Keeping Your Spirits Up

(Article - as seen in Somerset Living Food & Drink - Nov 2018 Issue pg. 51)

Auschwitz might not be everyone’s idea of a top destination for their birthday celebration, but it had been top of my bucket list for some time.

Krakow is the perfect short break destination. Easy to get to, inexpensive, friendly, and with lots to see and do, and vodka to sample. Lots of it.

I don’t usually drink vodka, but committed to the task in hand, in just four days I ploughed my way through 53 vodkas. Such a sacrifice for research.

All vodkas are not equal, many bearing little resemblance to the colourless liquid most often consumed – in the UK Smirnoff is the preferred brand, with 62 per cent of market share.

Vodka can be produced from anything that ferments, which is then distilled to increase alcohol content. Keen to share my new-found enthusiasm, I brought home these for a charity tasting.

SOPLICA ORZECH LASKOWY

Hazelnut – Soplica has been producing vodka since 1891. This flavoured vodka uses hazelnuts gathered from nearby forests. Verdict: Liquid Nutella 30%abv. £15.99 (50cl.)

KRZESKA ZIOLOWA

Herbs – an aromatic combination of pure vodka and over 20 different herbs in a beautiful camphor-shaped bottle. Full of character, it is pale amber, redolent of tobacco, plums, vanilla, and meadow herbs. Verdict: Smooth, elegant after dinner drink, 40%abv. £52.74

DWOR SIERAKOW PEIPRZEM WODKA SMAKOW

Pepper – pale translucent green, with an intense aroma of freshly ground pepper, mint, thyme, marjoram, juniper, and bay. On the palate, it is intensely peppery, with a sweetish, spicy finish. Verdict: Aromatic, smooth, pepper, 40%abv. £15

SASKA DEBOWA

Czysta (Clear) – delicate and translucent, using premium grains, only natural ingredients and crystal-clear water. It owes its character to the extract of American oak and slow maceration. Verdict: Pure, but lacking aroma, 40%abv. £5 (50cl.)

GOLDEN ROSE WALDEMAR DURAKIEWICZ
Rose – selected flowers and fruits from Podlasie, with an extraordinary rose taste and aroma. All stages of production are carried out by hand. Verdict: Rose dominates, with a slight sweetness, 8%abv. £52

ZUBROWKA BISON GRASS SMAKOWA

Bison Grass – Białowieza, the last primeval forest in Europe, is home to the continent’s only bison herd and the aromatic bison grass, which is harvested by hand. The infusion adds smoothness and freshness to the base spirit. Verdict: Pleasant herbal notes, 37.5%abv. £20

SLIWOWICA LELOWSKA

Moonshine – Made in Łacko, near Nowy Sacz, struggling to achieve legal status, this traditional Polish Highlander’s tipple was perfected by a Jew killed by Nazis, whose distillery was closed by the Soviets. Traditionally distilled in small quantities by “home producers”, it is officially illegal but
widely praised, and apparently the fourth strongest alcoholic drink worldwide, winning international awards. There is resistance to making production legal as local farmers each have their own secret recipe. Verdict: Paint stripperpowerful, not for the faint-hearted, 72%abv. £30.

CHOPIN POTATO VODKA
Potato – the secret of James Bond’s Vesper Martini. Four times distilled from Polish potatoes, it has subtle notes of vanilla and green apple. Creamy and well-rounded, with an earthiness and a long, clean finish. Verdict: Oily on the palate, 40%abv. £36.47(50cl.)

ZUBROWKA CZARNA WODKA
Black – using a unique charcoal filtration process from Białowieza oaks and water drawn from springs in the Białowieza Forest, produces this neutral spirit. Verdict: Pure, smooth, super premium vodka… 40%abv. £35 (50cl.)

Dumplings are the perfect thing to soak up alcohol, and I can thoroughly recommend Pierogi making with Urban Adventures. Touring the market to buy the ingredients, without being able to speak a word of Polish, was an adventure, and our tutor was amazing.

County Lines – Yeovil

Whilst we are fortunate in that the level of crime in this area is generally low, the press release issued by Avon & Somerset Police this week, relating to a string of drug offences, and the arrest of 10 people, highlights issues about which many of our rural communities remain in denial; ‘county lines’ and ‘cuckooing’.

‘County lines’ describes gangs and organised criminal networks involved in exporting illegal drugs, often from large cities, into other areas of the country, using dedicated mobile phone lines.

‘Cuckooing’ is where drug dealers take over the home of a vulnerable person in order to use it as a base for drug dealing.

In this case, establishing close links with the local community produced vital intelligence, with a focus on the supply of heroin and crack cocaine.

A search of 11 properties in Liverpool and Yeovil resulted in the discovery of weapons and a quantity of cash and drugs, resulting in jail sentences and/or community behaviour orders intended to restrict their movements.

What is especially frightening for me is that this type of crime is not restricted to certain age groups. Of those sentenced this week the youngest was just 19 years old, and the eldest 62.

One key area of concern about this activity is the clear intention to exploit young and vulnerable people. Gangs will often use coercion, intimidation, violence and weapons to ‘persuade’ them to store drugs and money and to move them around.

It is only by our own vigilance and close observation of those we love, and by working with others within our communities, that we can have any hope of stemming this terrible tide.

There is however a high level of fear involved when it comes to reporting crime, and often with good reason. In small communities, where everyone knows everyone there will always be fear of retribution.

However, if we allow this sort of activity to remain unchecked, it will only escalate. For those not wanting to contact the Police, there is always the option of contacting Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.

Whatever one’s view of drug taking, as a society we all need to consider the wider context in which people choose to do things and behave in a way which deep down they know will be detrimental to their health, and that of others.

Yes, there can be a peer pressure to ‘experiment’, but the reasons for habitual drug use, where a person is unable to function at a normal level, go much deeper, and is sadly often linked to mental health issues, where there is increasingly a lack of the professional help they need.

That is why organisations such as MIND in Somerset and Samaritans provide the vital support to get someone through the hell they are experiencing each and every day.

THE GIFT OF GIVING

With Christmas on the horizon, and the shops now beginning to fill with sparkly trinkets and treasures, many of us will have been getting to grips with our Christmas shopping.
Personally, I believe that you can never have enough presents, and rather than the cost of a gift, what matters most is the thought that goes behind it.

Present giving is about knowing the recipient well enough to seek out something that you know will please them. In my case, given my passion for reading, and my love of food, wine and travel, many of the gifts I am lucky enough to receive reflect those interests.

Some of my most treasured gifts over the years have included a goose-down pillow and a hand-made jigsaw of a favourite picture.

Present giving should be an expression of love and affection, not something that you feel duty bound to give. We will all have had the experience of receiving gifts that, being polite, we will thank the giver for, whilst inwardly groaning at the bizarre hand-knitted sweater in colours that you hate, that will be hidden at the back of the wardrobe, only to be hauled out each time they visit, to show willing.

In my case, I have a large box under the bed that I use for unwanted gifts, as they make handy raffle prizes. Heaven forbid that I should on some future occasion return the gift to the original giver!

Often the most treasured gifts can be those that someone has spent time and energy on making. Although I am not fortunate enough to be a mum, I know all too well the pride and pleasure in receiving a child’s hand-made card or picture.

Let’s not forget that, for those of us with few pennies to spare, doing something for someone else can be just as precious; running an errand for an elderly neighbour, helping with the gardening or dropping round with a home-made meal.

Why restrict gift giving to birthdays, anniversaries and Christmas? What can be better than knowing that you have brightened someone else’s day?

Gift giving is a two-way street. Whilst it is always lovely to be on the receiving end, it can be just as rewarding to give something that will bring someone else pleasure. In this busy world, the greatest gift of all must surely be our time.

BBC Loneliness Experiment

Having been involved in fund raising activity for Somerset MIND, and also as a listening volunteer for Samaritans, I am always interested in finding out more about issues relating to mental wellbeing. It is good that high-profile celebrities, along with royalty, have recently helped to raise awareness, breaking down some of the taboos surrounding mental health.

The survey carried out on behalf of Radio 4’s All in the Mind has also helped to bring it to the top of the health agenda; but, we must not forget that the 55,000 people who took part will have been, to some extent, self-selecting. I believe it is just the tip of the iceberg. This view is borne out by the fact that during my Samaritans listening duties the vast majority of callers speak about issues relating to their mental health, loneliness and isolation being the key to much of what is troubling them. A lack of NHS funding means that in most cases there is a woeful lack of professional mental health support, at a time when someone in crisis needs help NOW, not in six months.

This is something that should concern us all, not least because of the impact on the immediate family, friends and work colleagues of those affected, as well as society as a whole, if for no other reason than the huge cost of dealing with the many problems that manifest themselves.

It seems to me that this is a two-edged sword. Is it the myriad challenges that people face, relating to relationship breakdown, worries about money, job loss, bereavement, homelessness, health etc. that can eventually result in mental breakdown? Or is it that their poor mental health results in the former? Often, alcohol and drug abuse are inextricably linked to mental health problems too.

When we are feeling down we can all benefit from someone with whom to share our woes, a shoulder to cry on or support us in our hour of need. The problem is that the behaviour of those suffering most is also the most likely to drive their family, friends and neighbours away. The result? Loneliness, which further drives a wedge between them and those around them.

I also believe that the huge rise in the use of social media has contributed heavily towards loneliness; regular users, particularly those with low self-esteem, perceive that others gaining more attention are therefore more popular. This can give rise to extreme behaviour in order to seek the attention they crave, or worse.

There is no quick fix solution, but we can all play our part by being less self-centred and more outward thinking; saying a kind word, reaching out to others by a quick phone call, letter or email, or offering to run an errand or include them in an activity. These overtures may well be rejected but at least they will know that someone, somewhere, cares.