THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE UK’S TOP SHERRY

We’ve happily been sipping sherry for donkey’s years. From new ideas to old favourites, here’s what you should know about Britain’s favourite Harveys Bristol Cream

1. It’s named after two Bristolian brothers

Harveys gets its name from two Bristolian brothers - Edward and John Harvey II - who decided to rewrite the rule book of oldstyle ‘Bristol Milk’ sherry. It proved such a sensation that a local aristocrat pronounced it ‘The Cream’. 2. Harveys should be served cold in a large wine glass

The best way to serve Harveys is to keep it in the fridge and serve it chilled, over ice, in a large wine glass, with a slice of orange. Once opened, the sherry will last up to three months. It also works like a dream with savoury snacks such as olives, rich and salty manchego cheese, cold meats and can liven up a beef consomme, too. 3. Harveys Bristol Cream (£8.99, 75cl, Waitrose) is looking to give the cream sherry a stylish new lease of life.

The iconic blue bottle has had a makeover with a colourchanging label that tells you when it’s hit the perfect serving temperature: Ice cold, the way the Spanish do. 4. One of the perks of being a Poet Laureate is a butt of sherry

The Poet Laureate, an official office of the Royal Household, is paid in sherry, at a rate of one butt of sherry per year, the equivalent of 720 bottles.

The tradition dates back to 1619, and Carol Ann Duffy is the latest in a long line of Poet Laureates to accept an annual gift of sherry from Spain.