Ulverston’s Shed One Distillery is among businesses from all over Britain to be invited to a reception at the House of Lords on Tuesday.
Zoe Arnold-Bennett, who co-founded the Ulverston-based brand with her husband Andy, welcomed the trip to Westminster, which she linked to their well-established credentials as a sustainable business.
“We’ve won The Gin Guide’s Environmental Sustainability Award for four years running. We try to be as green as we can; we get involved and give talks about being a small business and the issues we’ve faced being green.”
Michelin-starred chef Adam Handling , who was a judge, praised the “elegance and complexity” of Yiayia Gin, and its use of Mediterranean flavours, including vine leaf, fig, mushroom, seaweed and rose pelargonium (geranium).
“Adam Handling really got it,” says Zoe, of Yiayia Gin, named to honour Irini’s grandmothers (“Yiayia” is Grandma in Greek), but also in tribute to female role models and collaboration.
She said of the flavours: “Because it’s based on culinary things, it’s nice to show people that there’s a lot more to gin than citrus and juniper.”
The collaboration with the Cartmel-based chef, who won MasterChef in 2019, came about when Irini signed up for a gin-making experience at Shed One. “She came to make gin with a group of people. She and I got talking,” says Zoe.
“We talked about getting together and it instantly became a women’s thing to celebrate her grandmothers and the other women involved. It ended up being really lovely.”
Shed One has also collaborated with the team from Michelin-starred Cartmel restaurant Rogan & Co.
Herbs and flowers from Our Farm, where chef and proprietor Simon Rogan grows produce for his restaurants, were included, creating a bespoke spirit. Local Heroes Gin is being served during Rogan & Co’s showcase of Cumbrian produce, starting on Tuesday.
Paul Jackson editor of The Gin Guide described it as “a fascinating gin in all the right ways, demonstrating the range and depth of flavours that can be achieved”.
