Didsbury Gin goes national at Aldi – with MasterChef winner Simon Wood collaboration

Didsbury Gin – created by two Manchester entrepreneurs – has secured its biggest deal yet with a new collaboration that is being stocked at Aldi stores nationwide.

The brand’s latest liqueur has seen them team up with Oldham MasterChef winner Simon Wood for the new flavour Tutti Frutti – inspired by the chef’s popular dessert that helped him secure the TV title.

Available from August 22nd, it’s the first time that a Didsbury Gin will be available in a supermarket – and will come in at the bargainous price of £13.99 at the budget supermarket.

It comes amid a year of exciting developments for Didsbury Gin’s founders Liam Manton and Mark Smallwood. After securing an investment from Dragon’s Den’s Jenny Campbell earlier this year, Didsbury Gin developed their exclusive liqueur for Aldi alongside MasterChef Champion Simon Wood, combining his famous dessert’s fresh lemon and subtle tropical fruit flavours with the Didsbury Gin recipe.

Simon Wood, MasterChef 2015 Champion, comments: “We’ve been big fans of Didsbury Gin from day one at my restaurant Wood Manchester. I love to support local brands and when Liam and Mark asked if I wanted to collaborate with them, I couldn’t wait to make Tutti Frutti into a gin!

“Tutti-Frutti literally translates as all the fruits. My dessert from the MasterChef final is my very own Citrus Tutti-Frutti. It’s made up of all the citrus fruit, lemon, lime, ruby grapefruit, vanilla & passion fruit. A great mix for a really tasty gin.”

Liam Manton, Managing Director at Didsbury Gin, said: “We’re delighted to be collaborating with MasterChef Champion, Simon Wood on this exciting new product. Combining two of the nation’s favourite things, gin and dessert. We’ve created something extremely special and can’t wait for it to be enjoyed by gin drinkers across the country in one of Britain’s most loved supermarkets”.

The tie-in came after the surge in popularity of sweet flavoured gins, with UK sales up by 457% in the past year.

Julie Ashfield, Managing Director of Buying at Aldi UK, comments: “As flavoured gin shows no signs of slowing down, we’re thrilled to be partnering with Didsbury Gin to bring shoppers more unique flavour combinations like Simon Wood’s MasterChef winning dessert, Tutti Frutti. This innovative new addition to our gin range reflects our commitment to ensuring our customers enjoy the best quality products, without breaking the bank.”

The gin can be enjoyed as a sweet twist on the classic gin and tonic served with a generous slice of pink grapefruit and a twist of orange or Aldi suggest going the extra mile by concocting a Tutti Frutti Spritz mixed with Aldi’s bestselling Organic Prosecco (£7.99) and fresh grapefruit juice.

The Didsbury Gin deal comes as part of Aldi’s National Spirits Festival which will showcase a variety of new and exciting additions to their spirits range.