24. Vodka

Perhaps not normally associated with Britain but a British vodka brand was last year voted the worlds best by an independent panel of judges. Beating of competition from Russian and Polish vodka as well as the more established brands, Chase vodka was awarded the accolade in San Francisco.

And to make it that much more amazing, Chase is made on a farm in Herefordshire - from potatoes.

The spuds are all grown in the farm's own fields, before being added to water, fermented, and then distilled and bottled. It all takes place on site. This is the success story of a potato farmer who, having sold his crisp business was looking for something else that his potatos could be used for.

Rather than look for a distributor that would buy his potatoes at rock bottom prices to be sold in supermarkets, the founder set about creating his own brand. Despite no experience of distilling and taking on a sector that is well known to be dominated by global powerhouses, the vodka has been a huge success and can now be purchased through a number of retailers across the UK.