Michelin-starred chef Martin Blunos has teamed up with J. Chandler & Co to demonstrate how Buckfast Tonic Wine can be used in cooking. Blunos brings over 20 years of culinary experience to the pairing, which sees him using the Buckfast wine to create a whole host of exciting dishes including Buckfast beef Bourguignon, the ‘Buckie’ burger and fruit loaf.
Buckfast Tonic Wine was first made in the 1880s by Benedictine monks at Buckfast Abbey in Devon, when base wines from Spain (known as mistellas) were imported and added to their unique blend of tonic ingredients. Traditionalists will be pleased to hear that the wine is still made at the abbey according to the same basic recipe the monks used all those years ago – the only difference being that they now use mistellas from France to create the drink’s trademark smooth, rounded taste.
As a West Country local, Martin was thrilled to be offered the chance to be an ambassador for this historic Devon-made wine. He first discovered it while working at the Ideal Home Show in Glasgow, where a customer presented him with a bottle and asked how he could use it in his cooking – Martin was so impressed with the results that he created a multitude of dishes around it. If you’d like to know how to add some Buckfast magic to your cooking, then you’re in luck – Martin will be demonstrating his recipes at food festivals and events throughout the UK in 2013. Visit www.buckfast.org.uk and www.blunos.com for more information.
