Chop-tastic

Pork & Cider, you only have to look through a few old recipe books to see that this combo has some pedigree. The two ingrediants have a natural affinity like, say, Sage & Onion, which of course also goes very well with Pork & Cider...

The last two meaty chops from those clever rare-breeders at Crackbottle Road (Keythorpe Rare Breeds) needed something special, and what could be more special than a combination of flavours sourced almost exclusively from local suppliers. The pork was of course sourced from just down the road, the fresh Sage and Rockingham Forest Cider came from even closer to home (our Sage has gone berserk this year, I think it's the coffee grounds I keep tipping around it, that and the fact the hens can't get at it anymore!), the Garlic from wherever it is they grow garlic these days, but via our excellent local farmshop in Ashley.

This is another of my ultra-simple procedures. If it's a choice between a trip to the Red Lion for a pre-dinner pint, or a long cooking session at home, we generally try to do both, so the simpler the recipe is, the better. The chops were trimmed of their rind as I wasn't planning to try and crackle them. Seasoned, and (ahem) pan-fried with a few cloves of garlic until browned. Into the oven with them whilst a good few leaves of Sage are given a short fry-up. De-glaze with a generous slosh of cider, pour over the chops and return to the oven to cook through.

We served the chops with Mustard Mash, seasonal veg from Ashley Herb Farm, all drizzled with the sagey, garlicky, cidery juices. Oh! and a glass of Rockingham Forest Cider on the side too. Yum-yum!

The Campaign for Real Hail

Here's a few pics of the extreme weather which swept down the Welland Valley yesterday evening.

The first signs that something might be afoot were the eerie light created by a low sun under dense thundery clouds, and the sudden urgency in the flight of the Blackbirds and Wood Pigeons seeking shelter. As the storm moved in, hail rained down, blanketing the ground with shiny white marbles of ice. The hens sensibly bolted for their coop, I on the other hand, rather stupidly went for a walk in the orchard! Fortified with a glass of cider, and protected by a wide-brimmed hat, the storm raged around me in spectacular thundery fashion.

I've heard many times of hail storms ruining a grape harvest, but this is the first time I've encountered this kind of damage to our fruit trees. I'd guesstimate around 50% of the leaves on the apple trees are damaged, and the blossom on the James Grieve has taken a knock. I think it's early enough in the season for the trees to recover, none of them are in full leaf yet and most are a few days off blossom-time.

Whilst examining the leaves in the bright sunshine today, I couldn't help but notice the number of Bumble Bees buzzing about. We've always had a good number of these jolly insects in our garden, but it's always pleasing to see them busying themselves about the blossom, particularly as they appear to be in some decline nationally.

The storm has passed, calm is now restored, and a Bank Holiday weekend of gardening and relaxation is nearly upon us. After the recent barreling up of our ciders, the fridge is well stocked too, which is a nice bonus.

It's a Tannin Thing

I've been comparing and contrasting our two current ciders, Sulgrave Orchard and Rockingham Forest Cider. Perhaps the most obvious difference is in their appearance.

The Sulgrave Orchard Cider was made from a blend of several different varieties of dessert apples. It's pale yellow in colour, and now virtually crystal clear in the glass. In contrast, the Rockingham Forest Cider, which was made from a blend of mostly cider apples, has a very slight haze, and a rich golden colour. In my experience, ciders made from cider apples are often a little hazier than those made from dessert and culinary fruit. I'm not entirely sure why this should be, possibly something to do with the higher levels of pectin in cider apples which can lead to a natural haziness in the finished cider. The colour difference is a little more easy to explain, it's down to the presence of Tannin.

Cider apples are split into four main classifications, Sharps, Sweets, Bittersharps and Bittersweets. It's the latter two that we are particularly interested in, since the 'bitter' part of the classification refers to the high levels of tannin in the fruit. This is the flavour compound which gives West-Country ciders their distinctive rich flavour, but it's also the part which turns the apple juice a deep brown colour when freshly pressed. Fermentation seems to purge some of this oxidised tannin from the juice, but it's the tannin which remains that gives our cider it's attractive golden colour.

Here's my tasting notes from this evening's sampling, though do bare in mind that these ciders are still quit young, and the flavour will change and mellow throughout the year. Also, the current batch of Rockingham Forest Cider contains a higher percentage of sharp fruit than later batches will have, and is perhaps more of a halfway point between the two styles than a pure West-Country style cider.

Sulgrave Orchard Cider (6.4%) - Pale yellow like a white wine in appearance. The flavour is intensely fruity and full flavoured, but the citrusy sharpness makes for a refreshing drink, particularly when chilled. The finish is long, fruity, and the sharpness lingers on the side of the tongue. There is a slight residual sweetness.

Rockingham Forest Cider (6.4%) - Deep golden colour, sharp and fruity. Quite dry, with some astringency from the tannin. Much less sharp in the finish. A mild spicy bittersweet character, quite well balanced and easy-drinking.

You can try this current batch of Rockingham Forest Cider at the Red Lion, Middleton; and the Criterion Freehouse, Leicester. Both ciders should also be available this weekend at the Jolly Brewer, Stamford.

Local Cider for Local People

The month of May, with it's brace of Bank Holiday weekends, seems to mark the start of the Beer Festival season for many pubs. It's the promise of warmer weather, and the emergence from Winter hibernation of the less hardy Beer Garden Drinker that spurs landlords to go all beery-eyed. Of course, no beer festival is complete without a bit of traditional cider.

We've already delivered our 'LocApple' ciders to the Jolly Brewer in Stamford, ready for this weekend's LocAle Festival, and as you can see from the ever increasing list on the right of this blog, our ciders are well represented at events throughout the area this Summer. We try to keep things as local as possible, there really is very little point in sending our cider the length and breadth of the country.

We're particularly looking forward to this year's Cider & Cheese Festival in July, which is being held jointly at our regular Leicester outlet, the Criterion Freehouse, and the nearby Swan & Rushes. Both of these pubs have an excellent reputation amongst beer and cider drinkers, and it's hoped that there will be up to 30 different ciders and perrys on offer during the weekend of the festival, accompanied by a similar range of tasty cheeses! There should be no overlap of varieties, and our ciders will only be available at the Criterion.

Springtime - It's Official

Sitting up in the orchard yesterday, enjoying the warm sunshine with a glass of cider, eagle-eared Karen was the first to hear a Cuckoo calling somewhere close by. This is of course one of the first signs that Spring has truly arrived, but it's also an important sign for the cidermaker.

Traditionally, the first Cuckoo call signals that the new ciders are ready to be tapped. We tapped our Rockingham Forest Cider last weekend, so as a rule of thumb this tradition appears to have some merit. This is particularly true in the case of West-Country style ciders, which can take much longer to mature than those made from Dessert and Culinary fruit.

This photo of a Common Cuckoo has been kindly made available for use by Sergey Yeliseev under a Creative Commons Licence.