Farm to fork chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has launched a range of organic kombuchas inspired by produce grown in his kitchen garden and orchard.
The four-strong River Cottage Organic Kombucha range was made in collaboration with Yorkshire-based organic kombucha brand Equinox.
Called Garden, Meadow, Orchard and Hedge, the flavours were inspired by the fruit and vegetables Fearnley-Whittingstall grows in his kitchen garden and fruit orchards at River Cottage in Devon, along with wild ingredients he forages for.
Garden is a light camomile tea based kombucha with rhubarb and a hint of lovage; while hedge is a green tea based kombucha with rosehip, sloe berries and juniper.
Meadow is a vibrant brew of green tea based kombucha fermented with dandelion and nettle with a hint of meadowsweet; while Orchard combines green tea with plum, apple and quince.
“I’ve been making my own kombucha for a couple of years. As a very low sugar drink that is live and fermented, it provides a natural pro-biotic boost for the gut biome, and I’m confident I’ve been feeling the benefits. And it’s great for nights off from drinking beer and cider,” Fearnley-Whittingstall said.
“I wanted to use natural flavours both from the garden and the wild. The pandemic has given many of us time to reconnect with nature and to think about ways to improve our health and make positive choices with our food and drink,” he added.
Daniel Spayne, managing director of Equinox, said: “Kombucha is attracting an ever-growing number of fans, as consumers begin to realise the health benefits of fermented drinks, not least improved digestion.
“We’ve worked with Hugh to develop four unique flavour combinations inspired by the British countryside and garden and made with the finest organic ingredients.” The River Cottage Kombucha range went on sale at Waitrose and Abel & Cole this week priced at £2.20 per 275ml bottle.
