Nearlywed NEWS

The latest news from both counties

Bar Buoy Launches Bottled Espresso Martini

The team behind Bar Buoy premium bottled cocktails has teamed up with fellow Devon businesses, Owens Coffee and TORS vodka to reveal its deliciously decadent Espresso Martini (15% ABV). Bar Buoy’s Espresso Martini is expertly crafted with Dartmoor-based TORS vodka, coffee liqueur, Owens organic cold brew espresso and sugar syrup. The tasty rich aroma captures the heady scent of freshly roasted coffee.

To serve, chill the Bar Buoy Espresso Martini in the fridge, give it a good shake in a cocktail shaker with plenty of ice to achieve a thick foam, strain into a martini glass and garnish with three coffee beans –which are said to represent health, wealth and happiness.

Ria Ball, co-founder of Bar Buoy Cocktails, said: “All of our cocktails are made with premium spirits and high-quality ingredients. We have carefully chosen the businesses we’ve partnered with to create our range. They are all local producers from our home county of Devon as we believe their products are some of the best available anywhere, and we all share the same important values around sustainability.”

CREATE BESPOKE WEDDING DAY SPIRITS WITH SALCOMBE DISTILLING CO.

Salcombe Distilling Co., through their award-winning Salcombe Gin School and newly launched Salcombe Rum School, offer the opportunity for engaged couples to craft their very own unique spirit during a Salcombe Gin or Rum School lesson. From seasonal flavours to clever naming conventions, the chosen drink adds personalisation to the wedding day.

Guests to Salcombe Gin School or Salcombe Rum School take charge of a mini copper pot to develop and distil their very own 70cl bottle of gin or rum at Salcombe Distilling Co.’s award-winning waterside distillery in Salcombe. They can create their own recipe by choosing from an extensive range of botanicals supplied, or get imaginative and experiment by bringing their own. During distillation, visitors will sample and name their creations before bottling their chosen drink and placing it in a presentation box with a personalised bottle label.

A Gin School lesson is three hours long and is available from Tuesday to Saturday afternoons at 2 pm and Saturday mornings at 10 am. Salcombe Rum School runs every Thursday from 2 pm until 5 pm. A Gin or Rum School lesson for two people sharing a still is £160.

Salcombe Distilling Co. offers a service to distil more of the couple’s bespoke gin or rum. They visit www.salcombegin.com and fill out an online form listing their chosen botanicals and quantities noted from their previous Salcombe School visit. Salcombe Distilling Co.’s team of expert distillers then re-create two 70cl bottles of gin or rum (from £95). Higher quantities are available upon request.

Owens’ Roastery is based in South Devon in Ivybridge where customers can visit for a takeaway coffee or shop its range of whole bean or ground coffee, along with home brewing equipment.

Liz Orgill, marketing director of Owens Coffee, said: “We have been roasting Owens 100% Fairtrade and organic coffee since 2010. We are constantly looking for new opportunities to partner with local producers. We met Tim and Ria last summer whilst accepting our Muddy Stilettos Devon Sustainable Business Award and started to talk about how we could work together. We are delighted that Bar Buoy’s Espresso Martini now includes Owens Coffee’s fabulous cold brew, which you can make at home.”

Liz adds, “For this particular cold brew we’ve used our Baya blend, a darker roasted blend of our Arabica organic and Fairtrade coffee beans from Indonesia and Central America.”

Bar Buoy has a range of 12 delicious cocktails available in four different bottle sizes and with 100% plastic-free and recyclable packaging. The cocktails are Bramble, Cosmopolitan, Devon Stormy, Espresso Martini, Mai Tai, Margarita, Mojito, Negroni, Old Fashioned, Passion Fruit Martini, Raspberry Daiquiri and Seabird.

The bottles are priced at £4.95 for a 10cl single serve; £7.95 for a 20cl bottle (serves two), £18.95 for a 50cl bottle (serves five) and £32.95 for a one-litre bottle (serves 10). The cocktails are available from www.barbuoy.co.uk with free delivery over £40. The company donates 1% of all its sales to Project Seagrass, a marine charity devoted to the conservation of seagrass ecosystems through education, influence, research and action.

To find out more about Owens Coffee, visit owenscoffee.com and to find out more about TORS Vodka, visit www.torsvodka.co.uk

Editor Loves

The Little Red Bus is a chauffeur-driven VW lovingly named Rory available to hire to transport the wedding party and also double up as a fun photo booth, www.freeformimages.co.uk/thelittleredbus

EDITOR’S FAVOURITE

On the topic of retro wheels, the multi-award-winning VW wedding car hire company Honeybugs Cornwall offers restored, classic Volkswagen vehicles known as Hank, Honey and Hatty, www.honeybugscornwall.co.uk

Enjoy A Summer Staycation With Finest Retreats

Summer is in full swing, bringing with it warmer weather and sunnier days. For those looking to escape to the Cornish coast for a mini-moon, family-moon or a staycation honeymoon, Finest Retreats has a whole range of stunning holiday rentals to choose from.

•Tides, Newquay (sleeps four)

Wake up to stunning sea views in this modern and luxurious two-bedroom apartment and enjoy a morning coffee on the balcony overlooking Harbour Beach. Located near Newquay’s famed beaches, it’s the perfect base for couples or families to explore the area. The spacious apartment can sleep up to four adults, with an additional sofa suitable for two children. With high ceilings, large windows that allow the magnificent coastal light to pour in, and a clean and contemporary aesthetic, this property makes for a stylish bolthole in a privileged position.

•Trethew Cottage, near Redruth (sleeps four)

Set within its own large private garden, including a swing seat and benches to capture the stunning views from St Ives to St Agnes and beyond, this well-appointed detached house is ideal for families or two couples. It has an ample-sized kitchen and dining spaces both inside and out for those staying closer to home, and good links to the A30 for those wishing to explore the wider county including St Michael’s Mount which is a 30-minute drive.

To book, www.finestretreats.co.uk

Boardmasters Surf And Music Festival Benefits Local Cornish Organisations

Vision Nine, the organisers of Cornwall’s surf and music festival Boardmasters, have announced that more than 38 local Cornish charities, beach clean groups, businesses, children’s hospices, schools, surfing and sporting organisations and community groups are set to benefit from a staggering £105,000 raised by the Boardmasters Foundation in 2022.

Established in 2017, the Boardmasters Foundation was born out of the festival team’s desire to give back and support the culture and surrounding communities that are at the heart of the festival which takes place at Fistral Beach and Watergate Bay each year.

The recipients of the 2022 funds include the Schools Consent Project, Wave Women, Black Voices Cornwall, Cornwall Food Action, Newquay Train Station toilets, WGB Lifesaving Club, Newquay Boardriders, The Wave Project, Newquay Junior Academy and Watergate Bay Hotel. Other successful applicants are Newquay Scout Club, Children’s Hospice South West, Newquay Beer Festival, Newquay Tretherras Academy, Trenance Learning Academy and Concrete Waves. Many more recipients will be announced in the coming weeks and months.

CEO of Vision Nine and Boardmasters founder, Andrew Topham, said: “We’re proud of the £105,000 we’ve been able to raise across 2022 and hugely grateful to everyone who has contributed to the Foundation as a supporter of Boardmasters itself. Collectively, through this, we all give back to local organisations across Newquay, Watergate Bay and Mawgan Porth and across Cornwall and beyond. Since we established the Foundation in 2017, we have raised over

£310,000 and we continue to be ambitious in our objective of building on and growing the annual fundraising and charitable donations that the festival has already made year-on-year.”

Funds for the Boardmasters Foundation are raised each year at the Boardmasters festival. Applications are reviewed against the Foundation’s key pillars of focus - Community, Force for Good and Culture. Groups and organisations who are interested in applying to The Boardmasters Foundation should visit https://boardmasters.com where 2023 applications will open soon.

Great Western Grill At Bovey Castle Reopens

After three years, the Great Western Grill at Bovey Castle is welcoming guests once again. The restaurant pays homage to the hotel’s history, having first opened as a hotel in 1930 by the Great Western Railway.

With roots planted in classical cookery, the award-winning 3 AA Rosette Great Western Grill, headed up by executive chef Mark Budd, features refined modern British comfort cooking and incorporates forgotten classics. The dishes are prepared using high-quality ingredients from the estate and in the interests of sustainability, from surrounding areas wherever possible, from local game to lamb, aged Dartmoor Farmers beef and fish from the coast around the Southwest. The menu will consist of an á la carte option offering traditional favourites, meats, grills, steaks, house specials, fish and shellfish. From dressed Brixham crab salad to red wine braised oxtail cottage pie and poached native lobster with truffle macaroni cheese, this menu is sure to impress the guests. The popular Afternoon Tea is offered in the Lounge and Terrace areas and a Sunday Lunch menu will also be relaunched.

The grand opening of the grill wouldn’t be complete without a new Champagne Bar, offering an exclusive drinks list plus caviar and oysters.

The restaurant respects the glamour of the Art Deco origins and echoes of a bygone era. Bovey Castle offers rooms from £239 per night, based on two adults sharing on a B&B basis, www.boveycastle.com

NEW FINE DINING RESTAURANT, DA KONA, OFFICIALLY OPENS AT WYNDHAM TRENYTHON MANOR IN CORNWALL

Located on the coast of Cornwall, luxury hotel and lodge resort Wyndham

Trenython Manor has elevated its dining offering with the opening of a fine dining restaurant, Da Kona. Set in a grand, characterful room panelled with carved oak walls the ornate decor of the restaurant sets the scene for a night of indulgence. The menu consists of locally sourced, fresh Cornish ingredients including crab, sea bass and Cornish-bred beef. Head chef Mauricio Zambrano is passionate about working with the best local suppliers, fishermen and farmers to provide the highest quality ingredients and dishes possible.

Serving extensive breakfast, dinner and Sunday lunch menus, guests can enjoy a full Cornish-cooked breakfast paired with Buck’s Fizz and there’s a continental and children’s option available. Starters include smoked duck, pork belly and ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta cheese. Mains include seafood dishes and vegetarian options while desserts include a zesty cheesecake. Available every Sunday, the lunch menu serves prime meats roast potatoes, vegetables and lashings of gravy, with prices from £17 for one course, £22 for two courses and £27 for three courses.

On select evenings, Da Kona offers entertainment from evenings of jazz to quiz nights, www.wyndhamtrenythonmanor.com/restaurant

Devonia Water Is Now Available At The Luxurious Bovey Castle

Sustainable Devon spring water company Devonia is now available at Bovey Castle and will be served in the hotel bedrooms, restaurants and the bar, as well as in conference rooms for events. Set in 275 acres of countryside, Bovey Castle – which is the flagship of the Eden Hotel Collection – has 60 bedrooms, 22 lodges, an 18-hole championship golf course, tennis courts and an Elan Spa, complete with art deco swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, steam room, treatment rooms and a dedicated Gentlemen’s Quarter.

The hotel’s Great Western restaurant, which holds 3 AA Rosettes for its culinary excellence, is overseen by talented head chef Mark Budd, who also manages the hotel’s casual dining option, Smith’s Brasserie.

Devonia water owner Neil Graham said, “We are delighted to be working with the stunning Bovey Castle to fulfil all their bottled water needs. It’s great to see yet another Devon business working to improve its sustainability. There’s never been a more important time to be considerate and mindful of the environment.”

Lorenzo Fassio, Bovey Castle’s deputy general manager, said, “Bovey Castle, and the entire Eden Hotel Collection, are taking great strides forward in sustainability. We understand the importance of businesses to be more environmentally responsible. We already ensure we source local produce and recycle wherever possible. Stocking Devonia Water allows us to take our efforts another step further and introduce ‘reuse’, and we’re delighted to be able to work with Neil.”

Devonia is the only spring water company in the South of England with a business model centred around continuously reusing glass bottles. Over the 18 years that the company has been up and running, it has saved a staggering 163 tonnes of glass from going to landfill, by collecting and reusing its water bottles from hotels, pubs, cafes, restaurants, special events and private customers across Devon.

Since the start of 2022, Devonia has sold 336,000 bottles of water and reused an impressive 285,000, which is a re-use rate of 90%. Washing and refilling the bottles uses just 6% of the energy required to recycle glass, reducing CO2 by 94%. It doesn’t generate any plastic pollution that would ultimately go into the world’s oceans.

Devonia’s water is bottled at source from a spring that bubbles up on the edge of a meadow near the villages of Beeson and Beesands, less than a mile from the sea. Available in both still and sparkling and in 330ml or 750ml bottles, the water has a natural soft taste that’s proven to be incredibly popular with customers.

As well as being a sustainable business, Devonia supports the Dartmoor Rescue Group’s Ashburton team, of which Neil Graham has been a full member for years. By purchasing and enjoying Devonia water, customers are also supporting the incredible work of the mountain rescue team.

This year, Devonia Water is also sponsoring the South West Coast Path Association Trailblazer Walk during its 50th anniversary year. Neil Graham has a deep-rooted passion and commitment to sustainability and the environment and a love for the coast path. Plus, Devonia’s bottling plant is in very close proximity to the Beesands stretch of the path. Neil said, “The coastal path has been impacted hugely over the years by climate change and it is one of the many reasons why I choose to run my business sustainably.”

For further information visit https://devoniawater.co.uk

All Boxed Up

The Empty Box Company is a sustainable, family-run Devon-based business creating handmade wedding dress, headpiece, accessory and travel boxes.

Whether you’re thinking of keeping your dress, shoes, jewellery and other precious items (they might become family heirlooms one day) or whether you’re going to sell them, it’s a wise idea (and an investment) to keep everything well-protected which is where these stylish storage boxes in different designs come in handy - we love the Botanical Buff; Wild Strawberry Pink and Blossom Sky designs!

Clients who post a photograph of their wedding dress packed in a Wedding Dress box from The Empty Box Company on their social media pages and tag @theemptyboxcompanyltd will receive a complimentary A6 treasure box. Post images on www.facebook.com/emptyboxcompany or www.instagram.com/theemptyboxcompanyltd

To find out more and to shop, visit www.emptybox.co.uk