As Storm Bert battered the Quantocks (and most of the rest of the UK), we hunkered down in Bicknoller village hall with a gin cocktail and celebrated 75 years of Friends of the Quantocks.
The event was two-fold – to mark our purchase of the quarry earlier this year from Somerset Council and introduce ourselves to the local community (huge thanks if you braved the deluge to join us!). And we launched the pre-publication offer on our upcoming book ‘The Nature of the Quantocks’, written by Nigel Phillips and due to be published in spring 2025.
The fantastic team from local distilling company Dryad Gin kept us well-hydrated with their distinctive oak gins, local beers and some very special cocktails (see below for the recipes).
Of sheep and men
Robin Stamp set out our plans to make the quarry area safe for everyone to enjoy and deal with over-adventurous sheep that get stuck on the wrong side of the fencing. We’re getting quotes for more secure fencing and we’ll be looking for volunteers to help us keep an eye on the site in the long-term.
Apparently, it wasn’t only the sheep who used to get into trouble. From a member of the audience, we heard about a not-so-long-ago tradition of local men racing up and around the edge of the quarry, leading to plenty of unfortunate accidents.
We’d love to hear more tales from you about how the quarry has fitted into village life over the years. Get in touch – [email protected]
Woolly mammoths and other creatures
Nigel Phillips gave us a brilliantly entertaining ice-age perspective on the Quantock Hills in his illustrated talk. His new book ‘The Nature of the Quantocks’ will be published next year and we’re offering it at a special pre-publication price until the end of March.
Nigel has donated all his time and expertise to writing the book (huge thanks Nigel!) and all the profits will come to the Friends of the Quantocks to put towards our charitable aims.
So please reserve your copy now and share the link with family and friends who love the Quantocks. Help us to spread the word about the nature of this fabulous place and to carry on with the work that makes such a difference!
PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY HERE! – The Nature of the Quantocks naturebureau.co.uk
Cricketers and cocktails
The event couldn’t have happened without the fantastic team Dryad Gin, Becky and Alex, who brought their pop-up pub to the village hall, along with plenty of gin, great music and lots of fairy lights. Dryad Gin is a multi-award winning, small-batch gin made with oak trees and other botanicals and distilled on the Quantocks.
Chief-distiller Becky created two special cocktails for our celebration, the ‘Bicknoller Quarry’ and the ‘Trendle Gin Gimlet’ (with an intriguing local cricketing connection) which both went down a treat. Her recipes are shared below (thanks Becky!) and you can read more about the story behind this unique local company on their website – About Us – Dryad Gin
The Bicknoller Quarry
Place ice in a glass with a sprig of Rosemary
Add to a shaker – double Dryad Gin, muddled with more rosemary, honey, Tabasco, and shake.
Strain and top with Ginger Ale
The Trendle Gin Gimlet
Chosen to honour Bicknoller being the birthplace of Somerset and England cricketer Harold Gimblett. His surname is related to Surgeon Rear Admiral Sir Thomas Gimlette who gave his name to the gin-based cocktail the Gin Gimlet.
Into a shaker – double Dryad Gin, 15ml of Rose Lime Cordial and 15ml of sugar syrup
Place one large ice cube and a lime slice into a small, flat-bottomed glass and pour in the cocktail
Top up with soda (optional)
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