“I can’t count the number of times I’ve been asked, “Just what is this Verjuice you seem to love so much?”. Verjuice, literally meaning ‘green juice’ is the juice of unripe grapes. In cooking terms, it’s what’s known as an acidulant, which gives a sour flavour to foods. Good food always has a balance of flavours on the palate and whether we consciously think about it or not, an acidulant is necessary to give a ‘brightness’ to food.

Indeed without it, flavours can be flat. I can hardly believe it was over 30 years ago that serendipity provided us with a glut of riesling grapes we couldn’t sell, at the very same time my knowledge of this thing called Verjuice had been piqued.

From such humble beginnings, I never dreamt of the huge journey it would take me on. I’m told that I’m the first in the world to make Verjuice on a commercial scale.” - Maggie.

Recipe Image: Saffron Roasted Pears with Verjuice Panna Cotta