8 Questions with Miranda Hayman
Aside from eating seriously special food, enjoying an ice cold Gin & Tonic has to be one of life's greatest pleasures. Food and drink so often come hand in hand, and, when off duty, you might just find Ruby herself doing little two-step around her own kitchen while sipping on a G&T.
For Ruby, sourcing the finest ingredients and creating her food with time and care has always been a priority, and if it can be done with food, why not gin too? While all of us at ByRuby enjoy drinking the spirit, sadly our abilities stop there, so it was very exciting when we discovered Hayman’s Gin. Not only are they a company whose values align so closely with ByRuby’s, but you only need to taste their gin to know that they live up to this promise of care and quality.
A fellow food enthusiast who enjoys both a busy work and family life, Miranda Hayman, who runs Hayman’s Gin alongside her brother James, recently discovered ByRuby for herself. In the wake of some happy nights away from the stove, she has been chatting to us about what a game changer it has been to have a stack of seriously special meals in her freezer. After some back and forth fan-girling, we thought it would be great to find out a little more about her ByRuby experience, as well as pick the brains of someone seriously in the know about all things gin.
For the benefit of our ByRuby customers and beyond, we made sure to record our findings:
- Can you remember trying Gin for the very first time, and what did you think?
I remember going into the tasting room at the distillery when I was little and pretending to nose the gins as my father did, but I wasn’t allowed to taste! I first fell in love with gin when I was a student in Spain when we drank G&Ts with tapas in the sunshine.
- What is your favourite thing about the spirit, and about Hayman’s in particular?
It has to be the juniper berry which is the key botanical and the backbone to gin – it gives those refreshing piney notes we associate with the spirit. My favourite thing about Hayman’s is that we still use the same recipe and distilling methods that my great great grandfather used 150 years ago - so it feels like we can enjoy his legacy today.
- Are there any big faux pas and/or top tips to making the best G&T at home?
The best tips for making a G&T at home is to have all the ingredients as cold as possible – chilled tonic, lots of ice and you can even keep the gin in the fridge too. For a proper G&T, make sure you fill up your glass with ice – I always use a tall glass - then pour over your Hayman’s and top up with tonic to taste.
- Which Hayman’s Gin would go best with our Free Range Roast Chicken, Bacon and Leek Pie?
I would recommend our London Dry with tonic and a citrus garnish as the perfect accompaniment to your delicious pie
- You must have a lot of demands on your time with such a busy job and family life! What have you managed to accomplish or enjoy more of with the time that ByRuby has saved you?
It saves so much time and thought – not having to think about what we are going to eat, what I need to buy or prepare and most importantly the quality is amazing. It feels and tastes homemade so you don’t even feel guilty!
- Which of the ByRuby meals that you’ve tried so far have been your favourite?
They are all delicious but I particularly loved the Woodland Mushroom Risotto and the Free Range Roast Chicken, Bacon and Leek Pie - not forgetting the amazing dauphinoise potatoes.
- If you could gift one of the ByRuby 'bundles' to a friend, which one would it be and why?
I would send one of your delicious ‘Classic and Comfort’ bundles to one of my colleagues who also works full time with kids and husband to feed. I would tell her to enjoy a cocktail and some time to herself while it’s in the oven!
- Finally (quite a hard one!): If you had to choose just one meal (starter, main and pud) and drink to have for the rest of your life, what would they be?
Ooh this is a difficult one but I think it would be goats cheese salad, Black cod and miso sauce with stir fried greens and rice and sticky toffee pudding to finish. To drink it would have to be a Hayman’s and Tonic with a citrus garnish!
To enjoy an exclusive 15% off their delicious Gins, enter the code BYRUBY15 at checkout on their website.