When I received an email to ask if I'd like to try out some cordials from Five Valleys, I was intrigued to see what we'd think of this new brand that I'd never heard of. I went to investigate and learned a bit more about the company. This is what the press release had to say "Five Valleys is an up and coming soft drinks company, based in Stroud, Gloucestershire, which was set up by husband and wife team, Chris and Becky. The company uses the Cotswold countryside as the inspiration for their cordials which offer uniquely different flavour combinations that aim to tantalise the taste buds & mind!"
Well, when the postie dropped off these two bottles, I could see that they weren't just empty words - they do indeed have highly original and unusual flavours. We received a bottle of both Lemon & Mint and Pomegranate & Rose, but the complete range includes Apricot & Ginger, Sloe & Raspberry and Coconut & Kaffir Lime. No boring orange, lemon and summer fruits here !
I started off tasting the Lemon & Mint variety. You get a definite flavour of lemon as you drink, with a big burst of mint coming through as you swallow. It's an unusual combination and took me a while to decide if I liked it or not. I decided I did and could imagine it as a gorgeously refreshing summer drink, served in a big pitcher with slices of orange and lemon and ice cubes with sprigs of fresh mint frozen inside. This would also be great as a cocktail ingredient, maybe as the basis of a Mojito (which always reminds me of our holiday to Tunisia last year !), mixed up with some white rum with ice and fresh mint.
Next, I moved on to the intriguing Pomegranate & Rose. I'm not sure why but this reminded me of travelling in Turkey - it's either the pomegranate juice we drank there or the Turkish Delight that the stallholders gave us to taste in the markets or quite possibly a combination of the two. Either way, it's great for a bit of mental travelling when you need to unwind at the end of a long day. I think this would work really well in cakes or icing to add a subtle but interesting flavour too.
They're definitely grown-up flavours - the Madhouse Mini-testers weren't keen on them because they thought they tasted "strange", but the unusual flavours are what make them so appealing to adults. They have a strong but natural flavour that is perfect with icy cold water or lemonade, in white wine spritzers, cocktails and mocktails and a zillion other ways if you have even a tenth of the creativity of the Five Valleys flavour-creators !
star rating : 4.5/5
RRP : £3.19 for 375ml
for more information : http://www.fivevalleyscordials.co.uk
Disclosure : I received two bottles of cordials in order to write an honest review.
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They're good enough to bring out for adults when someone wants a soft drink. I'll look out for them.
ReplyDeleteThey sound really nice, would love to try Coconut & Kaffir Lime
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of these and they certainly have some unusual flavours don't they?
ReplyDeleteThey are fab! After I reviewed two bottles, I have already bought a couple more. My guys love mint & lemon with the sparkling water, simple, but so lovely.
ReplyDelete