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Fire Cider is a new product coming out of Kirriemuir, a creation of the quirky couple behind Sour Power Vinegars.

Alan and Nikcy Knox are passionate about taking control of their own health, and want to encourage others to do the same.

The couple, who split their time between living in the woods, their campervan and Nikcy’s flat, have just launched their own “health” vinegar.

Alan jokes that his role is more of a “taster”, whereas Nikcy is in the cook in the business.

She said: “My whole life, I have been in love with cooking.

“I’m an artist as well, so being able to work with all these flavours, colours and textures.  It feels like artwork in a way.”

The duo are delighted to have finally launched their own product.

“For us, this is it becoming real,” said Alan.

“It started off as a health product.  The way fire cider is traditionally taken is as three teaspoons a day.

“But we thought we could water it down as tea.

“The next evolution was – what if we added food to it?  And it created this delicious stinky sauce.

“It comes back to that phrase ‘let your medicine be your food’.”

Sour Power Vinegars fire cider is the first of many flavours planned by the Kirriemuir couple, who are planning two new releases this year.

This includes a limited edition blood orange and warm spice vinegar #coming out this month.

They are also planning a Scottish hedgerow vinegar, showcasing the countries wild berries, to release in October.

These vinegars can be served as a dip with bread, cooked with meats or watered down in herbal tea to boost vitamin intake.

The fire cider combines apple cider vinegar, garlic, ginger, turmeric, citrus, horseradish, black pepper, chilli and honey to create a spicy combination that knocks your socks off – and may also contain healing qualities.

“There is no cooking involved, ” says Nikcy, “the most important thing is using the best ingredients we can find.

“It’s like a warm hug in a mug!”

They brew the vinegar in huge tubs in a space in the Old Bank in Kirriemuir, where the couple are entirely off-grid with no electricity or heating.

“A lot of businesses are aiming to become carbon-neutral, but we are already carbon-neutral,” said Alan.

“Though we need to maintain this for a year in order to get the certification.”

Alan and Nikcy do all the prep by hand, and grow the horseradish themselves in their woodland near Fettercairn.

The vinegar itself doesn’t require a lot of work, said Alan.

“We’re not here all the time, we just pop in and stir the vinegar, or taste it,” he said.

“It’s not a labour-intensive process.  We have a day where we prep all the veg and put them in the vinegar.  Then we go a way and we leave it.”

The Kirriemuir duo spend a lot of their time in the woods.

They also had their wedding in the woods, with hammocks tied between trees, and homemade composting toilets Alan had created using woodchips.

“I haven’t found a single plant that doesn’t have medicinal benefits,” said Alan.  “Even the ones that may kill you have got medicinal benefits.

“But we haven’t included any of those in here, ” he laughed.

The fire cider-brewing husband and wife also have big plans for getting their vinegar message out.

“We have a fun marketing plan,” said Alan wryly.

“We wanted a business that would allow us to travel about Scotland in the campervan.

“It took forever, coming up with an excuse for driving around the country in the campervan.

“But we will be delivering a product.”

Nikcy adds: “And we love meeting people, so it’s perfect!”