How to Drink Without Drinking by Fiona Beckett
Golden milk
What does golden milk mean to you? Possibly nothing and for some, it will mean gold top Jersey milk, un-homogenised with a float of thick golden cream at the top of the bottle.
What prompted this question? Well I have just been given a copy of Home Made Wines and Drinks by Marguerite Patten, published in 1970.
In this extraordinary book golden milk drink is a bizarre combination of milk and ginger beer! The mind boggles. Other recipes are equally, shall we say, interesting? Anyone for a lime marmalade milkshake or Taronga twist, best made with Australian, yes, that’s right, sherry. Would you consider making potato and prune wine #fromscratch?
It is a curiosity, an anachronism in today’s world of food and drink writing, but that is a part of its charm. It takes those of us old enough to remember back to the days of Nesquik and Tree Top cordial, dandelion and burdock and cream soda and would no doubt make a younger generation grateful to be alive in the time of smoothies and organic colas. It reflects a time when the only coffee choices were black or white, sugar or no sugar and the occasional treat of an Irish coffee.
Which brings us neatly to today’s drinks culture, which is more varied, more complicated, more nuanced then ever before. Whatever we may think of the giant coffee shop cains, they have revolutionised our attitude to caffeinated and, of course, de-caffeinated drinks. Even so, we are not convinced by a seasonal Quality Street latte, this and other crimes against coffee have been mentioned before.
But whilst we are on the subject of latte, let us stay firmly in the zeitgeist and return to that golden milk. Fiona Beckett is an award-winning food and wine writer, one of the world's leading experts on food and drink matching. However, she has also acknowledged the growing interest in non-alcoholic drinks for grown ups, an adult alternative to cola or orange juice and lemonade and has written a book called How to Drink Without Drinking, an entirely alcohol free, but joy filled work packed with creative ideas and gorgeous flavours. And herein lies the golden milk, with Fiona’s recipe for the drink du jour, turmeric latte. Don’t go for an oversized, over sweetened, mass produced take out – make your own, so much more satisfying on so many levels.
You still have time to buy the book for the festive season (however restricted it may be, we may want to raise our spirits, but there is no excuse to drown our sorrows).
Please try and support an independent seller if you can, Buy How to Drink Without Drinking through this Hive link.
Fiona with Sue from Netherton Foundry at the Ludlow Food Festival 2021.
Food and wine writer Fiona Beckett has a website: Matching Food and wine and this can be found here.
Netherton Foundry, Shropshire, England. A family business crafting traditional cookware in Highley, Shropshire from iron, oak and copper,using materials predominantly sourced in our own and neighbouring counties. Copyright 2021.
