Crouch End Triangle

There is something about Crouch End that always reminds me of the Bermuda Triangle. In fact sod it all of N8 is pretty odd. It’s next to impossible to get there, there is a distinct absence of the tube / train stations and the buses behave distinctly inconsistently.

Don’t get me wrong Crouch End is a very nice place when you get there, but my attempt to spend a slightly elongated lunch break visiting some Mead suppliers, turned into a 3 hour mission to Alexandra Place, to Wood Green, to Hornsey to Turnpike Lane and in the end I walked the last mile to get there.

You see rumour had it that Budgens in Crouch End sold a range of fruit wines including a Mead. The Budgens in question was branded a Thornton Budgens and was very special indeed. To my mind Budgens are a down market Kwiki Mart and yet this one sold a whole range of organic beers, a bigger range of ciders and posh deli food. In and amongst the specialities was a Norfolk Mead at £5.80 as part of the Broadland Country Wine range.

The same rumour mill had it that the very posh deli / café opposite also stocked Mead in a stoneware jar produced by Lyme Bay. In this I was disappointed as they had a fruit wine in a similar jar but had sold out of the Mead. Another trip in the offing.

However lurking on the dusty top shelf was a small presentation pack of 6 Lithuanian Meads in 40cl bottles for £9.95. A choice find indeed comprising:

Lietuviskas Midas Bociy at 14%
Midaus Nektaras Sventine at 30%
Midaus Nektaras Grizta Vyrai at 40%
Midaus Nektatas Du Keliai at 44.4%
Midaus Nektaras Sukinis at 50%
Midaus Balzamas Zalgirls at 75%

Now at 75% alcohol by volume I’m not sure quite what this has to do with English Mead. Or even Vodka, but its going to be fun finding out. You see the Lithuanian’s like their Mead, the presentation pack goes on:

Lithuanian mead
The authentic national speciality of Lithuania, it has been crafted since ancient times. The forgotten art of producing Mead was revived in 1959 by A.Sinkevicius (1908-1989), the former director of the company “Lietuviskas Midus” in Stakliskes. All mead drinks are made of natural bee honey and berry juice. Their unique flavour comes from refined infusion of carnation blossom, poplar buds, acorn, juniper berries laced with many other valuable herds. www.midus.it

Now Crouch End may be a bugger to get to, N8 may be the Bermuda Triangle of North London but it’s a darn sight closer than Stakliskes, Lithuania.