Interview: Becky Wright, creator of Somerset's Dryad Gin

Born in Bath, her family moved to Allerford, where she enjoyed an idyllic childhood while her parents ran the Packhorse Hotel beside the scenic river bridge.

After school in Minehead, Becky trained as a chef at the former SCAT - since rebranded Bridgwater and Taunton College - and briefly worked in The Castle Hotel.

She and her mother then opened a restaurant in Minehead, although Becky gave that up when she became vegetarian.

Her next move was to chef for wealthy clients in London, including pop artist Richard Hamilton and Hot Chocolate singer Errol Brown.

Inspired by the way her parents brought her up, she returned to the South West to go on “a spiritual journey” at Hartridge Buddhist Monastery, in Upottery, Devon.

“I feel spirituality is important in life,” said Becky.

“My parents had a great insight into life. My dad was a palmist and I miss his guidance, while my mum was interested in Quakerism.”

Dryad Gin is stocked in Taunton at Ask Italian, The Castle, Moonshine and Augustus, and Becky holds regular pop-up pubs. (Image: Aisling Magill Photography)

For a period she taught meditation and supported the South West Meditation Group, running talks called Open Mind in the since demolished Chestnut Tree premises in Taunton’s Canon Street Car Park.

The head of the monastery, Ajahn Santacitto, then invited Becky to join him to teach meditation in Shepton Mallet Prison, helping inmates with assertiveness and anger management.

Taking on a job with Somerset Probation Service, she studied psychotherapy and ran counselling sessions.

Becky went on to establish her own business, New Leaf, offering workplace and mental health first aid training, which was based in Wellington, Rumwell and then Taunton, before moving to Bridgwater.

Her life “totally changed” following her parents’ death.

“I needed to do something not connected with mental health,” said Becky.

“The only thing I’d been interested in apart from mental health was gin, so I went on a seven-day gin-making course in Bakewell.

“I told the teacher - (renowned gin expert Jamie Baxter) - I wanted to make a gin using oak bark.

“He said, ‘That’s not a good idea. You’ve given yourself a very difficult task. Why not make something easier?’”

Undeterred, Becky went ahead with obtaining her licence to distil and a premises licence at her home at the foot of The Quantock Hills.

She added: “I started making gin and absolutely loved it. I felt I could be completely creative. I was out foraging on The Quantocks.

“Nearly everything there is poisonous, so I spent a year photographing stuff to see if I could use it. I visited my Dryad tree on the Quantocks every day.

“Thirty-seven litres of gin later, I came up with a recipe I thought would be good.

“I sent it to Jamie, who said, ‘You’re going to need to smooth it off a bit’, which I did using almonds and goji berries. It was amazing.

“I felt I was free again. I’ve always worked very hard all my life dealing with other people’s problems. With gin, I didn’t have to absorb what was going on. I could create something really interesting.”

Thus was born Dryad Gin and Becky put her tipple to the test after the pandemic with a pop-up pub, The Dryad Inn, in Broomfield Village Hall, when 90 approving members of the public turned out.

It has been repeated a number of times, with the next dates on November 1 and December 21.

A total of 14 pop-ups have so far been held at various locations, including West Bagborough, Corfe and Ash Priors, along with shanty singers and local beer and cider suppliers.

Dryad Gin is stocked in Taunton at Ask Italian, The Castle, Moonshine and Augustus.

It has won gold from The Taste of the West and The Spirits Selection by Concurs Mondial de Bruxelles, as well as highly commended at the Gin Guide Awards.

For further details, visit dryadgin.co.uk