KAREN’S STORY

From a very early age Karen, who has olive skin, was always so dark-skinned, especially in the Summer.

Often bullied, and suffering verbal abuse she once went home crying and asked her mother why she was so dark. Her mother and father sat her down and told her that the reason was because she was half Italian and that was it… nothing more was ever spoken about it and she knew not to ask.

Her mum was only 18 when she fell pregnant and was sent to Brettargh Halt in Kendal six weeks before the birth for her baby to be given up for adoption, but she decided to keep her. Sadly, she never spoke to her parents ever again.

This explained everything, but by the time she reached her twenties, she started to wonder who he was and as it didn’t feel right to ask questions… she started to secretly look for him.

The search was difficult because she had very little information apart from that he was Italian, his name was Tony and the street he lived on at the time (this information was passed to her by her grandmother, who advised Karen never to look for him).

The search would always come to a dead end so she would stop and then restart the search until one day in 2016 she decided to knock on every single door of the long road he lived in. She prepared her speech and repeated it at each answer of the door and nothing until she got to the very end and a lovely lady invited her in! Yes, she said, an Italian man named Tony used to live here in the mid ’60s… I think his name was Tony Babba. She also provided other little bits of information so with what she had; Karen continued her search.

This was now becoming more and more important as the years went on as time was running out and with running her own business, it was very difficult to find the time to carry on the search. Thankfully she was offered help from her mum’s cousin David.

In October of 2019, following many disappointing leads and unsuccessful DNA tests, David called Karen to say he thought he had made a breakthrough. He, along with Karen, had placed many adverts on Facebook over time and with the news following an Ancestry update that Karen was half Sardinian which narrowed the search, a conversation was started … “Yes I did work in Preston in the mid ’60s and yes I did know Karen’s mother”… it was then over to Karen.

Now from the very start, all she wanted to know was two things about him… what he looked like and to let him know she knows but whilst the DNA tests from both were in progress, they had already struck up a lovely relationship!

On the 31st of January, 2020 it was confirmed Antonio Paba from Sardinia was her father. She broke the news to him whilst he was on holiday in Zanzibar … he called her ‘my little miracle’ as she was his only ‘child’!

So, in a second he learned he was a father, grandfather and great grandfather and after asking Karen for a few minutes to gather himself together, they had their very first telephone conversation.

Antonio will be 82 in July, and has now met all of his new family who has travelled to Sardinia and been welcomed with open arms.

Although there has been plenty of sadness over the years, they continue to look forward and enjoy their new families together from both sides. Karen hopes her mum, who sadly passed away in 2003, would understand her discovery, if not completely happy about it.

I’M SARA, THE LYTHAM GIN LADY!

I escaped from teaching Chemistry and have spent the last four years making gin and my passion is now sharing information about everyone’s favourite juniper-based spirit as well as easy to make cocktails using some of my awardwinning products.

Summer Negroni

The Negroni is a classic gin based cocktail. Invented around 100 years ago in Florence by Count Negroni it is traditionally made with equal parts of gin, Campari and sweet red Vermouth. It’s a powerful cocktail and although delicious, does not lend itself to summer drinking. A summer version is a little lighter, made with Aperol. It’s delicious and very simple to make.

Ingredients:

• 45ml Gin

• 45ml Aperol

• 45ml Sweet White Vermouth (eg Lillet Blanc)

Mix the ingredients directly in a lowball glass filled with ice cubes.

Stir, garnish with some a twist of orange peel and serve.

This month I thought I’d tell you a bit about cocktails. Thought to have developed from British fruit punches in Shakespearean times, 400 years ago they were considered the mark or a wealthy connoisseur. However it wasn’t until 1806 that the word cocktail was first used and the mid 19th Century that recipes began being written down as their popularity increased. This probably had a lot to do with the availability of ice, which began being harvested from ice-bergs in the 1850s. Jerry Thomas or Professor Thomas, an American bartender, helped define the art of bartending. Using the experience he gained from working all over Europe and America, he wrote “The Bartender’s Guide (or How to Mix Drinks).” It was one of the first comprehensive recipe books that became a standardbearer for new and experienced bartenders alike, becoming a significant milestone from the Golden Age of the history of cocktails. Today, there is an endless variety of cocktails to suit every taste. They are usually made from some kind of spirit mixed with other ingredients such as liqueurs and fruit juices, bitters or cordials.

Sapphire Martini

Another twist on a classic, the Sapphire Martini is made with a dash of Blue Curacao. Keep your bottle of gin and the glass in the freezer for this one. It’s made without shaking!

Ingredients:

• 60ml Dry Gin

• 15ml Dry Vermouth

• 15ml Blue Curacao

Add the vermouth and curacao to an ice cold glass.

Pour in the gin and garnish with a twist of lemon.