MEAD is an ancient drink – sometimes called honey wine and said to be the oldest known to man –  and right now it is having a moment!

Sales are up 10 per cent in the past year, with a big demand both sides of the Atlantic, and Lyme Bay Winery is predicting growth like the craft beer movement.

The honey-based drink is the Devon-based producer’s best-selling range. It is popular with a wide range of people from historical reenactors to cocktail connoisseurs and is currently the fastest growing alcohol sector in the US.

Lyme Bay Winery’s meads are made using a blend of Mexican, Chinese and English honey foraged from aromatic indigenous flowers. Combining traditional and modern techniques, the naturally filtered honey blends are diluted with water and fermented in stainless steel vats. Unlike many mead producers, Lyme Bay sticks with the age-old method of deriving the fermentable sugars from the honey without grapes.

Best served at room temperature, mead is a delicious accompaniment to cheese, spicy food and even ice cream – www.lymebaywinery.co.uk