Drink: Beer and wine
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Revision as of 01:16, 31 March 2014
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==Drink==
==Drink==
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===Beer===
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Much like anywhere else in Britain, there is a strong '''pub''' culture in the South East. Big name breweries that operate in the South East include Shepherd Neame from Kent, Fosters from Reading (the Australian part obviouslyǃ) and Fullers London Pride from, well, London. But there are also a multitude of '''real ale''' producers all over the region. To sample good local beers, pay a visit to any pub which advertises real ale. The Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) have produced a great bit of software that acts as a real ale pub search engine, called [http://whatpub.com/ What Pub]. Alternatively, many off-licences (specialist liquor stores) sell a range of local and national real ale brands in bottle form.
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===Wine===
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While it has to be said that England is most definitely a beer country, there are a surprisingly large number of commercial vineyards all over the country, and it is the South East which has by far the most, with well in excess of 200 listed on the [http://www.englishwineproducers.co.uk/vineyards/south-east/ English Wine Producers website]. Most of these produce '''English sparkling wine''', as the soil and climate of southern England is said to be similar to that of the Champagne regions in France. Despite its formerly shocking reputation (English wine was one time considered undrinkable, even by the Englishǃ), the wine industry in southern England seems to be doing rather well of late, enjoying both growing commercial success and awards with some of the latter even favouring English sparkling wine over Champagne. Unfortunately, supermarkets and restaurants still largely favour overseas wine, so it is often necessary to buy straight from the producer. But with an increasing number of wineries appearing, especially in Kent and Sussex, there's never been a better time to pay a visit to an English vineyard.
==Stay safe==
==Stay safe==