Godshill Mead

First of the haul from Middle Farm, I thought I’d try something undemanding first. Hey I waited 24 hours, and am saving the best till last.

A small corked bottle, and a good name for a Mead, the bottle seemed to almost ooze honey. The aroma seems remenscent of fairly rough cider, although that may be my mind playing tricks, I’ve been to Godshill. I also like rough cider.

Initial tasting is a bit sweet and sickly, in the manner of Harvest Gold or Norfolk Mead. The after taste is more pleasant but again feels more like a flavoured wine (or even a cider) than a Mead.

The bottle describes it as a country wine from the Isle of Wight. The website reads thus:

Thought to be the most ancient alcoholic drink, dating back some 12,000 years, before wine, beer and even cider. Our mead is made from fermented honey, and is medium in sweetness.

They also do a Christmas Mead so an excuse to visit Wigit

A better experience slightly chilled, or with ice, as the sweeter sense blends into the ice, but still nothing special. I appear to be becoming a Mead snob, which I guess was the inevitable intention all along.

Mission for Mead

I’ve been saving this for a special occasion, and today has been a day of glorious sunshine and a frustrating morning in the office, so off to Sussex I headed.

At Victoria station I stopped in the Cheese shop, and enquired about Mead. Apparently they normally stock a variety but had sold out, which is interesting on different levels. I’ll need to return to find out what it was, and again it’s reassuring to know others drink the stuff.

An hour and a half later I’m in Lewes killing times between trains, with a pint of Black Rat cider. Lewes is also full of posh Deli’s so I suspect there’s Mead to be found here, but my mission is clear.

Another hour later I’m at Glynde, and so begin the long march. A long march down a busy and positively lethal A27 to Middle Farm. This is not an easy place to get to without a vehicle and only the Mad and the English would attempt it. Luckily I’m both.

The sun is scorching, I’ve not got any water, I’ve chosen to wear new boots and the blisters are starting to kick in as my ankles are rubbing raw. I’m still dodging thundering Lorries and inhaling exhaust fumes but 40 minutes (2miles?) and countless false summits later I make it.

Middle Farm is pretty special. Go there.

It’s packed with people tasting ciders. They have a serious amount of ciders, allegedly 200+ and free tasting of the draft varieties. They have beers and fruit wines and a ridiculous range of Meads to choose from. Very aware that I’m going to have to carry them back down that damn road I end up buying a mere 8 bottles (more to follow).

I’ve attempted to note the different varieties of Mead they had on display but to be honest got bored writing them down, so I missed a few. I also failed to notice the 3 draft Meads behind the till until I was leaving, not to mention the range of 15-20 miniatures. Clearly I’ll be back.

However this is most of what they had:

Friary Vitners Mead (£6.82)
Friary Vitners Spiced Mead (£6.82)
Friars Choice (Brandy, Honey & Spices, £16.19)
Cornish Liquor Mead (£9.22)
Cornish Mead Wines (£8.64)
Moniak Mead (£8.66)
New Quay Honey Wine Mead-Apricot (7.45)
New Quay Honey Wine Mead-Blackberry (7.45)
New Quay Honey Wine Mead-Raspberry (£7.45)
New Quay Honey Wine Mead-Ginger (£7.45)
New Quay Honey Wine Mead-Heather (£7.45)
New Quay Honey Wine Mead-Honey (£9.27)
Lyme Bay Traditional Mead (75cl, £7.45)
Lyme Bay Traditional Mead (375cl, £4.48)
Lyme Bay Christmas Mead (£7.45)
West Country Liqueurs- Whisky & Mead (£8.55)
Godshill Cider Company Mead (£4.81)
Norfolk Mead (£6.65)
Lindisfarne Mead (75cl, £9.34)
Lindisfarne Mead (35cl, £5.73)
Lythe Hill Hotel (Lurgashall) English Mead (£5.99)
Camelot County Products Mead (£8.09)
Sussex Boar Hunter (£14.50)
Dark Mead (£9.99)
Pernards Organic Mead (£7.03)
Carr Taylors Mead (£5.68)
Malmesbury Reserve Mead (£14.30)
Malmesbury Dry Mead (£11.46)
Lurgashall Honey Whisky Mead (50cl, £9.70)
Lurgashall English Honey Mead (50cl, £8.43)
Lurgashall Spiced Honey Mead (£8.99)
Lurgashall Celtic Honey Mead (£8.43)

So depending on how you count perhaps 33 different varieties of Mead. I got lucky only spending £70