Ah, the red, white and blue! It’s been flagged up recently somewhat!
Let’s wave it about a bit more. The red could be Devon Red, that noble apple drink made by Sandford Orchards. Labelled ‘a supreme cider’. A supreme leader indeed. Red as in Rooibos? It means ‘red bush’ and we stock Eleven O’clock Rooibos teabags which are caffeine-free, organic and have Rainforest Alliance certification. Nothing like a nice cup of tea.
A nation is made up of different places. Different places are renowned for different things; cheese for instance. Red Leicester was originally made in its county with cheese left over after the making of Stilton and it was coloured with carrot juice. It was called ‘Red’ from 1940 to distinguish it from White Leicester which was made during the war under rationing restrictions. We also have Dorset Red cheese, cold-smoked over oak chips overnight and apparently, appropriately enough, there is a Windsor Red too.
There is a time and place for a wine and cheese do. Ok? Red wine flows out of the door and we have bags available as we have run out of suitcases. We have a South African Shiraz but others less Commonwealth such as an Italian Merlot which is internationally confusing because it is from a dark blue grape and the name comes from the word ‘merle’, the French word for blackbird. I make no apologies for all this talk of wine and cheese.
White bread.
Good old white bread. Olivers do a fine range of this colour; tins, rolls and farmhouse, and a rustic which is Olivers twist on a half & half with a wholemeal. Wessex Mill Strong White Bread Flour enables one to make one’s own, doesn’t one? Where is Wessex? Apparently, it disappeared under King Harold in 1066, a poke in the eye for the current encumbent earl, one Prince Edward. That’s even with Thomas Hardy using the place to set some of his novels. Incidentally, Tess is a nickname for Elizabeth.
What’s that quote? ‘too full fat of the milk of human kindness’?
The white stuff is more popular than ever; either Sandford Gate or Taw River. Some buy both, but the Milky Bar’s are on you! The posher white chocolate is from Willie’s Chocolate but don’t go wading in with any chat about class warfare! Speaking of which, the white wading bird the Avocet is the name of one of our best selling beers. It does fly out of the door but not necessarily over that great blue yonder.
The deep blue sea provides us with fish. Our tins of tuna are now ‘responsibly sourced’ whereas in the past they were ‘dolphin friendly’, possibly because it wasn’t actually ‘tuna friendly’ and those dolphins are quite friendly but also intelligent and must have flipped over their fellow fish fatalities. Then there’s kippers for breakfast; you don’t always have to have the Full English. Fresh fruit instead? Fresh blueberries are popular at the moment and the Brendon Hills Craft Whortleberry Jam always cheers people up when given as a present. Blue? No, quite happy really. If this nonsense makes you smile then you won’t be blue either. I do my best, but you will have to stick with me, like Blutack.
Cheers
Stu
P.S. My child will not eat fish. What can I replace it with?
A cat. Cats love fish.