be set in Africa and considered by some to be the book that started the Lost World genre.

Got a favourite book to tell us about? Simply pop it in the comments.

Then find the sunniest room in the house, sit back with a glass of our new Blackcurrant & Cox Apple Cordial, and dive into a novel for as long as you can afford. Happy reading.

With over 1/2 lb of ripe English blackcurrants juice and the juice of 3 Cox apples in each bottle, Belvoir’s Blackcurrant & Cox Apple Cordial has an intensely rich fruity taste and is made with 100% natural ingredients. Delicious simply mixed with sparkling water, but also perfect in a kir with white wine.

Find it in your local farm shop, delicatessen or buy it from our online store.

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!

The sound of furious backtracking that’s coming from the Houses of Parliament is now familiar to everyone who listens to the news. But amongst all the “outrage” and “uproar” about the MPs’ expenses fiasco, we think there’s something terribly amusing about former Home Secretary John Reid claiming for a glittery toilet seat and an ice cube tray. So if you ever wondered how the other half live, it’s in garishly decorated flats with cold drinks.

And while we’re on the subject of finally getting noticed for something you’ve been doing for ages, we’d like to send our congratulations to Nick Hemming and his band, The Leisure Society. In case you’re not aware of this particular story, Last of the Melting Snow – a gorgeous folk song penned by Mr Hemming – was up for an Ivor Novello award last week.

And although Nick didn’t win the award for Best Song Musically & Lyrically – it went to Elbow for One Day Like This – it’s the first time in 54 years of the awards that a songwriter without a publishing deal has been nominated for a Best Song award. (The day after the awards, Nick actually signed a publishing deal. So big congratulations to him.)

Elsewhere in the world of awards, the prizes have all been dished out in Chelsea. The annual flower show finished yesterday and, as usual, featured some truly stunning gardens.

But fear not if you missed Chelsea. We have some good news: The Royal Horticultural Society has two more shows this year: Hampton Court Palace (7–12 July) and Tatton Park (22–26 July).

Belvoir Fruit Farms has two pairs of tickets for Hampton Court Palace for Saturday 11 July. And that can mean only one thing … oh yes, it’s competition time!

Competition Time!
The Belvoir On For Britain Flower Show

We’d like to assemble an online flower show of your blooming gardens. Whether you’ve got acres of rolling countryside or a neat window box overlooking the city, we want to see your snaps.

And because we know you like a twist of Belvoir, why not place yourself in the photo quaffing a glass of your favourite cordial? (We may dish out extra points for flower-related ones: Elderflower, Raspberry and Rose – you get the idea.)

So get clicking and quaffing! And once you’ve got a snap you’re happy with, send it to photos@belvoirfruitfarms.co.uk.

We’ll publish the best ones on this blog.

Good luck!

Full terms and conditions for this competition can be found here.

Happy Thursday, followers!

Firstly, congratulations to Arsenal, Man Utd, Chelsea and Liverpool. (We’re glossing over the cricket.) All four British teams reaching the quarter finals of the Champions League is a splendid achievement. We can only assume that supporters and players alike are ‘over the moon’.

As are we, readers! Over the moon because we can now tell you all about our delicious new drinks. As you’ll recall, in our previous post we promised to unscrew the lid and give you the mouthwatering details. And a promise is a promise. So here goes:

(drumroll, fanfare, pyrotechnics…)

Belvoir Fruit Farms is pleased to announce the arrival of a delicious new cordial – Gooseberry, Elderflower and Muscat Grape.

Made to a family recipe that’s older than the hills, this delightful new addition to the Belvoir Cordials range blends freshly-picked delicately-scented elderflowers with the crisp, zippy taste of farm pressed gooseberries, all topped-off with sweet Muscat grape juice. So tasty is this cordial, you’ll have glasses of water knocking at your door begging to be a part of it. Frankly, we wouldn’t blame them.

But that’s not all. No no. This is a big reveal of two halves (sorry, no more football clichés).

There’s another new addition to our ever-growing range: Pear & Elderflower Pressé. This little beauty combines sweet pressed pear juice and the delicate scented taste of elderflowers with lightly sparkling Belvoir spring water. And believe us, it tastes every bit as exquisite as it sounds.

They’re available now from all good farm shops and supermarkets. And if you’re struggling to find them on the shelves, you can buy a couple of boxes from our online store to keep you quaffing throughout the spring.

So go forth and taste! These two new twists are a welcome take on our beloved original elderflower cordial. We’re sure you’ll agree. Please tell us what your taste buds say in the comments below.

Thanks for being eager Belvoir drinkers and readers.