It wasn’t that many years ago that we didn’t need to describe the size or shape of fruit and vegetables, we just purchased the produce that we needed.
For many years the major food retailers, given their enormous buying power, have only accepted perfectly proportioned fruit and vegetables. Some retailers have started selling mis-shaped produce, prefixed with the word ‘wonky’.
The retailers might blame the consumers for demanding uniform produce, but it’s probably more to do with the ease of packaging items that are all the same shape and size.
Whoever is to blame for this misguided buying policy, UK farmers are losing nearly £650m every year from having their ‘wonky’ produce rejected, which is otherwise perfectly edible.
One forward-thinking company – Herefordshire-based Penhros Spirits – has seized the opportunity to use ‘wonky’ strawberries, which would otherwise go to waste, to produce a limited-edition Strawberry Gin.
Penrhos Spirits was founded in 2018, by two fruit farmers and friends, Charles Turner and Richard Williams, variously producing cherries, apples, blueberries and strawberries.
Charles and Richard, both gin lovers, decided to create a spirit that used ingredients that were truly locally sourced from their respective farms, grain spirit and their own natural water.
Richard and Sally’s daughter, Harriet, joined the company in 2019, who was closely involved with the development of their award-winning spirits, including Penrhos Dry Gin, Penrhos Rhubarb Gin and Penrhos Apple & Elderflower Gin.
The new Strawberry Gin is Harriet’s latest inspiration and we were privileged to receive one of only 3,000 bottles that the company will be producing this year.
We were impressed from the moment we took the aluminium bottle out of its packaging.
The stylish eggshell blue bottle, which can be re-used, refilled or recycled, carries the confident Penhros Gin branding, with a label proudly stating the variety – Wonky Strawberry – with a short explanation about the strawberries that they have used.
We opened the bottle, poured a measure of this pale pink elixir over ice (we never add mixers to the spirits we sample) and took a few sips, and then a few more, and then we refilled our glasses.
The strawberry flavour came flooding in, which was perfectly balanced with the smoothness of the 40% base gin.
The viscosity of this gin seemed to be higher than other fruit-infused gins we have sampled and this produced a mouthfeel more akin to a liqueur, which only added to the satisfying experience.
For sampling purposes, as stated, we don’t add mixers, but after we had made our notes on the unadulterated spirit, we did add Prosecco to produce a stunning cross between a Gin Fizz and a French 75.
So, it’s a fantastic gin, but what about sustainability?
The 3,000 bottles of Strawberry Gin will use 300kg of what would otherwise be waste fruit. Currently, 10,000 tonnes of UK strawberries are rejected every year for cosmetic reasons.
The aluminium bottles are fully recyclable and with their screw-on cap can be refilled and re-used as a stylish water bottle.
All the ingredients are produced on the owners’ farms, resulting in minimal food miles.
Commenting on the launch of the Wonky Strawberry Gin, Harriet Evans, co-founder of Penrhos Gin, said: “We’re proving that sustainability and sophistication aren’t mutually exclusive.
“Every bottle of our limited-edition Strawberry Gin saves approximately 100g strawberries from waste, while delivering an exceptional and delicious gin drinking experience.”
After sampling, we all agreed that this is an outstandingly smooth gin, with an authentic strawberry taste, and we very much hope that the distillers will continue to produce this gin beyond their planned run of 3,000 bottles.
There’s always going to be a supply of ‘wonky’ fruit and we would really like to see what other flavour profiles this inspirational company develops.
For more information visit their website