A Week on the Estate: Poultry Prizes, Wartime Wall & Glorious Gin

This week brought us Armistice Day. As a mark of respect to those who served and sacrificed in two world wars, we’re sharing a moving memoir made available by Robert Bell & Company. ‘Memoirs of an Infantry Auctioneer’ is the gripping story of Robert H Bell, a distinguished figure in Lincolnshire agriculture who saw active service in East Africa and the Far East during WWII. He subsequently served as land agent for South Ormsby Estate, taking over from his father, R Hay Bell. You can find the memoir HERE and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Speaking of WWII, we recently discovered that South Ormsby Hall took a minor knock during that conflict which had nothing to do with the Luftwaffe. According to Historic England, “a….doorway in the north wall of the Walled Garden was knocked through by a vehicle during the Second World War and was rebuilt as a large square opening with double-leaf wooden doors.”

Did a truck or tractor get away from a new Land Army volunteer? Can any of our readers add to this story, or share some of their own tales of the Lincolnshire Wolds during wartime? As ever, we’d love to hear from you via our social media HERE.  Just in case you’ve missed any of the wonderful heritage stories shared by Kath Brown, Cecile Stevenson and many others, you can find everything HERE.

Finally, here’s this week’s big story. Burrell’s Dry Gin placed first in the ‘Drinks Product of the Year’ category at Lincolnshire Life Magazine’s ‘Taste of Excellence’ Food & Drink Awards 2021. This small-batch craft-gin went toe-to-toe with a dozen well-known and respected brands including Batemans Ales, Pin Gin and Stokes Tea & Coffee and came out on top.

“It was a very proud moment to be among such big, established brands,” said Master Distiller Tristan Jørgensen. “I was absolutely over the moon. Marie-Jeanne has won four awards already and I’m so excited that Burrell’s Dry finally got this level of recognition.

“I’m still on cloud nine and haven’t stopped smiling yet. It was a brilliant way to start the week. It’s given me confidence that this cracking gin can compete at a serious level. There’s plenty of blending, bottling, labelling and packing to get on with, but this news has given us all a massive boost for the busy Christmas season at the Massingberd-Mundy Distillery.

“In the run up to the festive season, we’re getting really busy. We’re dispatching every day for next-day delivery. I’m also developing and distilling the gin and helping out with tours at the weekend. Sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day but luckily I have some hard-working helpers. Kickstarter Anabel works four days a week at the distillery, and my wife Lizzy is covering pubs and shops on a part-time basis.

“I still find time to get creative in the evenings. I’ll scribble down some ideas and work up a quick test-batch. Gin can be quick and lends itself to creativity – a test batch can be ready within days. You can really play and experiment with flavour profiles. It’s one of my favourite parts of the job. Sometimes I feel like Willy Wonka – which I suppose makes Lizzy and Anabel my Oompa Loompas!

“November and December will be busy so we’re looking forward to Christmas. We’re hoping to fill the house with family from the Midlands and Scotland. We’ll eat loads and enjoy a well-deserved break.”

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* Land Army image via Wiki PD