Every winter, kitchens and cupboards across the countryside fill up with bottles of homemade sloe gin quietly steeping away. Some sweet, some sharp, some dangerously strong.

This year we thought it was about time we put them to the test.

We’re inviting everyone to bring along a bottle of their homemade sloe gin and enter it into The George Sloe Gin Competition. On the night we’ll taste our way through the entries and crown the one worthy of proper bragging rights.

There will, of course, be generous tasting involved, a bit of friendly rivalry, and the usual good atmosphere in the pub.

If you’ve got a bottle you’re proud of, bring it along. If not, come along anyway and help us decide the winner.

How to enter

To take part, simply bring 250ml of your homemade sloe gin to The George by Thursday 20th March.

Please leave it behind the bar with:

• Your name

• Contact details

• Any notes about the gin (recipe, story, anything interesting about how it was made)

The judging will take place at The George on Saturday 28th March at 3pm, where a small panel will taste their way through the entries and choose a winner.

Come along on the day to see how your gin fares and join us for an afternoon of good spirits and friendly rivalry.