History in a Glass...Lindisfarne Mede

Lindisfarne Mead is produced exclusively on the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, situated off the Northumbrian Coast.  This island is the ‘Cradle of Christianity’ in England, for in the year 634 A.D., Oswald, King of Northumberland, brought St. Aidan from the Island of Iona to establish a Monastery here. The motifs illuminating our labels are drawn from Bishop Eadfrith’s magnificent Lindisfarne Gospels written circa 700 A.D., which, with the books of Durrow and Kells, remain a living testimony to the devotion and love of beauty and culture which existed in those distant times.

The Abbey is now in ruins yet much of the original beautiful Norman arches and pillars are preserved, and the Brew House, which was used by the Monks can still be seen. 

 The Origin of “Honeymoon”

  Mead may well be the oldest alcoholic drink in the world.  Made from honey and famed for its restorative and aphrodisiac properties, the origins of mead can be traced back to Ancient Greece. The word ‘honeymoon’ is derived from the Ancient Norse custom of having newlyweds drink mead for a whole ‘moon’ in order to increase their fertility and therefore their chances of a happy and fulfilled marriage.