Local Hertfordshire Produce

Breweries and Beers

One of the largest breweries in the county is McMullen & Sons; a successful company that was established in 1827. The man who started off the firm, Peter McMullen, began his trade by making barrels and casks and then supplying them to the local Hertford Town pubs. After just five years in the business the company moved to a new site on Mill Bridge in 1832 after it enjoyed much success.

The company purchased its first pub on Boxing Day in 1836 called the Greyhound and it was located on Bengeo Street in Hertford, and is still owned by the company to this day. In the latter part of the 19th century, McMullen & Sons moved to its current site; The Hertford Brewery on Old Cross.

McMullen & Sons now brew four main Hertfordshire drinks and they continue to try out new recipes throughout the year in order to gather a multitude of customer opinions. All four of their current offerings have been carefully made with more than 180 years of in-depth brewing knowledge. The Cask Ale has a subtle biscuit flavour from amber malts while the Country Bitter has an additional crystal malt to its pale ale giving it a welcomed nuttier-like taste.

One of the brewery's special offerings this summer is a bitter named Great Tackle and it just so happens to coincide with the 2010 World Cup finals being held in South Africa. The hops are English Fuggle whole leaf that gives their customers a slightly different taste sensation that will hopefully be enjoyed by many while watching a fewof football at home.

Fruit and Vegetables

Sawbridgeworth has been cultivating Hertfordshire food since the 17th century and it primarily handles the growth of fresh fruit and vegetables. Many new breeds of fruit in the Hertfordshire area were grown in Sawbridgeworth and farmland is still in abundance with a whole host of small farms found in the area.

The Lea Valley area, between Harpenden and Wheathampstead, boomed in the 1930s and it had the largest number of glasshouses in the world that were used to cultivate all manners of fruit and vegetables as the region was home to particularly fertile soil that was simply lapped up by the plants.

Shenley Park in Shenley is home to a 450-tree apple orchard that was originally planted back in the early 1900s. Visitors can make use of the whole park as well as being able to buy freshly picked apples and delicious juice from the local shop. The fresh apple juice produced here is the only traditional Hertfordshire drink in the county that is still on sale today that is not alcoholic.

Livestock and Meats

One of the great traditional parts of the Hertfordshire food industry is its production of high quality meat. There are many farms around the region that offer meats and poultry that have been born and raised in the county with free range and organic food dominant in the local industry. Shops including Pearce's Farm Shop near Buntingford and the Willows Farm Shop in London Colney offer want many consider to be the best locally produced meats and with so many different types of food available in the county; it is easy to enjoy meal after meal of traditional Hertfordshire foods in 2010.