As a child, one song from the Walt Disney film, ‘Dumbo’, never failed to intrigue me.

The scene in question, is when a group of Crows sing about witnessing impossible things and ends with the line which says how they’ll have seen EVERYTHING when they see an elephant fly.

In a former life, I could easily have been one of those crows, because I didn’t believe that it was possible to make an alcohol – free gin, maybe I should have remembered, that Dumbo the Elephant, did indeed fly.

January and in particular Dry January, was invented to taunt someone as weak willed as myself and I have lost count of the number of failed good intentions to give up alcohol for 31 consecutive days.

There always seems to be a party, a leaving ‘do’, or a dinner party invitation, that comes along and shatters my good intentions. Well, no more, thanks to Lyres range of alcohol- free spirits.

Then there are the occasions when my wife utters those dreaded four little words, ‘Your turn to drive,’ to be honest the Lyres London Dry Spirit tasted so good that I may even volunteer next time.

Could my latest find, Lyres Dry London Spirit, come to my rescue?

Unbelievably, Lyre’s outstandingly diverse range consists of 13 different variants, including Gin, Whisky, Rum, Campari, Dry and Sweet Vermouth, Absinthe, Triple Sec, Amaretto and Coffee Liqueur. Perhaps I should stop using the words unbelievably when discussing Lyre’s Alcohol- Free Spirit.

Clearly a lot of effort has gone into developing this range. Imagine a tell-tale burn of alcohol and the closest match possible of bouquet, taste and palate-weight to your favourite tipple: that’s what Lyre’s have created.

Given the work that has gone into this London Dry Spirit (gin) I was determined to afford it the respect that it deserved. The Copa glass does not need to be filled with ice as this is alcohol free. To garnish a sprig of Rosemary and a slice of Grapefruit or a piece of Orange Peel could also work and you could even add some pink peppercorns to complete the look. Use good tonic, which in my case is Fever Tree Tonic Water but do experiment. Personally, I prefer the Mediterranean Tonic but there are plenty to choose from.

However, it is the taste that counts and in the case of London Dry, this is a little more subtle than Gin but you can taste the botanicals and there is no denying that this is a grown -up drink and very pleasant it is too.

Bartenders and mixologists now have the convenience of simply reaching for a different bottle when making a cocktail in a non-alcoholic format. Think a Lyre’s Espresso Martini, Amaretto Sour, Negroni, Old Fashioned and Italian Orange Spritz, to give you a flavour of the immense possibilities the range offers.

Launched in the UK in late November these are available online from Master of Malt and Booze Free and from January, Lyre’s London Dry Spirit (gin), Lyre’s American Malt (Bourbon), and Lyre’s Spiced Cane (spiced Rum) will be available from Sainsburys priced £22.00.

The art work found on the label is inspired by the Australian Lyrebird, the world’s greatest mimic, though I might argue second greatest, given the taste of this alcohol- free spirit.

Now where did that Elephant fly off to?

Instagram@lyresspiritco

Asking a bookworm to choose their favourite book is like asking a parent to chose their favourite child. It’s an impossible task. We just simply cannot do it. So, I thought I would share with you my top 3 books of 2019.

First up is Girls on the home front by Annie Clarke. As well as Heroes on the Home front. I know that is technically two books but seeing as they are part of the factory girl’s series, I’m going to count them as one. Across the two books we follow the story of Fran, a headstrong young lady who during world war 2, works in a munition’s factory alongside her childhood friends Sarah and Beth. I will not spoil the books for those of you who have not yet read them but I will say that they are beautiful stories of love, friendship, bravery and comradeship. I am thoroughly looking forward to the third instalment Wedding bells on the Home Front which is due for release next year.

Second is Cold Storage by David Koepp. I am not one to read sci fi at all. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy sci fi films and TV shows but can never seem to wrap my head around reading a sci fi book. That was until I picked this up. David Koepp is the genius screenwriter behind films such as Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Spider man and many more. It sounds corny but I was hooked from the first chapter. Again, no spoilers, the book is about a lethal strain of fungus, how several people from various walks of life work together to contain it. It is amazing and the writing style is incredible, vivid and is easy to follow for those of us who aren’t familiar in the world of Science.

Last but by absolutely no means least is the Lost girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff. I am a sucker for books set in world war two, no story is ever the same. This book has a dual timeline following the extraordinary women who snuck behind enemy lines and joined the French resistance as well as following the post war story of a young lady who finds a briefcase of pictures under a bench in Grand Central Station and her mission to identify the people in the photos. A truly empowering read, one I highly recommend for those who enjoyed The Nightingale.

HRH meets the Bethney family who farm at Congreave Farm

HRH The Prince of Wales, Patron, The Prince’s Countryside Fund visited Congreave Farm, Stanton-in-the-Peak, on 23rd December  to meet with farmers affected by the flooding of the River Derwent in November 2019.

Farms in the Matlock valley were damaged by flood water up to seventeen foot higher than usual, losing stock and forage. HRH met with local families who had been affected, including Peter and Deborah Bettney, Michael and Ellie Wynne, Dean Greatorex, Ken and Kimberley Trickett, and Stuart Fairfax. HRH held a conversation with the farmers about the flooding, and the impact that it has had on their families, their livestock and their business.

HRH meets farmers affected by the recent flooding

Also round the table were Lord Edward Manners who owns the Haddon Estate, Claire Saunders and Diane Spark of The Prince’s Countryside Fund, Bill Young from the Addington Fund, and  Andrew Ward from Forage Aid,  who had assisted some of the flooded farms. In response to the flooding in October, The Prince’s Countryside Fund released £50,000 from their Emergency Fund to support farming families whose livelihoods and farms had been affected.

Michael Wynn, who farms in Snitterton, said, “We lost 350 bales of silage in the worst floods I have ever seen. It was marvellous that the Prince of Wales took the time to visit us with all his other commitments and we are now getting sorted with the help of Forage Aid.”

Photos courtesy of Andrew Eyley/AE Media

The Prince’s Countryside Fund was established by HRH The Prince of Wales in 2010 and aims to enhance the prospects of family farm businesses and the quality of rural life. We believe that the British countryside is our most valuable natural asset and its contribution to our everyday life cannot be underestimated.

To help support and secure the future of the countryside we:

• Provide more than £1m each year in grant and programme funding to projects across the UK thanks to support from our partners, events and donations
• Celebrate and promote the value of the countryside
• Lead projects to strengthen farm businesses, such as The Prince’s Farm Resilience Programme
• Commission research into issues affecting farming families and rural communities
• Bring together individuals and businesses to help tackle current challenges
• Help communities in crisis through our Emergency Fund

To find out more, visit the Fund’s website at www.princescountrysidefund.org.uk

Here we are, in the sixties, and this evocative novel summons up the small Lancashire mill town of Horwich, (the author’s long ago home town) and has three young women carrying the complicated but enthralling and cogently plotted story, which is an exploration of the strength needed to find a way though difficulties.

Joyce Roberts is working hard in the local mill and loves Dave Yates. Is it to be happily ever after? I do hope so, as they discover Dave has a life-changing illness.

Then there’s Sally Roberts, married to Joyce’s brother who is in the RAF. Living so close to an air base means that Sally cannot avoid the reality of the Cold War threat. What’s more, she has left her two younger sisters back at the family home where she hopes life is running along untrammeled. But is it? Of course not. Can they cope without big sister?

Meanwhile Kathy Armstrong, who is engaged to Nick, the eldest of the Roberts brothers, is frustrated at work at the local newspaper where she feels she takes second place to the men.

As if all this isn’t enough, our author, Anne L Harvey quite rightly brings in antagonist,  bad bad Jud Simcox who is about to leave prison …

Roll of drums.

Yes, it sounds a frenetic plot, and it is complicated – for the author – but not the reader. It works …

I enjoyed it, I found the period refreshing, because the 2^nd World War is being done to death, even by me. This period, the sixties was ground breaking, tense, frightening, and is ignored. What’s not to like as a setting: the world on a knife edge with the Cold War (which quite frequently veered perilously close to a hot war). Female equality (which had come just so far) was still not quite there as women joined the workforce in great numbers and  the fair pay, fair opportunities struggles developed.

Grist to the mill for an author, and new fields to discover, or be reminded of, for the reader.

Read it: interesting, fluent, cogently plotted. One to buy for the Christmas stocking. Quick quick, still time.

Such a Time as This by Anne L Harvey  available here

Bernie Stevens is to be congratulated on the evocative cover design.

Annie Clarke: Heroes on the Home Front series.