A good day for @breckland... how to respond when something goes wrong.

So, what was the mysterious parcel that UK Mail decided was so important it had to be delivered in the middle of the night?

Ros and I had been out and stopped for a light lunch. Allards, in Stowupland, do a very nice bacon roll, so we ordered one each, plus something to drink. I had a pot of tea, whilst Ros went for the strawberry and rhubarb 'Posh Pop' from a company called Breckland Orchard. It went down rather well, so well indeed that we decided to order some for home delivery - it makes an interesting alternative to wine on a pleasant summer's evening.

And so the order was made, and the delivery arranged.

After the delivery, Ros rang Breckland Orchard to raise the issue, and they were genuinely apologetic. It wasn't their fault, clearly, but they took responsibility, offering to apologise to our next door neighbour, and throw in some free products for her. They also contacted her to apologise in person.

I am suitably impressed that a small business should take such trouble. They could have washed their hands of a problem not of their own making, especially given that no reasonable person could blame them for the incompetence of a delivery company employed by a third party - they deliver through a collective website which services a number of small food and drink producers. But they didn't.

So, a round of applause for Breckland Orchard. And, just so that you know, their Plum and Cherry squash is really very good indeed...

Suffolk Reviews: St Peter's Brewery Fruit Beer - Grapefruit

The advantage of having twelve bottles of beer, each of them different, is that you can 'impulse drink'. Improved weather in mid-Suffolk gave me an opportunity to try this unusual beer, unusual in that citrus fruit is something more commonly added to beer in slices and crammed into the neck of the bottle. Not this time though...

The tasting notes read:

"We use our Wheat Beer as the base for this superbly refreshing beer. The zesty/pithy grapefruit is in complete harmony with the hops and malt. Excellent as an aperitif or as a refreshing change."

I couldn't agree more. This is a beer for lazy summer afternoons when one might otherwise switch to lager, although at 4.7% ABV, it shouldn't be taken lightly. It is also very 'accessible', in that many non-beer drinkers might feel able to make an exception for this uncommon taste.

Suffolk Reviews: St Peter's Brewery Spiced Ale

Having been to Bungay, and taken advantage of the opportunity to purchase a mixed case of the products of the St Peter's Brewery, it would be remiss of me not to review their range...

The tasting notes for this unusual ale read as follows:

"A rich, dark winter beer with apple, cinnamon and nutmeg added to complement the chocolate malt. Ideal for mulling and driving out the cold on a winter's night. Some of our customers describe this as 'Christmas in a bottle'!"

Now I'm not entirely sure about that, but have to agree that this is a fine ale indeed, with plenty of flavour and not too much sweetness, always a temptation with something like this. It isn't a beer you'd drink too many of, at least not on the same evening, but I would certainly lay some down for next winter.

It is recommended that this be served at room temperature, and I suspect that it would probably go down nicely with roast goose and all the trimmings, or held back until the Queen's Speech for those who like a mid-afternoon tipple.

Everywhere I look there are young people

An evening out with Dylan and Kim last night for a few beers and a chance to catch up. Until the weekend, I hadn't seen Dylan for fifteen years and my, has he grown up? He's in England studying for his Master's exams (he's in the merchant marine) and was spending a few days in London on his way back to Mumbai for the wedding of the year (I can say that because Leon gets married in 2006 and Clyne in 2007). Given that he was about twelve last time I saw him, it was good that he was so easily recognisable (he looks very much like his father, Richie).

He and Kim are particularly close - they're about the same age - and they chatted away whilst I occasionally got a word in edgeways and revelled in my 'old man' status. However, you know you're getting old when your ability to keep up with the beers begins to fade.

Luckily, I'll see Dyles in Mumbai in less than a week, as well as hordes of the other strands of the family. There'll be a string of parties (bad for the waistline, great for the spirit), and I'll have a chance to stretch my imagination a bit, in anticipation of a pretty tough year ahead. And it will be warm...