A St George's Day tipple

Sloe gin, cricket teas, the view from a train on a spring day when the sun shines from the horizon - there are few better examples of Englishness.

Plymouth Sloe Gin was always the preferred one, but now it's the No. 1 sloe gin according to the International Wine & Spirit Competition, which awarded it the top accolade in the fruit-gin category.

Given it's deep-red hue by Dartmoor sloe berries, this sloe gin, unbothered by artificial additives, has a medium-dry taste of summer fruits, which makes it the must-have after-dinner drink to wolf down with cheese.

Take it neat and you have a spicy winter warmer; pour it over ice and you have an uplifting and refreshing summer drink. Plymouth Sloe Gin is available from Safeway and Asda at a recommended retail price of £9.99 for a 70cl bottle.