While each season has its drink, autumn, with its transition from warmth to cold, beckons for something that carries the depth and heritage of the land. And what better to fit the bill than British cider? We Love Cider has handpicked three that promise to enrich your autumnal moments.

1. Gospel Green Raspberry 17
   • Origin: Hampshire
   • Impression: Gospel Green’s Raspberry 17 presents a fascinating intersection of innovation and tradition. This cider doesn’t merely quench; it narrates a tale. Hampshire’s renowned apple varieties lay the foundation, upon which subtle notes of red raspberry play. But the genius stroke? A splash of Pinot Noir. This 2017 vintage carries the nostalgia of a British summer sun but hints at the crispness of autumnal evenings.
2. Gospel Green Rosé Cider 2017
   • Origin: Hampshire
   • Impression: The Rosé variant showcases Gospel Green’s knack for experimentation within the confines of tradition. A marriage of cooking and dessert apples offers a depth of flavor, but the incorporation of Pinot Noir sets it apart. The cider’s effervescence, reminiscent of champagne, brings about a touch of sophistication. This cider isn’t just a drink; it’s an experience that mirrors the transformation of the British countryside from summer’s end to autumn’s embrace.
3. Starvecrow Pét Nat Cyder
   • Origin: East Sussex
   • Impression: If there were ever a cider that captured the rustic spirit of East Sussex’s orchards, it’d be Starvecrow’s Pét Nat Cyder. Its wild fermentation process conjures images of orchards left to the whims of nature, yielding a drink that’s both raw and refined. Sulfite-free, it speaks directly to the purists who crave an unadulterated apple experience.

But beyond these three, why does British cider hold such a special place, especially in autumn?

The Essence of British Cider in Autumn

Cider is not merely a drink in the UK; it’s a testament to our agrarian roots, a nod to orchardists who’ve toiled for generations, and a reflection of the land’s bounty. As the UK’s landscape transitions in autumn, so does the mood of its populace. There’s a collective slowing down, a deeper appreciation of nature’s rhythms, and an inherent desire to connect with traditions. British cider, in all its variants, facilitates this connection.

Each sip of cider reflects the rich history of apple cultivation and the skill of cider makers perfecting their techniques over the years. Drinking cider isn’t just about the flavour; it’s a nod to tradition and shared experiences.

The changing character of an opened cider bottle, from its first crisp taste to the deeper apple notes and the finish, mirrors the progression of the autumn season.

Closing Thoughts

As the shadows of autumn lengthen and we find ourselves reaching for comfort in mugs, glasses, and conversations, let’s not forget the age-old drink that’s been a silent witness to Britain’s changing seasons and evolving narratives. These three ciders, each unique in its way, are but a small testament to our rich cider heritage.

Whether you’re by a roaring fire, watching the leaves fall, or just in good company, make sure there’s a glass of British cider in hand. It promises to complement, and indeed enhance, the symphony of autumn around you.

Our 200 acres of luscious orchards have been farmed for over 8 generations. Chosen for growth and taste profiles, eight cider apple varieties are grown.

Celtic Marches was launched in 2014 by our directors Sue and Rob, and we have continued to grow every year. With full control from ‘Pip to Pint’ our production cycle is completed within 5 miles of our farm. We grow, pick and press on site; blending with precision to create our international award-winning ciders. Waste pomace is used to produce green energy and supply us with CO2 to create our sparkling ciders and we package our drinks at our sister company, Marches Bottling & Packaging in Bromyard.

Our ability to follow market trends is not compromising and maintaining traditional values and respect for our provenance will always be core. Staying true to our craft we are dedicated to working with our farmscape, never against it.

In 2018, we took over PULP Cider and it’s been only upwards since then! With a variety of delicious fruit ciders available in bottles, cans, BIBs and kegs, our colourfully packed cider is enjoyed across the UK. Our newest additions, our cocktail-inspired ciders, have been a hit!

A selection of the PULP Cider range.. for more details click here

Celtic Marches – for more details click here

Celtic Marches
Wyer Croft, Bishops Frome
Herefordshire, WR6 5BS
01885 489812 ext. 1
sales@celticmarches.com
www.celticmarches.com
Celtic Marches Reg No: 07346873
VAT: 993304700
AWRS No: XVAW00000100145

It’s all About The Apples
When the Honeys bought the farm in Midford near Bath back in 1960, the old maps – like so many in Somerset – had ‘orchard’ marked on several grass paddocks. It took 42 years, but in 2002 Bob Honey revived that tradition by planting traditional Somerset grazed orchards of big, widely spaced trees giving the sheep and cattle shade and shelter. In return they keep the grass and provide fertility to the orchard soil.

In this age of globalization, we’re proud to be part of the glorious regional heritage of West Country Cider. We are working closely with other sustainable local orchards to preserve the rich tradition for generations to come.

NOT SUCH A DAFT IDEA THEN
These last few years have been a pretty exciting for Honey’s. We’ve trebled our work force (taken on two part timers), and for a business that started as a daft idea hatched in the pub, it has fully grown from a hobby to a proper company.
We’re constantly picking up new customers and making friends as our reputation grows and we’ve got new products and spin off ideas in the pipeline.
​
LOCAL and PROUD OF IT
​Early on in Honey’s history our flagship Midford Cider was highly commended at the Royal Bath and west Show and were chuffed we must be doing something right.

To add to our awards, we entered the most nerve racking competition – Krow’s local village produce show. If one enters the world cider championships and is pipped to the post, you have to accept defeat by a superior product made by a true expert. Entering the village show and being defeated by a total amateur would be shameful. Fortunately we won, and the “1st, South Stoke Produce Show 2016” medallion is displayed proudly on the front of our bottles. What folk drinking it in London or Hong Kong (our furthest customer) make of it, who knows.

NEW TWIST ON AN OLD IDEA
Back in the 1950’s/60’s in the Combe Down/Southstoke area of Bath, near Midford where we are based, farm workers would blend ginger beer with cider to make their lunchtime ‘pick me up’ drink so they could continue working without being completely sozzled. A ‘Stoney Bonk’ was coined and we decided to bottle that bit of Bathonian history and bring it to market. Refreshing;y different this real cider and ginger beer combo, burst on to the scene and achieved a Great Taste Star from the Guild of Fine Food which grandly sits on the label.






Selection of some of our Ciders

Find out more about our range of ciders here

Get in touch to find out more…
Honey’s Cider, Midford, Bath, Somerset
Telephone Kimberly on 07879 610482
Email cheers@honeyscider.co.uk

We made our first batch of cider as most do – from the apple tree in our garden. Turns out we were born to be cider makers! We started Napton Cidery the very next year, with the sole mission to collect unwanted apples from our village and surrounding orchards to make something wonderful. From pressing a simple 2000 litres in 2015, we now press over 160,000 litres per year, all sourced from small, traditional orchards in Herefordshire to support sustainable British farming. Find out more about our commitment to sustainability here. You can now enjoy a pint of Napton Cider in over 50 establishments and the list is always growing! Get in touch to find out where your closest pint is.

We’ve now expanded our cidery at Holroyd House Farm to include a shop and taproom. Here you can buy or sit and enjoy all of our products, including our limited edition ciders, our apple juice and our apple cider vinegar. We also have a hand-picked selection of craft beer, wine and spirits from local producers. We are a family-run business and with help from our wonderful team, we’ve grown our cidery into something really special, without ever compromising on our values. You can find our founders, married couple Charlotte and Jolyon, getting stuck in at the cidery: whilst Jolyon perfects our cider recipes, Charlotte runs the taproom and shop onsite.

OUR PRODUCTS

Our apples are fermented naturally with wild yeast and slowly matured without artificial flavourings or preservatives for an all natural cider that’s packed with flavour. Our cidery continues to perfect smooth and rounded recipes that are expertly crafted, without compromise. All of our ciders contain high juice content; we never use concentrates.

SIGNATURE RANGE
Our signature range consists of our most popular ciders.
Available in Bottle & Keg

CRAFT RANGE
Our craft range was launched to celebrate our mission from the beginning. To save unwanted apples and turn them into something amazing. All our apples are sourced form traditional orchards, organic and biodiverse growers.
Available in Bottle & Keg

JUICES & VINEGARS
Our juices and vinegars and made using 100% English ingredients.
More information on our products here

CONNOISSEURS RANGE
These limited edition ciders are made with special methods and ingredients in small batches and they change seasonally. Some of our limited edition ciders that are not listed here can only be purchased in store. More information on our products here


OUR AWARDS

INTERNATIONAL CIDER CHALLENGE 2022
Recipe No5 – Silver medal

Recipe No3 – Bronze medal

We were so pleased that our fruity No5 came out on top this year, with another recognition for our signature No3 too.

GREAT TASTE AWARDS 2022
Lost Apple – Two stars

Recipe No4 – One star

Recipe No5 – One star

CIDER TASTING EXPERIENCES
If you’d like to find out a bit more about our cider, we offer talk & tastings here at the cidery. Our experiences include a guided tasting of our signature ciders whilst one of our knowledgeable staff members talks you through how our cider is made and our award-winning recipes. Our Ploughman’s & Cider Tasting experience also includes a hearty Ploughman’s supper freshly made by Napton Village Stores using local produce. Click here to find out more!

EVENTS
We love hosting events at the cidery and we’ve got something for everyone in our jam-packed schedule. Upcoming events include comedy nights, quiz nights, live music, tours and workshops. Click below to find out more. – Find Out More

Holroyd House Farm, Napton on the Hill,
Southam, Warwickshire, CV47 8NY,
United Kingdom
TEL: 01926 811910
Email: hello@naptoncidery.co.uk

We ferment our ciders using the naturally occurring wild yeast from the apples. We then mature some of them in oak vats, many of which have been in the family for almost 100 years. David Sheppy, our Master of Cider, has developed his skills over a lifetime blending different varieties of apples to give Sheppy’s its distinctive, high quality taste. In recent times we have created brand new production facilities, freeing our lovely old brick buildings for development. These heritage buildings now house a bigger farm shop and butchery, a café, restaurant and bar which we call the House of Cider.

Master of Cider
For over 200 years the skill and craftsmanship of classic Somerset cider-making has been passed down through six generations of the Sheppy family. Today David Sheppy the incumbent Master of Cider, applies his unrivalled knowledge and expertise from a lifetime of cider making to turn our home-grown apples into some of the finest and award winning ciders.

Pressing and Fermentation
All production takes place at Three Bridges Farm in Taunton.

We believe in letting nature do its own work. After harvesting the apples, we let them ferment using only natural wild yeast found in the apple skins.

All our ciders have a high juice content and are never made from concentrate. Skill and experience allows us to bring the character of each apple variety into our blending to produce high quality well balanced ciders.

Our Orchards
Fifteen of our 90 acres of orchards we planted with tradition standard apple trees. Eight acres of these are certified organic.

The remaining 75 acres contain bush trees planted at between 200 and 300 trees per acre, so about 19,000 trees in total at Sheppy’s.

Our Apples
Sheppy’s ciders are made from our own apples grown here at Three Bridges Farm. We enjoy the support of local traditional apple growers to supplement our own crop of about 1000 tonnes.

We press our apples as a seasonal harvest with no need to concentrate our juice or to press from chill-stored apples. We believe this is the most natural and environmentally sensitive way of producing fine traditional ciders. All our ciders have a high juice content.

Buy Sheppy’s Cider Online

A perfect day out for all the family
Set in 90 acres of orchards, Sheppy’s Cider Farm caters for all the family. At its heart stands a beautiful cider mill which has been sympathetically restored to what is now the House of Cider. Where once you would have found tonnes of apples, now you will find an award-winning Farm Shop, Deli, Butchery, Café, Restaurant and bar selling a variety of local specialities. Should you want to take in some fresh air, we have signed walks around the orchards which will take you past the children’s play ground, duck pond and of course the cider production area.

Contact Us
Tel: 01823 461 233
Email: info@sheppyscider.com
URL: https://www.sheppyscider.com
Three Bridges, Bradford-on-tone, Taunton, Somerset, TA4 1ER

One night over a pint in Framfield’s local, they discovered common interests in beekeeping and a joint curiosity for making cider. And that’s when the Bignose and Beardy journey began. A small band of dad’s turned up at Phil’s and spent a happy day chopping, milling and pressing on some borrowed hand powered kit. After a days effort the team had produced 75 litres of delicious apple juice. All they had to do then was wait. The others drifted away but Steve kept coming back to see how it was going. It started off well, but as the sugar fermented into alcohol it started to taste a little… well not great. However patience saved the day and after seven months of waiting the cider was drinkable. Not amazing but alright. No matter: Phil and Steve had become hooked.

After researching the industry and taking advice from Phil’s successful cider making friend in the Midlands, they took the plunge and decided to buy some kit. They distributed flyers at the local village fair advertising for local apples to be donated in exchange for cider. Offers of apples started to pop up all around the village.

Traditional real Sussex cider made with enthusiasm in a sleepy East Sussex village called Framfield.

Our cider is flat, still, unfiltered and wild fermented in small batches.

No fuss cider made in a no fuss way. We leave it alone for months and months and let nature do its thing.

It doesn’t seem right to mess with it so we add nothing – unless we decide to sweeten it at the end of course. We never know what we are going to get and we celebrate each batch as a unique offering – those apples, that orchard, that mix of fruit from that season, handpicked early or late depending on when harvest falls. And when a batch is gone, it’s gone.

Framfield is a small village on the edge of the Weald. We are surrounded by green rolling fields, oak trees, sheep and horses against a backdrop of the South Downs just where they meet the sea. It’s good apple country and it’s a good place to be outdoors. All around us are forgotten orchards in gardens, estates and neglected corners as well as good friends we’ve made who grow fruit commercially – a lot of their sweat and tears go into our cider too. The sun always seems to shine when we are picking or pressing.

The Cidery is based on Bignose’s small holding, set amongst the rolling hills of Sussex with hens, ducks pigs and sheep.

Our Cider Selection

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Never from concentrate, never pasteurised

The best cider is made by blending traditional varieties like Dabinett, Kingston black, Brown Snout and Strawberry Normans. While they take more care, and yield less fruit than more commercial varieties, their high sugar and tannin levels create a cider that’s full of flavour and character.

Using the fresh juice from apples picked from Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire, we make cider from freshly pressed juice only (never concentrate which leads to a blander flavour and is often sourced from abroad) and ferment it in oak vats for up to 6 months using champagne yeast. Finally, we avoid pasteurisation, cold filtering the cider to remove apple and yeast particles.

About Hawkstone
Long before the Chipping Norton set was a thing, the Cotswolds were terrorised by another shadowy cabal — The Ancient Hawkstonian Order.

Legends say, the high priests of the Hawkstone (the neolithic standing stone that gives our beer and cider its name); participated in excessive drinking and bizarre fertility rites performed by the light of the full moon.

Now, for the first time since before the Norman conquest, the order is accepting new members.

Mike took me out behind his barn and gestured to a perry pear tree planted around 1828. He pivoted and swept his hand across a portion of the farm. “This orchard here, for example, my grandfather put some of those cider apples in in the 1930s, so we’ve always had cider fruit here.” Mike and his father began selling cider to the public in 1984, and, in the more than thirty years since, he’s learned how to work with the seasons, the orchards (each apple variety grows differently), the harvest, and the pace of the yeast that turn his crop to sparkling liquid.

The entire farm is self-contained. Throughout the spring and summer, Mike lets his sheep roam the orchards. He harvests the fruit in the fall and begins pressing it. The juice goes into fermenters in the barn and, when it has become cider in a few months, he bottles it in a building connected to the house. When people come to stay at the farmhouse, they’re invited to wander the orchards and even enjoy a picnic while roaming around. Mike has made the farm a bit of a destination; in the summer, he schedules bands to play in the barn, and people come and enjoy music and Ross-on-Wye cider. It’s just about exactly the romantic image people have of a cider farm.

By the standards of industrial farming, Mike’s ten thousand trees amount to a “tiny” parcel, but they’re more than enough to keep a small cider-maker in fruit. He has around a hundred different varieties planted, though many of those are just a tree or three. “It’s just for fun,” he says. “TI like new varieties and trying new things out.” His soil is a red sediment known as Hereford sandstone, and it’s great for drainage. That can be a problem in hot summers, but lately England has been drenched by rain. Although 2012 received a deluge, it was exceeded by the winter of 2014, the wettest winter on record. When I visited, the ground was sodden and the little stream by the farm was leaving pools in the road. In Somerset, the flat farmland was flooded, and it stretched out like an immense lake.

Like the old seventeenth-century English cider-makers, Mike maintains a natural farm little or no pesticides or fertilizer. The key is livestock. Keeping sheep means he lets his trees grow larger than modern orchards that are low and bushy. Pushing the canopy up allows more air flow, which he believes gives it less disease, and makes it easier to prune. The Johnsons even keep a particular breed for this purpose. “The problem is that most sheep, when they’re bored, start to nibble at the bark,” he explains. “But Shropshire sheep don’t.” For a farmer, there’s a lot of upside to this system. Not only does Mike keep down pesticide and fertilizer costs (he may or may not spray minimally or use fertilizer, depending on the circumstances), but he saves on the cost of diesel a mower would use. And for all that, he has a second crop with his sheep.

Soon we would walk into the barn and I would learn how Mike made cider, but as we stood and talked at the edge of his orchard, I was already beginning to get a sense of his underlying philosophy. I was asking him something about orchard maintenance, but his answer was typical (I heard it at least three other times), “I know people worry about all these things. Of course, I’ve been doing it thirty years and you get an instinct.” If you do things simply, the message was, problems take care of themselves.

The county of Herefordshire promotes the local industry by directing tourists along the Cider Route (“the real cider country,” they boast), guiding them to sixteen cideries from Ross-on-Wye in the south to Wigmore in the north. About halfway up and a bit to the east is number five on the route, Oliver’s Cider and Perry. The address I asked Google to decipher again included no street or address, but one interesting detail: Old Hop Kilns, Moorhouse Farm, Ocle Pychard, Herefordshire. Did you see it? Hop kilns. Until 1999, Oliver grew Fuggle, Northdown, and Target hops that were processed on the farm, in buildings now devoted to maturing cider. Among some American cider-makers, Tom Oliver is regarded with a level of respect that borders on awe. Even though he produces only a bit more than Mike Johnson, his ciders and perries find their way to the United States, where they are snapped up with glee. He’s won just about every award there is to win, and the Champion Cidermaker Cup was situated prominently in the tasting room when I visited—one of the few that had evaded him until that year. But this is what separates cider-makers from practitioners of more glamorous arts: when I pulled up in Ocle Pychard, I founda still farm veiled in mist, and a farmer in jeans and a down vest. He may be arock star among cider-makers, but he still puts his wellies on one foot at atime.

It turns out that hops were actually not the ancient family trade those were installed by Tom’s grandfather between the wars. His great-grandfather was an orchardist. When hops became unprofitable, Tom decided to return to his roots. He began planting treesboth apple and pear but unlike Mike Johnson, he gets most of his fruit from neighboring farms. For now, he grazes cattle and sheep on his 133 hectares [330 acres]. “I am variety fussy,” he told me when I asked whether he felt at risk having to buy fruit from other growers. “It’s almost more the varieties I don’t want too much of. So ’round here there’s stacks of Bulmers Norman, stacks of Michelin. I don’t mind either, just not all of it. They’re just boring and not great cider.” Many apple varieties are biennial, and some years they don’t produce much of a crop. But when you’re buying apples, you don’t have to worry about that. Getting the varieties he likes? So far it hasn’t been a problem, though he watches the market closely for changes in availability.

The Oliver cidery is mainly a two-man operation. As we were stamping our feet in the damp air discussing apples (or anyway I was), Tom’s collaborator arrived with the offer of warm tea. Jarek Kuzelka appeared in Ocle Pychard in 2007. He started working part-time for Tom, but was soon learning about apple varieties and y fermentation. As his palate sharpened and his knowledge deepened, he became more and more valuable and now works as Tom’s assistant. Soon he returned with an enormous mug of milky tea, and Tom periodically conferred with him in answering my questions. Steaming tea in hand, we began touring the cidery.

The best way to get a sense of cider’s range is to find a bottle of the traditional products from France, England, and Spain (particularly the Basque Country). Cider is made all over the world, but nowhere so particularly or peculiarly as in those countries. In those bottles you’ll find vivid illustrations of the way ciders are affected by both the apples they’re made from and the way they’re made. But remember, you need to find the traditional stuff—no Magners or Strongbow. Mass-market ciders won’t illustrate anything but what factory engineers can make with sugar, water, and apple juice concentrate.

ENGLAND
Cider is made all over the island, but principally in the west. Like so many things, England’s cider tradition begat America’s and still exerts the greatest influence on the new wave of cider-makers stateside. Americans are busy grafting Kingston Black, Yarlington Mill, Dabinett, and many other famous cider apples famous because they’ve been used for decades or centuries in Great Britain. During those long centuries and all the way to the present, farmers milled, pressed, and fermented their own apples, making a rustic cider sometimes called “scrumpy” . Traditional English cider balances sweetness with substantial tannic structure. Sometimes the tannins are so pronounced they produce flavors of Band-Aid or clove. About half are made with natural carbonation, and about half are still.

FRANCE
Cider is made in the northern regions of Brittany and Normandy, just across the English Channel from Britain’s famous cider country. An easy way to understand French cider? Think wine. Normandy and Brittany are far enough north that grapes don’t flourish there. Even the trees, which have to labor in the poor soil of the Pays d’Auge, don’t flourish but the hardship makes the apples more intense. The French have been making cider in these regions since the thirteenth century, and they have honed their techniques to produce exceptionally balanced products soft, effervescent, tannic, and sweet. Cider-makers use a technique called “keeving” that stresses the yeast, leaving a lingering sweet base to their low-alcohol ciders. But the bitterness that comes from those intense apples helps create ciders as complex as any grape wine made in parts south.

SPAIN
Cider is made in two obscure regions in the north, Asturias and the Basque Country. The most exotic cider in the world, Spain’s products bear a strong resemblance to the sour lambics of Brussels. Asturian cider is the more sedate of the two, with acid and sweetness balanced in relatively delicate harmony. Basque cider, by contrast, is nearly vinegar sour a gastronomic slap across the cheek. Fermented naturally with a greater proportion of tart apples than in either England or France, Spanish ciders also have layers of “funkiness” barnyard, cheese, and forest floor notes that come from wild yeast. Made completely still, locals use different techniques to “throw” or “break” the cider—pouring it at a great distance to rouse and aerate the subtle flavors and aromas. The tartness is a famously good companion for the salty local cuisine, where food and drink are enjoyed in lusty partnership.

These three constitute the most important expressions of the cider-making tradition brewed today. A great deal of the ciders being made in other countries at least nod in their direction, and some are explicit about their lineage. As cider-making evolves worldwide, however, there are others to keep an eye on. Germany has an ancient heritage of Apfelwein, centered around Frankfurt. Historically a simple product made with sweet apples, apfelwein is now growing up. Cider-makers are using more acidic and tannic fruit to produce sophisticated ciders that live up to their name as weins. North America is also ina moment of profound pardon me ferment, as new cideries open by the week. Modern cider-makers are taking a typically American approach. They’re looking back to history and resurrecting heirloom fruit full of tannin and acid, but they’re also looking forward, to the emphasis on local agriculture and artisanal.

A folktale from Somerset reflecting this custom tells of the Apple Tree Man, the spirit of the oldest apple tree in an orchard, and in whom the fertility of the orchard is thought to reside. In the tale a man offers his last mug of mulled cider to the trees in his orchard and is rewarded by the Apple Tree Man who reveals to him the location of buried gold.

If you have occasion to be in the West Country in January, you : might investigate the ancient tradition of wassailing. (And who wouldn’t go to England in January?) The word is actually a toast that comes from the Norse via Middle English, wees hail, meaning “be well and healthy.” It is a pre-Christian rite that has certain animistic elements. This is one of those mysterious rites that Americans have a hard time understanding. Fortunately, the Hecks have been hosting a wassail in their orchards for several years, and Chris was happy to describe what happened in 2013 “Well, there is a wassail song and all the children brought along pots and pans, which they bang together. That frightens the evil spirits away. A couple of chaps brought their shotguns down and we fire those up in the air; again, that’s to ward the evil spirits away. They pour cider around the roots of the tree.” (I gather this is to : wake up the tree in spring.) “And to welcome the good spirits, you put toast up in the trees for the robin. I suppose he looks after the orchard.” Of course, celebrants do plenty of toasting, and they have : ample supplies of cider to keep them merry.