July - 'National Cider Festival Month'

It's official (1), July has been designated National Cider Festival Month. Yay!

I say 'National', to be fare we're talking mostly about the East Midlands..... Leicesterhire and Northamptonshire to be exact. Nevertheless, the hot and humid month of July is literally awash with cider festivals, which is jolly good news for those of us who like cider..... obviously!

The inaugural National Cider Festival Month (which is official (1) remember) kicks off with a Pork & Cider Festival (3rd - 5th) at the Victoria Inn in Northampton. 22 ciders are promised, along with 20 different varieties of sausage and other porky delights. Mmm! Pork, Cider, the classic combination. Killjoys can eat vegetarian fare and drink beer if they so choose.

There are no cider festivals that we know of the following weekend, but if you're getting withdrawal there's the Derby CAMRA Beer Festival (8th - 12th) to help plug the gap. A '...big range of ciders...' is promised, and I'm reasonably confident there will be some perry too.

Things take a turn for the better the following weekend, when the excellent Criterion Freehouse teams up with the equally fine Swan & Rushes to host a Cider & Cheese Festival (16th - 19th). Mmm! Cider, Cheese, a classic combination... you get the idea! We'll be sending two ciders to the Criterion for this well-established festival.

The final fling of the month is a new event at the award-winning Cow & Plough in Oadby, Leics. Over 30 ciders are promised here, with live bands, a BBQ, and free camping helping to make a weekend of it. We will also be sending a couple of ciders to this event.

So there you have it, cider festivals are King, and July will be the month when cider takes it's rightful place on the 'throne of delicious drinking'... OK, that'll do for now.

(1) - An official Rockingham Forest Cider promotion!