Phew! Mid Devon Show was a scorcher...

Due to a clerical error, we didn't get our alcohol license in time for the big local show. What in most circumstances would be a monumental cock-up. And indeed it was on this occasion also.

But we needed to turn adversity into opportunity. So I dug out an old recipe for lemonade which I'd been intending to add to our range of products - having made some of the best single variety apple juice I've ever tried last year confidence was high.

So off to the local fruit merchant I went to source a few cases of his finest lemons. The trial batch lasted all of 3 minutes, which bearing in mind there were three of us working and the trial batch was 2 litres certainly augered well.

Making traditional lemonade is a labour of love. And when Raymond looked at a pile of over 300 lemons which needed finely zesting, we knew it was going to be a big job.

But sure enough the lemons got peeled, then pressed - the sugar and water added and we had a batch to bottle!

The people at the mid-devon show obviously enjoyed it as much as we did, as all 200 bottles sold out an hour after lunch.

I guess Ray better get used to peeling lemons...