Tuesday 22 April 2008

Day twenty one-Lindisfarne mead-Holy Island

Yes, we made it to Lindisfarne. Holy Island is the 'cradle of Christianity' in the UK and they also know how to make a wicked brew. Lindisfarne Mead. Originally it was brewed by the monks of Holy Island but now you can witness the entire procedure at the Lindisfarne, St Aidans Winery where disappointingly it’s not made by mystical chanting cowled monks but by some perfectly ordinary looking people. Still, they have a skill that seems pretty mystical to me. I thought that the honey would come from aperies on Holy island or at least from very nearby, but as it states on the bottle,the honey comes from:
"the four corners of the world".
It is then mixed with an assortment of spirits and grape juice to refine the taste and keep the product consistent. I am a little disappointed that they don’t use local ingredients but they have retained the ‘local knowledge’ of how to make the Lindisfarne Mead and they do make a considerable effort to educate the general public in the history and the processes of creating the mead...and that at least is something. Keeping the old stories alive enables us to create new stories-and more delightful Lindisfarne mead.

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