One of the leading 3-day events in the world, the Burghley Horse Trials are held at Burghley House, Lincolnshire each year and attract thousands of visitors from all four corners of the globe. And this year, starting today and until the 5th September, we’ll be joining the crowds of fellow-enthusiasts.

If it’s your first time at Burghley, remember there’s more to the Trials than Dressage, Cross Country and Show Jumping. For a break from all things equestrian, why not take the family down to the lakeside to try out the Land Rover Terrapod, bring your dog and test his skills at the Pedigree Dog Agility or enjoy a family picnic near one of the giant screens around the Showground.

Worried about what to wear? Chances are you’ll be doing lots of walking, so think practical, not Prada. Unless, that is, you plan on visiting the Member’s Enclosure or various hospitality areas; then you may need to brush up a bit.

We’d love to see you there! We may not be the ‘mane’ attraction, but we guarantee anyone who visits our stand in the Foodwalk will get a welcome smile and a taste of our finest elderflower cordial…

‘Oh what fun we had, but at the time it seemed so bad’…the madness of school days. Thousands of children all over the country will be starting new schools this month.

And there are going to be nerves, a few butterflies and possibly some tears. But sure as kids-is-kids there are also going to be new friends, loads of laughter and even more fun and games…particularly the first term. Why, there are leaves to be kicked, conkers to be collected and Christmas lists to be debated with new BFFs (Best Friends Forever)!

It’s mum (and dad!) who may have the tantrums. Mornings can be a whirlwind of lost shoes, missing book bags and the never-ending question of what to put in the children’s packed lunches. Actually, we may be able to help you out there. As well as the usual good stuff, we can heartily recommend our range of naturally delicious 25cl Fruit Crush drinks including our child-friendly Pear & Raspberry and Apple & Elderflower, the perfect size for a lovingly made lunch box.

And for the mum’s and dad’s? Our elderflower cordial has been highly recommended this month by our lovely Twitter followers, with the addition of something strong to celebrate your first successful school run.

So, any school memories of your own you’d like to share with the class? First day nerves? The best of times? Post up your recollections here…

Hark, it’s those three little words, ‘Belvoir cocktail, please’, that tell us we’re in the middle of the wedding season. Romance is in the air, wedding bells are beckoning and we have some exquisite new recipes for the arrival drink or wedding toast. Here, then, are our matrimonial marvels of both the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variety…

Elderflower & Champagne
A refreshing little number, our Elderflower & Champagne cocktail is heaven-made for late summer evenings. As the champagne bubbles pop, the romantic scent of fresh elderflowers lingers lovingly in the air. What’s more, it’s delightfully simple to make – just add 15ml of cordial to a champagne flute and top up with bubbly. Cheers!

Elderflower Fizz
You may be getting squiffy on champers, but don’t the non-drinkers deserve a special treat too? A light and tangy non-alcoholic cocktail, Elderflower Fizz is full of colour and fragrance and perfect for the big day. Pour 20ml of Belvoir Elderflower cordial, 50ml pink grapefruit juice and 50ml cloudy lemonade over ice in a hi-ball glass. Then stir and serve with three freshly squeezed lime wedges. And for a unique finishing touch, throw in a few flower heads (pansies are perfect) to decorate.

White Flower Martini
If you’re more adventurous at heart, try the White Flower Martini. Its layered fruit and flower flavours will prove a hit with even the most discerning of palates. Pour 15ml of Belvoir elderflower cordial, 35ml vodka (we suggest raspberry flavour), 15ml Limoncello and 50ml lychee juice into a cocktail shaker, add a handful of ice, shake and strain into a martini glass (because every cocktail looks better in a martini glass…scientific fact!). Finally, garnish with a floating rose petal.

How can you not fall in love with these stunning new cocktails from the Belvoir Fruit Farms recipe book, all ideal for the wedding season. As always, if you’ve got your own recipes, let us know and we’ll put the best ones on this blog.

In our last competition, we had a Zoku Quick Pop™ maker to give away to the Belvoir fan who came up with the most imaginatively mouth-watering recipe idea for ice pops and we’re delighted to announce we have a winner.

Some of the suggestions we received were, admittedly, from the Hesther Blumensthal school of snail porridge and parsnip or caramelized candy with crab, but a fair few ideas were equally inspirational and actually edible…more than edible, delicious, in fact! However, there can only be one winner and that, ladies and gentlemen, is one Keith C whose colourful and tongue-tingling treat we’ve reproduced below.

Keith C

I’d love to have invent a “Forestry Scene” Ice lolly!
A layer of blueberry and white chocolate for the sky and clouds.
Lime and lemongrass Belvoir cordial and whole pieces of summer berries to represent the green trees heavily laden with delicious ripe berries. And a big fat layer of yummy chocolate for the soil!

Honourable mention should also go to our two runners-up, Kathryn Waites and Sue who will each be receiving a case of our very own Elderflower cordial for their troubles. Perhaps you could make these tasty lollies too Keith C?

Kathryn Waites:
I’d make a wonderfully frozen dessert on a stick.

Whip equal quantities of double cream and condensed milk until thick then add the wonderful Belvoir Lime and Lemongrass cordial to taste – I like it strong but not everyone’s the same. Then add diced crystallised ginger and lime zest before taking a few ginger nut biscuits – lightly crush before folding in the cream mixture.

Freeze and devour!

Sue:
I got a bit carried away trying to invent my lolly! I was trying to choose my favourite Belvoir cordial to include, but couldn’t decide so thought of a way to include all of them. Here goes:
Layer 1: Cranberry Cordial. 

Layer 2: Organic ginger cordial.
Layer 3: Organic elderflower cordial. 

Layer 4: Pear and Apple cordial. 

Layer 5: Organic blueberry cordial
.
Layer 6: Blackcurrant and Cox apple cordial
.
Layer 7: Raspberry and Rose cordial

Lo and behold, your very own Belvoir Rainbow lolly. Unfortunately I think freezing all the layers would take a little longer than 7 minutes!! But think how good it would taste – it’d be worth the wait!

You can’t beat a great British holiday. Candyfloss, Kiss-Me-Quick hats and, of course, a ride across the dunes on Dixie the donkey…it’s a breath of fresh air and certainly recharges the batteries.

On the subject of revitalising remedies, we’ve got six (of the best!) Neal’s Yard Remedies gift packs up for grabs in our great British summer competition. Each Neal’s Yard Remedies pack contains Rosemary & elderflower shower gel, elderflower and peppermint tea and eyebright & elderflower formula. Plus we’ll also throw in a bottle of Belvoir elderflower cordial. What a refreshing range of pick-me-ups for the weeks ahead!

To win, all you have to do is supply a rib-tickling caption to the quintessentially English holiday scene above. Answers on a saucy seaside postcard, please…actually, you can just pop them in the Comments box below…

Click here to see what you could win and to read our ever enthralling terms and conditions.

Best of British everyone and have a super summer!

We’re over the moon to have received a one star gold award for our Blackcurrant & Cox apple cordial and for our Blackcurrant & Apple Fruit Crush.

If you are unfamiliar with these awards, they are organised by The Guild of Fine Food who set up a panel of industry experts (food writers, chefs, deli and farm shop owners, food producers and buyers) to taste a selection of goodies from across the country; 6021 this year!    The coveted little black & gold-star GREAT TASTE stickers adorn thousands of speciality foods stocked on shelves and counters in stores throughout the UK.

Of all the UK’s food award schemes, the GREAT TASTE AWARDS is the most important. Completely independent and uncompromisingly rigorous, it is trusted by retailers, buyers and consumers. GREAT TASTE is to speciality food and drink what MICHELIN is to fine dining.

So why not try it for yourself, you can buy the cordial here online, or you can buy it at Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco (regional stores only) and Waitrose.  The gorgeous little Blackcurrant & Apple Fruit Crush is a little harder to get hold of, but you will find it in many deli’s and farm shops across the country.

As sure a sign of summer as the first swallow in the sky, so the cry of ‘Mum, I’m bored!’ heralds the advent of the long school-less months ahead.

On one hand, it offers a welcome break from the morning ritual of early starts, packed lunches and school runs. On the other…well, it’s not easy keeping the children entertained for six weeks straight.

However, we have had some good ideas in our time and this year we’re determined to keep you all healthy, happy and sane with our Top 10 tips to help you make it through the emotional minefield that are the long summer months without school…

1. Picnics in the local park

You can’t beat a picnic on a long hot summer’s day; fresh air for the kids, you catch some sun and if you invite another mum or two, there’s the chance of some gossip and to share the woes of the long summer hols over some cool Belvoir presses.

2. Nature Trails

Educational, yet entertaining! Get them to keep a journal of what they see, hear, smell and feel as they go round…

3. Bake something from the Belvoir range

Cake making always goes down a treat in our kitchen. Just check out our range of recipe suggestions online and you’ll be spoiled for choice.

4. Fruit picking

PYO is another popular day out for all; strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, just pick up a punnet and take your choice!

5. Stall at a boot sale

This is a good one…you get a junk-free bedroom and the chance to make some cash, two birds with one stone!

6. Pond dipping

A messy business, so make sure the kids dress down and bring nets, tea strainers, spoons and anything else they can use to explore the quite fascinating contents of your local pond…adult supervision is an absolute necessity here though!

7. Sketching competition

Any budding Picassos among friends or family? Why not have a sketching competition with the winner having their work framed!

8. Treasure Hunt

Oooh-arrgh Jim-lad, the chance for parents to get all piratical and draw treasure maps with big black crosses on them! Actually great fun, even if it IS just in the back garden!

9. Karaoke competition

The X Factor idea…maybe best to wait until the neighbours are out though!

10. Tie-dye plain white t-shirts

Personally, my favourite…as a child I simply couldn’t get enough of making tie-dyed T-shirts, the more psychedelic, the better!

Tried and tested, these are just a few ideas that have gone down well in our household, but we’re sure there are many more suggestions out there. Anything worked for you that you’d like to share with other readers of the Belvoir blog? Simply enter your thoughts on how to get through the summer months without tears (yours, as well as the kids!) in the comment box below.

Good luck, fellow parents!

If you can’t resist sweet temptation, then these divine cupcakes are sure to be a hit at any girlie get together.

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 20-25mins

Makes 12

Ingredients
150g/5oz plain flour
100g/4oz caster sugar
7.5ml/1 1/2 tsp baking powder
100g/4oz soft butter
75ml/5tbsp Belvoir Cranberry cordial
2 large eggs

For the icing:
225g/8oz icing sugar
75g/3oz soft butter
30ml/2tbsp cranberry cordial
pink sprinkles to decorate

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/350°F/ Gas Mark 4. Line a 12 hole deep muffin tin with large paper cases and place the tin on a baking tray.

2. Sift the flour, sugar and baking powder together into a large bowl. Add the butter, cordial and egg, then use an electric whisk on slow to blend the mixture together. Once it has come together whisk on top speed for 1 minute.

3. Divide the mixture between the cases, filling each two thirds full. Bake for 20-25mins or until risen and firm to the touch. Cool in the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

4. For the frosting: Sift the icing sugar into a large bowl, add the butter and cranberry cordial and use the electric whisk on slow, to bring the ingredients together. Then increase the speed and whisk for 1 minute or until the mixture is fluffy.

5. Use a round bladed knife to spread, or piping bag fitted with a star shaped to pipe each cupcake with the icing and decorate with sprinkles or your choice of toppings.

Cooks tip

For a ‘think pink’ cupcake, take 45ml/3tbsp of the icing and add a couple of drops of food colouring. Spoon into a greaseproof paper piping bag and snip off the end. Pipe a ‘ribbon loop’ shape on top of each cake.

Unwind with this refreshing infusion

Serves: 1

Ingredients:
50ml Belvoir Cranberry Cordial
3 Wedges Fresh Lime
100ml Lemonade
Crushed Ice

Method:
Squeeze and drop lime wedges into hi-ball glass. Add cranberry cordial and lots of crushed ice. Stir well and top with lemonade.

With the sun out and not a cloud in the sky, the sights and sounds of a great British summer are all around; sausages sizzling on the BBQ mingling with the unmistakable scent of sun cream.

What better way to cool down than with a refreshing ice cold lolly?

Which brings us neatly to our latest competition.

Our friends, the boffins at Zoku Quick Pop have come up with a machine that will make a delicious lolly in as little as seven minutes, and this month we’re offering one lucky ice lolly fan the chance to win your own instant ice lolly maker.

This clever little machine means you can use any combination of fresh or natural juices, cordial, fruit or nuts. They’ve even got a recipe for Pimms on a stick! The options are endless and limited only by your imagination, take a look at Zoku’s website to find out more.

So to win one of these fantastic little machines, all you have to do is to invent your own flavour of ice pop, with the weirdest, most wonderfully mouth-watering suggestion striking lucky. Extra points will, of course, be awarded to anyone using a Belvoir beverage in the mix!

We also have a case of Elderflower cordial for each of our two runners- up, so it’s certainly worth ‘poppin’ your suggestion in the comment box below!

Good luck everyone!

In the meantime, if you can’t wait to get your hands on one, please hop onto the online shop page to buy one.

The Zoku Quick Pop Maker costs £39.95 (inc. free delivery) and is available from their website. You can follow their Tweets or see their Facebook page.

This competition is now closed.