In this episode, I was joined by Chef Michael Caines MBE, Chef Owner of Lympstone Manor, Country Hotel, Restaurant and Vineyard alongside his longstanding Operations Manager, Steve Edwards.

It's a hard enough job, starting a Country Hotel, in a rundown building, having to renovate it to a Relais & Châteaux standards, establishing a kitchen and a restaurant worthy of a Michelin star, before any other task is considered.

Planting a vineyard, and especially one destined to make Traditional Method English sparkling wines, with no experience in viticulture or winemaking could be seen as over ambitious at best, or foolhardy at worst.

Michael just knew, after one look at the southwest sloping barren field, stretching from the house, down towards the mouth of the River Exe, that had it been somewhere in France or Italy, that field would be planted to vines.

Join us on this episode, to hear about the complexities of the challenge, the wines produced so far and the ones yet to be released, what other products the vineyard produces, *other forms of fermentations, Michael and Steve's desert island wine (and what dish goes with it!),, And much more.

* BBC Food- Michael Caines, A Life Through Food

Listen to this BBC Food programme by Dan Saladino, exploring the life of Chef Michael Caines, highlighting, among many others stories, the saving of the Pain De Morvan, the rural French bread Michael first learnt to bake more than 30 years ago and now is baked daily at Lympston Manor.