Business
partners and Cornish Mutual Members Mick Jordan and Carole Allen
have been making 'Ninemaidens' mead at their base near
Carnmenellis, Cornwall, for over 10 years. Mead, a wine made from
honey, fruit and spices, is well known for its sweet taste and has
experienced a resurgence in popularity in recent years.
Both Mick and Carole (pictured with local Insurance Inspector,
Jeff Kincaid) are keen bee-keepers with many years of experience;
"I've been keeping bees for around 30 years", explains Mick, "I met
Carole when I moved down to Cornwall, and we found that between us,
we had a surplus of 'cappings' - that is, the honey which is left
inside the vats after the extraction process. Cappings is saleable
only as 'bakers' honey, i.e. it can only be used in cooking, and
therefore it will only fetch a quarter of the price of 'normal'
honey. We started to think about what we could do with all this
extra honey, and that's when we came upon the idea of making
mead."
Carole and Mick started making small batches of mead using
different recipes and methods of production. Their first true mead
proved so successful that they got a licence and started producing
it in larger volumes. Now they produce a range of different meads,
all of which can be purchased from their farm in Carnmenellis,
online, and at farm shops, markets and restaurants. Wherever
possible, fruits produced by local suppliers are used to make the
mead, for example their strawberries come from Mitchell Fruit Farm
- another Cornish Mutual Member.
The process of making mead starts with the collection of honey
from Carole's and Mick's various bee hives located throughout
Cornwall. Once the honey frames have been harvested, they are
placed in a centrifugal extractor which spins the honey out of the
frames. The wax is then separated out, and the honey is pumped
through several lino cloths until it is completely strained.
Finally, fruit (if required) and yeast are added to the honey and
the mixture is left to ferment for two years. The resulting mead is
then bottled and sold on.
Cornish Mutual have been providing for Carole's and Mick's
insurance needs for more than 20 years now; not only are the farm
buildings and vehicles covered under their farm insurance policy,
but Cornish Mutual also insure Mick's home, and provide them with
public and product liabilities cover. The former cover protects
them against incidents involving members of the public where they
could be proved negligent, for example if someone tore their coat
on their stall at a market they attended. "When I was arranging my
insurances years ago, I was recommended to use a local, mutual
company - and a friend told me that Cornish Mutual was very
reputable" explains Mick. Carole adds, "We've always been very
happy with the service we've received; we know that when we call
the office or our local Insurance Inspector, Jeff Kincaid, we're
speaking to people who really know us and our business. That aspect
is important to me. We take comfort in knowing that Jeff has
visited our premises and is literally just up the road should
anything go wrong."
If you would like to find out more about Ninemaidens Mead,
please call Carole or Mick on 01209 820939, or visit their website:
www.cornwallsolar.co.uk/ninemaidens.
