HOLIDAYS  BUYING  HELPLINE Local knowledge: Somerset 3 Food, glorious food Why is Somerset food so tasty? Perhaps it's because of the climate or the rich soils. Surely it must help, though, that local producers stick to time-honoured methods. Believe us, from the mouth-watering, mellow cheddars to the farmhouse cider, brandy and quality wines, Somerset has some very special talents to test your taste buds. 1 The miller's tale Not only is Burcott Mill a fine example of a Victorian working water mill, but it allows you to learn how the Romans produced their flour. s There has been milling at this site since 950AD, when the Saxons diverted water from the nearby river. The present building is a comparative youngster, as it's only 139 years old. Yet it displays working milling principles, begun by the Romans, which were so simple and effective that the Victorians could only slightly improve them when this mill was resurrected in 1864. These days, miller Ian Burt shows how flour was made during the 19th century. You should then try his organic, wholemeal stoneground flour in the Burcott bread in the tearoom – it's unforgettable. 2 Rind and a bite The best place to find out about cheddar cheese is at the Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company. The cheese is a big favourite nowadays, but was equally popular as long ago as 1170, when records show that Henry II ordered 10,240lbs of Cheddar that then cost a farthing per pound. Cheese here is pricey, but this is one of the best premium Cheddar makers in the world and the last producer in the town itself. The company retains a traditional way of doing things, using 100 percent natural ingredients. The results are fabulous; accolades such as World Cheese Awards Gold Medallist prove it. Wine, pickles and liqueurs are also on sale. 3 Sweet secrets Another unusual and alluring attraction, which will find the weakness in any adult or child, is the Cheddar Sweet Kitchen. It is owned and run by the Mizen family, and you can see how a variety of wonderful sweets are made. Find the answers to some of life's deepest mysteries, unknown even to mums and dads, such as how do they get the sherbet into sherbet lemons, and how does the writing get inside a stick of rock? 4 Take a Tripp to Avalon The vineyard of Dr Hugh Tripp is a simple place, where you ring a bell for attention. And the wine produced is a real labour of love. Dr Tripp's English table wine is fresh and fruity. He also produces Somerset cider and mead, and has a variety of fruit wines, including tayberry, ginger, white or red gooseberry, and apple. Both his cider and wine are traditionally pressed through straw. His enterprise claims to be the only totally organic vineyard in the south-west. Visitors are free to wander around the vineyards. Admission and wine tasting are free. There's even a small, basic caravan site here. It's wise to telephone before going to Shepton Mallet though, just in case Dr Tripp is not at home. 5 Grape escape Staplecombe Vineyard, set in lovely farmland to the north-west of Taunton, is also impressive. Its owners, Martin and Alison Carsham, have been growing grapes since 1981. There's evidence that the Romans made wine here, and the Domesday Book confirms that grapes were grown here in 1086. There are self-guided tours available for visitors. It's a good idea, though, to phone before you want to call by, just in case the owners are out. 6 Zampling zoider Sheppy's Cider Farm Centre is a great place to learn about cider production, and it's good for children as there are very friendly animals all around the farm, including Henry the enthusiastic farm dog. Cider has been made by the Sheppy family since the early 1800s, and the quality ciders have received hundreds of awards since 1925. You can sample the cider and visit their very well laid-out museum, or watch a video on how cider is made. Have a look at the family's wide range of ciders, some of which are made using apples with evocative names such as Stoke Red, Taylor's Sweet, Tremlett's Bitter, Kingston Black and Yarlington Mill. 7 Snap up some brandy Surprisingly, Somerset has a tradition of brandy making which goes back to 1678. This would have fizzled out if it wasn't for the intervention of Julian Temperley and the Somerset Cider Brandy Company. It was granted a licence to distil cider only as recently as 1989. You can see brandy being made on the premises in Kingsbury Episcopi in two pre-WWII French stills called Josephine and Fifi. The spirit they produce is matured in oak barrels for between three and ten years, and the finished brandy is bottled at 42 percent proof. Also try the Kingston Black liqueur, at 18 percent, or the Eau de Vie at 40 percent. HOME PAGE | TOP OF PAGE GREAT ESCAPES   Old as the hills  Natural pleasures  Food, glorious food ARCHIVE   Previous trails FACTFILE: PLANNING Tourist information Cheddar Tel 01934 744071 Wells Tel 01749 672552 Glastonbury Tel 01458 832934 Taunton Tel 01823 336344 Refreshments Burcott Mill Tearoom, Wookey, nr Wells BA5 1NJ Tel 01749 673118 Attractions Burcott Mill, Wookey, nr Wells BA5 1NJ Tel 01749 673118 Cheddar Gorge Cheese Company Sunny Side, The Cliffs, Cheddar Gorge, Somerset BS27 3QA Tel 01934 742810 Cheddar Sweet Kitchen Daghole Cottages, Cheddar Gorge, BS27 3QJ Tel 01934 743810 Avalon Vineyard The Drove, East Pennard, Shepton Mallet, Somerset BA4 6UA Tel 01749 860393 Staplecombe Vineyard Burlands Farm, Staplegrove, Taunton, Somerset TA2 6SN Tel 01823 451217 Sheppy's Cider Farm Centre Three Bridges, Bradford-on-Tone, Taunton, Somerset TA4 1ER Tel 01823 461233. The Somerset Distillery Burrow Hill, Kingsbury Episcopi, Martock, Somerset TA12 5BU Tel 01460 240782 HOLIDAYS  BUYING  HELPLINE Contact Practical Motorhome Best viewed in screen resolution 800 x 600 using I.E.4 or Netscape 4 or later.