Breakfast & Beyond - Episode 2:
Alistair Frost of Pentire Drinks
In Episode 2 of Breakfast & Beyond I share breakfast with Alistair Frost (Frosty) founder of Pentire, a non-alcoholic botanical drinks company based in North Cornwall.
We discuss the journey of Pentire from the early days of distilling foraged coastal plants on the habour-side in Port Isaac and experimenting with flavours, to the growth they have seen as a company since they were established, mirroring the burgeoning interest in alternatives to alcoholic drinks that fit alongside a healthy active lifestyle, and consumer interest in purchasing products whose values and modes of working are transparent and sustainable.
Pentire are in the process of becoming a B Corp - a rigorous certification process that’s available to companies that meet the highest standards in terms of prioritising people and the planet alongside profit. They are a small (but fast growing) company with big ideas and a belief that business can be a force for good. I loved hearing the story of where it all began, the values behind the brand .. and I found there were strong links between the Pentire ethos and my own interest in cooking with fresh, local, plant-based ingredients.
“We’re trying to shake up an industry that’s been a bit old school […] our whole company is about creating healthy rituals
that are diet-led and based around being outdoor and active”
I’m not sure Frosty had ever drunk Pentire straight after porridge and before homemade baked beans .. there’s a first for everything! Do join us for this conversation, you can listen to Episode 2 via the links below.
Listen via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher & Tune-In
Breakfast: recipes, producers & growers …
Classic porridge (see recipe)
Classic Granola (see recipe)
Lavender Infused Rhubarb Compote (see recipe)
Beetroot Baked Beans with Wild Garlic (see recipe)
Local vegetables sourced via Fruutbox and Real Food Garden
Rye bread and seeded sourdough from Baker Tom’s
Milk from Green Cow Dairy and Trewithen Dairy
Butter by Trewithen Dairy
Lemon & Lime Marmalade (see recipe)
Tamar Valley honey, sourced via Green Cow Dairy
Freda’s peanut butter, sourced via Colwith Farm Shop
Rhubarb Jelly made by Gathered Botanicals
Coffee by Lars & Margo
Tea by Tregothnan
Cornish Rapeseed Oil by Simply Oils sourced through Purely Cornish
Olive oil via Fowey Valley
Apple juice from our neighbour’s orchard Pelyne
Pentire Adrift with Fever Tree Tonic, ice and rosemary
Rhubarb, primroses & wild garlic foraged from the garden and hedgerows here at Botelet
Local link-up - referenced in Episode 2 …
James Aiken - runner, writer, director · Pentire Film Series Episode 1 featuring James Aiken · Finesterre - sustainable outdoor clothing ·
Fruutbox - Cornwall-based zero plastic fruit and veg delivery boxes
Sustainable Development Goals
The UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 targets representing a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. ‘Everyone is needed to reach these ambitious targets. The creativity, knowhow, technology and financial resources from all of society is necessary to achieve the SDGs in every context’ (UNDP). Translating these global objectives to tease out their relevance at the individual and small-organisational scale can inspire us to connect with these important global themes and consider what we are doing - and what more we can do - to make a contribution that supports our own work and wellbeing along with benefiting other people and the planet.
In Episode 2 our discussion referenced the following Sustainable Development Goals:
3 - Good health & wellbeing - creating a product that promotes healthy living being low in sugar and alcohol free
8 - Decent work & economic growth - striving to create a fair and positive work environment for employees alongside growing their business
12 - Responsible consumption & production - using recycled and recyclable materials
13 - Climate action - Pentire seek to minimise their carbon footprint, offsetting the carbon that’s created during product delivery
14 - Life below water - fostering an interest in responsible coastal living, and contributing to ocean-based environmental charities
15 - Life on land - responsibly sourcing ingredients from sustainable growers
Episode 2: Lars & Margo
Huge thanks to Lars & Margo for supporting Episode 2 of Breakfast & Beyond. Lars & Margo are small batch coffee roasters based very near to us here in Cornwall. The beautiful aroma of their beans being ground in the morning is my perfect kick-start to the day, and I loved using their Ugandan single estate in our coffees as we recorded this episode.
Lars & Margo carefully select their beans from a network of farmers and co-operatives, and seek to bring speciality coffee to a wide audience in the most ethical and sustainable way possible, dealing directly with farmers to ensure they receive a fair price.
They have a fantastic selection of whole or ground beans available online, and if you’re in Cornwall you can pop into their lovely roastery in Liskeard to watch the process in action and pick up refills – they were even brave enough to welcome all three of our small and very excited kids, and taught them how to roast! They’re basically very lovely people who make great coffee.
Lars & Margo are offering 10% off their coffee to listeners of Breakfast & Beyond, just head to their website www.larsandmargo.co.uk and enter the discount code ‘BREAKFAST’ – all capital letters - as you check out. Thank you very much Lars & Margo!
Podcast recording: behind the scenes …
Thank you for listening!
Thank you for listening to Breakfast & Beyond: Conversations from Cornwall on Sustainable Living. If you enjoyed listening I’d love it if you could subscribe to the podcast, rate it, and share episodes with friends and family who you think would enjoy them. You can listen and subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Tune-In or wherever you find your podcasts.
I’d love to know your thoughts - please join the conversation and get in touch by email tia@botelet.com or instagram. Thank you and I look forward to sharing the the next episode with you!
The Breakfast & Beyond podcast is hosted at our home Botelet Farm in South East Cornwall, where my husband’s family have lived and farmed for over 150 years, and three generations still share the farmhouse today. Set in a peaceful valley upstream of Fowey, we welcome visitors to stay in historic cottages, and there’s a yurt for those who love to immerse themselves in nature.