Hereford - A Mini-Guide

Perry is still very much on-trend in this house. As indeed cider would be if I could just pull my finger out and get some of the Rockingham Forest 2016 vintage bottled-up. Tedious domestic circumstances have conspired against any ciderhouse work recently, so I've been relying on 'guest' ciders and perries from near and far to see me through, more of which later. But enough of this dull domesticity, I felt a mini-break in the heart of ciderland was long overdue. So where exactly is the heart of ciderland?

Well for one week only, the Nottingham Beer, Cider & Perry Festival is where it's at, everyone knows that! But despite England and Wales having a truly world-class reputation for traditional cider and perry, particularly in its current 'revived' state, it's my experience that no 'one' place truly fulfils the role as a 'centre of excellence' for actually drinking the stuff. I think I know this because I've been looking long and hard at the subject for the best part of 40 years. In that time I've come across some truly excellent pubs that specialise in cider and perry, a good few producers of the drink that welcome visitors, and a handful of museums with good local displays on the subject. But it's all rather dispersed, the majority of pubs even in the west country and three counties have either no truly crafted cider or perry on the bar, or at best a token national 'brand' that's hardly worth travelling for.

Of all the towns in England and Wales, Hereford might be regarded as something of a shoe-in for a cider and perry based mini-break. It's certainly not always been this way. I've been holidaying in Hereford for 30 years or more, and I can say with some qualification that the choice on offer has often been unbelievably poor for a city that prides itself on being at the centre of an orchard county, a county literally steeped in the traditions of cider and perry making. So have things improved in 2019? Well, yes and no...

I've found in recent years that whilst there's certainly a better choice on offer, with plenty of new and enthusiastic producers in the county, there are still precious few places you can actually drink their fine produce in. And whilst it might be argued that as far as top-quality craft cider and perry is concerned, we've never had it so good, what hasn't changed is that you really need to know where to find it, otherwise you'd really never know! Hence this little guide-ette to the best that I could find in January 2019.

Alongside the current excitement around 'craft' beer, it's largely the smaller, newer bars and micropubs that are driving interest in the very best ciders and perries. Micropub Beer In Hand has been open for a few years now, and is already something of an established fixture in the town. A highly regarded venue with a reputation built mostly around the excellent beer offering, but with a cider and perry board (above) that's without a doubt the best in town. Standout for me was the range from local perry specialist Oliver's of Ocle Pychard, of which I tried one or three over the course of the weekend, most memorable of which was the...

Oliver's At The Hop #8 (5.5%)

Hop-infused ciders were pioneered by Tom Oliver, the first example I tried being one of his hopped ciders back in 2014. I have to say I found interesting but slightly unconvincing. Five years later I was still waiting to be convinced when, like buses, two absolute stunners came along at once, and both from the originator, Tom Oliver. First-up a Cascade & Kazbech hopped Cider which was to die for. Then this Simcoe infused perry, literally the bottle that convinced me the future may well be lightly-hopped.

At The Hop #8 is a solidly medium perry, but in that nice frothy-fizzy sherbety way that’s refreshing without being cloying. There’s a fresh grassiness in the nose, a rich honey sweetness, zestiness, some grown-up mouth-puckering tannin, and here come the hops... a very subtle new-world aroma citrus hoppiness that blends beautifully with the perry rather than dominating it. Lovely!

I partnered this with Pizza and an impromptu traditional music session, because that's just the way the evening was going...

The Hereford Beer House has been open since 2015, but still seems very 'new' to me. It's a very welcome addition to the Hereford beer scene. Every town should have a craft beer specialist like this, in fact most do now, such is the appeal of aroma hops and eyeball-popping can designs! The beer house also features a very respectable cider and perry range from some of the very best Herefordshire producers. I started with a couple of excellent draught ciders from Olivers and Gregg's Pit , but settled on something from the small but comprehensive bottled range.

Ross-On-Wye Moorcroft & Bartestree Squash Perry 6.5%

Ross Cider & Perry has been my go-to producer for 20 years or more, and I highly recommend a visit to their pub and shop, the Yew Tree in Peterstow village. I first tried their Bartestree Squash Perry at an early Leicester CAMRA Beer Festival, a rare treat then, as indeed it is now. Ross produce what must be the widest range of single variety and blended ciders and perries in the world, and I'm more than happy to try any one of them whenever I get the chance. Many of their bottled ciders and perries are naturally conditioned, as this one is, and it really does make a difference. This one has a nice prickle of condition, a lingering off-dry sweetness, full-bodied, melon , a straightforward, quite robust perry.

The last time I was in Hereford was mid-Summer, and we found the Left Bank Village quite the funky enclave in an area of quite traditional boozers. Overlooking the wide expanse of the River Wye, the outdoor seating and fire pits attract a young crowd. Young by my standards of course! De Koffie Pot Café was the main attraction for me on what was a cold, wet evening. I like the place a lot, and can recommend the DKP Burger which I partnered with this bottle of organic perry.

I've been a big fan of Dunkertons ciders and perries since the late 80's when their classy corked and bottled drinks were relatively easy to find in the Delis and Wholefood shops of Leicester. In fact I used to always get a few cases in for the Leicester festival, something to take away, and if they didn't sell out, well I was happy to underwrite the stock. I still miss those early 'still' bottled ciders, but the current sparkling range is great too.

Dunkertons Organic Perry 6.9%

This bottle poured with a slight (reassuring) haziness, possibly the result of a slightly longer time in bottle as the current release of this perry is at 7.5%. It has a long, lingering medium sweetness with soft Elderflower and Melon, and some balancing acidity.

I really couldn't find anywhere else to drink good locally made pure-juice cider and perry in Hereford, which is still something of a surprise to me given the reputation the county has for this, our most traditional of drinks. If you're still hungry for more, as I was, and want to take home some of the best that Herefordshire (and the three counties) has to offer, I'd highly recommend a visit to the cidery jewel in Hereford's crown, the Museum of Cider (below), which I'll be coming back to with some pretty pictures in a forthcoming post.

Ciderhouse News - June 2014

We're approaching 'Peak-Cider' time here at Rockingham Forest Cider, with both cider and perry (almost) literally flowing out of the ciderhouse and straight down the throats of thirsty customers. Almost! We do have to transfer the golden liquid into boxes and barrels to aid this process. Licensees help too with their fancy 'glasses' and stoneware cider mugs, for which we thank them.

It's an inevitable reaction to the hot weather. People prefer to move around a lot less in the heat, and what then are they to do with those idle hands and moribund legs? Might as well shuffle to the bar and order a pint. That's where we come in..

This coming weekend you might want to shuffle over to Oakham for pints (or halves) of cider at the almost accurately named Oakham Ale Trail. Fear not cider and perry lovers, it's not all malt'n'hop in the capital of Rutlandshire. Our regular outlet in the town, the terrific White Lion, has expanded its range to include our Vilberie Cider, Red Kite Cider, and Green Horse Perry. Exotic 'foreign' cider will also be available from 'Udders Orchard of 'Uddersfield-in-the-North. Rare and unusual beers will also be available, as well as Maria's rare and tasty 'Craft' Pies (fully endorsed by the Rockingham Forest Cider branch of the Campaign for Real Pies) as well as other food type things.

Staying in Rutland for a moment, our Red Kite Cider will also be available at a mini-beer festival at the Exeter Arms, Barrowden. I haven't got a good picture of the Exeter Arms, but this photo of Saturday afternoon Cribbage play in the bar gives an idea of the kind of traditional village local it is. It's also home to the Barrowden Brewery, so expect some of the beers to have been sourced from literally 'yards' away.

Continuing to stay in Rutland for just one more paragraph, a Rockingham Forest Cider blend continues to be on tap at the bijou Veranda Cafe at Wing Hall. Great food and regular live music evenings here too, including the fabulous Latin Jazz sounds of the Sven Klang Jazz Band on the evening of 5th of July.

In other news, the ciderhouse has now been fully fitted out with a vintage skittles table, something else to do with those idle hands and moribund legs in the Winter. This table will be making an appearance at the forthcoming Cottingham & Middleton Village Fete (5th July), as will a box of our Red Kite Cider. The date for this popular village event has (almost certainly) been set to celebrate the day after American Independence Day (possibly), although I haven't managed to get confirmation of this yet (and probably won't). Either way, come and celebrate 'something or other', with a glass of cider and a throw on the skittles table. It's what Summers were made for.

More May Merriment

Polish-up your Half-pint Tankards and iron your Bermuda Shorts, the bank holiday is very nearly here, and there's more cider and perry to be drunk than even I can handle. The unpredictable month of May promises to go out in a similar fashion to how it came in, quite literally littered with Beer and Cider (and Sausage) festivals to the north, west, and... well, mostly north and west to be honest.

We've been very busy in the ciderhouse ahead of the weekend. Racking and tasting. Boxing-up and tasting. Tasting a bit more, just so we're absolutely sure that everything tastes fabulous and fruity at the bunch-of-five events we'll be supplying.

We're particularly excited to have been invited to the very first Charnwood Cider Festival (24th - 25th May), the brainchild of award winning Leicestershire cidermaker Rob Clough (that's him on the left). In addition to the whole extensive range of Robs own Charnwood Ciders, there will also be local East Midlands guest ciders from our friends in the north at Torkard Cider, as well as Green Horse and Blakeney Red Perries from us-selves. Set in the shadow of Old John himself, the event would make a great refreshment stop after a traditional bank holiday walk at nearby Bradgate Park. More details below.

Once again, we're delighted to be represented at the Newark CAMRA Beer Festival (23rd - 25th), with Red Kite Cider and Green Horse Perry in attendance amongst a host of other quality ciders and perries (and beers apparently!). One of several festivals on our list of 'might go' for the weekend. As ever there's just too much choice.

Sausages are of course the perfect accompaniment to a glass of traditional cider. You didn't know! Well get on-trend and find out for yourself at the accurately named Oadby Sausage & Cider Festival (24th - 25th), which features a whole host of award-winning sausages, a similar range of fine ciders, and all located in the easily accessible village of Oadby. Well it would be wouldn't it! Our own Red Kite Cider will join the extensive line-up. There will also be live music, and plenty of people talking like the Wurzels all weekend I shouldn't wonder.

Our love affair with the tiny country of Rutland continues to grow. Not only is our Vilberie Cider available at the Veranda Cafe at Wing Hall and the White Lion, Oakham, but an annual Rutlandshire event will also feature our cider and perry over the bank holiday weekend.

More evidence of cider/sausage affinity can be experienced at the annual Grainstore Cider & Sausage Festival 22nd - 26th) in Oakham. The cider tasting takes place under canvas at the front of the brew-pub, and you'll find our Red Kite Cider and Green Horse Perry amongst the apple-y and porky delights on offer.

Just over the border, and back home in Northamptonshire, the annual Village Gala (24th - 26th) at Easton on the Hill will also feature our Red Kite and Green Horse. This looks like a fabulous traditional May event, centred on the Blue Bell pub which is where the beers, ciders, and much else besides can be enjoyed. More details below.

So there you have it. You can't say we haven't given you a choice!

(Some) Cider is Go!

With earthquakes hitting the tiny, fragile village of Rutland almost every day now, the Rockingham Forest Cider Emergency Delivery Team have literally strolled into action ahead of the Easter weekend.

In a bizarre reversal of normal earthquake disaster behaviour, reports suggest refugees are literally pouring onto the Wing Hall Campsite, though sensibly equipped with caravans, BBQ's, and an array of emergency ball games. Supplies of Rockingham Forest Cider have now been car-lifted onto the site, and initial reports suggest that there should be plenty of buns and cake at the Veranda Cafe to see desperate campers through the weekend in relative comfort.

The White Lion line-up today

Meanwhile, Les at the White Lion in Oakham has reported that the pub was at the very epicentre of recent seismic activity. At the height of this mornings catastrophic event, glasses clinked alarmingly and Maria is understood to have been very fearful for her pies. Recent over-indugence of Hazelnut Porter by Les has so far not been ruled out as the source these dangerous vibations (boom-boom!).

Just to be on the safe side, we've delivered a stabilising box of cider to the pub, and can confirm that the pies have survived their ordeal intact and tasty as ever.

Cider in Leicester - A Pub Guide (Revised 2014 Edition)

Even though no license fee is required for viewing this blog (as if we could actually charge for this rubbish!), we still feel duty bound to deliver the occasional public service broadcast. It's been a while since we fulfilled this weighty obligation, March 2010 to be precise.

So with literally thousands of thirsty customers flocking into the city for the annual Leicester CAMRA Beer Festival (half a dozen of which are known to occasionally read this blog), I felt it was high time I revisited my magnum opus, the reasonably well-received Cider in Leicester - A Pub Guide. So here it is.

This list is probably best used in conjunction with a few halves at the superb Leicester Beer Festival Cider Bar, and is best viewed using the 'entirely-free-to-download' Leicester Real Ale Trail glossy leaflet add-on-with-map doohickey.

Please note:  This is not a campaigning blog and I therefore make no judgement on the quality of any of the ciders mentioned, some of which will inevitably not meet everyones criteria with regard to being 'real' or 'traditional'. Also note that this list represents my own knowledge of the current cider scene in Leicester, broadly encompassing an easily walkable area from the beer festival site up to the rail station. If I've inadvertently omitted any pubs, or the information has in any way become inaccurate or obsolete subsequently, I apologise in advance. I'd had a bit to drink you see...

• Ale Wagon, Rutland St/Charles St, LE1 1RE - Traditional corner local close to the rail station. Wide range of ales, and a house cider from a large Somerset producer

• Barley Mow, Granby St, LE1 6FB - Recent Everards Brewery refurbishment close to the rail station. Guest cider(s) from Everards range*

• Black Horse, Foxon St/Braunstone Gt, LE3 5LT - Lovely interior to this two room Everards Brewery pub, which received a sensitive refurbishment quite recently. Guest cider from Everards range*, though usually this is Westons Old Rosie

• Criterion Freehouse, 44 Millstone Lane, LE1 5JN (0116 2625418) - Pioneering Leicester ale and cider house, with the added bonus of regular live music, beer and cider festivals, fabulous pizza, and all-round city-centre grooviness. Occasional outlet for our own cider or perry (hopefully the case during the festival weekend), but always something interesting on the dedicated guest cider handpump, plus usually another draught cider or perry from the cellar.

• The Globe, Silver St, LE1 5EU - Everards Brewery ale house in the very centre of town, now featuring a couple of guest ciders from the brewery range*

• High Cross, High St, LE1 4JB - The only Wetherspoon in the city centre which regularly features real cider. Usually two available, often GwyntY-Ddraig or Westons, but occasionally something more unusual

• King Richard III, Highcross St, LE1 4NN - One of Leicesters great unspoilt locals, close to the Highcross shopping disaster. Everards ales, and a guest cider from the brewery range*

• Kings Head, King St, LE1 6RL - A proper local in the town, and a rare outlet for Black Country Ales in addition to numerous guest beers. Guest ciders from larger regional producers such as Gwynt-Y-Ddraig or Sandford Orchards

• Polar Bear, Oxford St, LE1 5XW - Recently improved beer range at this 'Scream' pub included a Westons Cider on a recent visit

• Rutland & Derby, Millstone La, LE1 5JN - Smartly refurbished with a strong emphasis on food. Guest cider from the Everards Brewery range*

• Salmon, Butt La, LE1 4QA - Smart but traditional ale house near the main bus station.Popular with both beer enthusiasts and rugby fans. Usually two guest ciders from the cellar, often from regionals such as Gwynt-Y-Ddraig, or occasionally smaller local producers including Charnwood

• Sir Robert Peel, Jarrom St, LE2 7DD - Recently refurbished Everards ale house, close to the rugby and football grounds. Two guest ciders, often from smaller producers, including those from the brewery range*

• Swan & Rushes, Oxford St/Infirmary Sq, LE1 5WR - Home of Leicesters original Cider & Cheese Festival, the Swan is a noted beer enthusiasts venue close to the rugby and football grounds. The guest cider was from Orchard Pig when I visited recently, bottled Thirsty Farmer Cider also available

• The Tudor, Tudor Rd, LE3 5HT - Another recent Everards Brewery refurbishment, sensitively done and retaining the two-room traditional layout of this backstreet local. A guest cider from the brewery range is usually available*

• The Western, Western Rd, LE3 0GA - Steamin' Billy pub which usually features a couple of draught ciders. Bottles of local Thirsty Farmer Cider are also available

* = Everards supply a range of ciders to their estate, including regional and national brands from Hogan's and Westons for example, as well as some local Leicestershire producers such as Bottle Kicking and Thirsty Farmer.

Cider Barrel Half-Empty

This evenings blog post was supposed to be a lengthy treatise on the cidery delights of Tewkesbury, a town set in the very heart of Three Counties cider and perry country. Our trip to Tewkesbury was long overdue, the perrys need racking off, and we can't do that without a couple of new Food-Grade Blue Tubs. It's a little known fact that Tewkesbury is a good source of these tubs, and we hoped to 'add value' to the trip with a day out in the town.

I'd researched my subject well, and was reasonably sure that the unspoilt medieval charm of Tewkesbury would conceal a reasonable range of traditional Ye Olde Worlde Local Cyders, and maybe even some Fyne Glostershire Perries. Sadly, t'was not to be the case.

The Royal Hop Pole almost delivered the goods. A Westons cider and Wetherspoon newcomer Gwynt-Y-Ddraig Black Dragon Cider might seem to you a good result, but the fact is I could have stayed at home for these. The Nottingham Arms proved to be another Westons stronghold, nice but not what I was after. The Berkeley Arms promised cider, but there was none to be seen, and Tewkesbury newcomer Theoc House listed bottles of Archies Cotswold Cider, but didn't have any on my visit. To make matters worse, the only pub in town I was guaranteed cider of sorts, was the White Bear, but I ran out of time for this pub. In the world of Twitter, this is known as a #totalciderfail.

Never mind, in an attempt to salvage the day, I turned to retail therapy, which is something Tewkesbury excels at. So here's what I got:

At last! Proper Gloucestershire Cider from Severn Cider of Awre near Newnham. This is a pure juice medium cider, full flavoured, fruity, tannic, and beautifully rounded and smooth to drink. That Wine Place on the High Street also have ciders from Three Choirs Vineyard, Gwatkin, and Lyne Down Farm. Thank heavens for that!

This weighty tome would certainly have been considered 'modern' in 1956 when it was first published, but there's still plenty in here of relevance to the fruit grower and orchardist today. It's got some nice pictures in it too.

This little scrumpy-swilling fella came with a 50p price tag, and will take pride of place amongst my collection of jars and jugs in the ciderhouse. I've decided to call him 'Little Ray', for no particular reason...

We've also got the aforementioned Blue Tubs, so next weekend I'll be racking the perries, and needless to say blogging about the experience here.

Ciderhouse News-ette

With our cidermaking over for another year, and pleasant days spent harvesting in the Cotswolds but a distant memory, it's nice to sit back with a pint of something appropriate and read all about it from the comfort of home. We're nothing if not self-absorbed.

Not content with cluttering up this Blog with our torpid adventures, we also like to graffiti other peoples online space. So I was delighted when the obliging folk of the Shakespeare Branch of CAMRA kindly allowed us a full colour page in their lovely newsletter Shakesbeer to document a day in search of Real Cider in the tourist hot-spot of Broadway during this years harvest. You can read all about it by following this link (We're on page 18, but there's plenty of other good reads too):

http://www.shakespearecamra.org.uk/pdf/Shakesbeer_Issue47_Winter_2011.pdf

Tollemache Arms Firework & Music Day

A last minute order for cider has come in from our friends at the Tollemache Arms in Harrington. We're sending the last few pints of our Red Kite Cider ahead of the Tolly's annual Firework & Music Day on Saturday 5th November. Here's what the Landlord has to say about the day:

Our fourth annual fireworks party will take place on Saturday 5th November. The event commences at 2pm with live music all day, bouncy castle and our new play area will be floodlit for the evening. As well as our normal menus, hot food will be served outside from 6pm. The fireworks display will be at 7.30pm. Entry is completely free and there are large covered areas outdoors.

Sounds good, and if we can squeeze it into our busy pressing schedule, we may pop along for a goggle ourselves.

Ale & Apples... though mostly Apples to be fair!

The Rockingham Forest Cider Apple Mountain continues to surge tectonically upwards, causing a good deal of interest in the village, particularly from horse owners! It's currently a single variety mountain, consisting almost exclusively of Yarlington Mill, a vintage quality bittersweet cider apple which we use to create our popular Red Kite Cider.

Every weekend is orchard/pressing time now, and I'm pleased to say that our compact picking team has risen to the substantial challenge ahead. We've even got a new trainee, young and fit, all the way from Grantham, a little wet behind the ears, but willing to get his hands dirty in the name of good cider. There he is on the right, taking a well earned nap on the trailer with one of our veteran pickers Susan. Consider yourself fully initiated into the Guild of Master Pankers sir.

Hard work like this should be rewarded with a bit of hard play, so with the Yarlys secured it was off to the Fleece Inn in nearby Bretforton for a relaxing drink in the orchard garden. The Fleece is a truly great destination any day of the year, but this weekend had the added attraction of their annual Ale & Apple Festival. Yowzah!


A fine display of Dessert and Culinary Apples in the Ale & Cider tent.



The Cider Bar - Favourite of the day was the Gregg's Pitt Aylton/Blakeney Red Perry, closely followed by the Olivers Medium Cider. The Fleece Inn Cider was good too. The Plum Jerkum.... interesting!

 

The press was fully wound down from an earlier pressing, and showing little activity other than a healthy population of local Wasps.

 

The antique Scratter, made in Somerset at the foundry of Albert Day.



Susan struggles under the weight of a Newtons Wonder from the Fleece Inn orchard. I think she may have taken this home...

 

The famous Sweet'n'Savoury Pastie, one half Meat'n'Veg, the other appropriately Apple'n'Custard. Delicious. Unless of course you're not expecting it to be sweet'n'savoury!



Cider Apples Are Go...

It's been a very productive weekend in the orchard...

Shaking down the very large crop of Yarlington Mill cider apples. Five of the seven trees are cropping heavily this year, though sadly some of the the trees have suffered as a result. The very dry conditions seem to have made the wood drier and less flexible and the very heavy crops and high winds have caused several large branches to break under the strain.

By the time we finish harvesting all the Yarlington Mill trees, we will have approaching 100 of these bags of apples to transport home. It will then be a couple of weeks or more before they have fully matured and are ready to press. Despite the large quantity of these 'vintage quality' bittersweet cider apples, it remains to be seen how much juice they'll actually yield, since the apples seem rather light in weight to us this year.

The Aylestone picking team take a well earned rest at the Crown & Trumpet after a hard day in the orchard. The illumination around Susan head is not an optical effect, that really is a Halo. Susan capped her performance on Sunday with a difficult perry pear picking session today.

Pubs We Like - The Plough, Prestbury

The perry pear harvest is now almost done for us, and there's a slight lull before the cider apples are fully ripe and ready. This gives us a great opportunity to behave like proper Cotswold tourists and go stare at the locals in some of our favourite pubs.

The Crown & Trumpet in Broadway continues to act as our temporary 'local' during the cidermaking season, with Gwatkin Silly Ewe Cider my 'pint-of-the-usual'. The other nice thing about the Crown & Trumpet is the way it seems to attract Morris Dancers and their brightly coloured ilk from literally miles around. The mighty Morris Federation recently held their AGM at the nearby Morris Stronghold of the Fleece, Bretforton. Never ones to miss the opportunity of fine ale and cider, the massed sides of the Federation descended on Broadway to shake bells, bash staffs, and generally make getting served at the bar a bloomin' nightmare. Nice work from all the dancers on the day, and it doesn't end there. Next weekend sees Adlington Morris on their (seemingly) annual tour of the Cotswolds, and they'll be dancing at the Crown & Trumpet during the Saturday lunchtime session. Hmm! Tempting...

Another favourite of ours is The Plough in the well-appointed village of Prestbury near Cheltenham. I say well-appointed, the village is lucky to have at least two truly outstanding pubs, the Royal Oak being the one which usually draws the plaudits, and for good reason. They hold an annual Cider & Cheese festival in August, what more need I say...

The Plough is more of a village secret, tucked away as it is on a tiny back road opposite the church. A thatched and beautifully unspoilt village local which has a little of the feel of a rural ciderhouse. Real ales are stillaged behind the bar, with handpumped ciders from Westons of Much Marcle. I went for the Wye Valley HPA myself but the locals appear to prefer the ciders. There's a nice orchard beer garden for the Summer, and a real fire in the bar for when the ice and snow comes. I could easily see myself losing an afternoon in the cosy confines of The Plough, so it's really just as well I'm not allowed to!

Ciders on handpump, Beer from the cask

Time for a Swift One

In between the arduous task of harvesting a trailer load of perry pears, and the equally hard graft of milling and pressing them, I managed to find time for a mini cider crawl in the tourist hot-spot of Broadway. All work and no play as they say...

First a refreshing Cup'O'Tea, kindly supplied by the owner of the orchard we'd been bending our backs in for the last few hours. While we chatted, Johns wife dug out a few old photos of the cidermaking from back when my Voran press was still under warranty. It's good to see these old photos, which feature a spectacularly quiff'd John, his father the original cidermaker, and Ted, an old boy from the village, milling and pressing in the ciderhouse as it's always been done. It's represents a nice bit of continuity as we're now using the same press, and harvesting the same orchard as John was over 20 years ago, and his father before him. With Johns permission I'd like to reproduce a few of these on the Blog some time.

Tea refreshes up to a point, but real thirst requires something a bit stronger, so into the village for a pint of Hogans Draught Cider at the Horse & Hound, our usual lunchtime refreshment venue when working in the orchard. This pub is also handy for several top quality charity shops, so something for the ladies too.

Onwards to the smart and bustling Swan Hotel. Always busy it seems, and very popular with thirsty tourists. I retired to the patio with a pint of Aspalls Draught Cider, a great vantage point to watch the world crawl by whilst basking in what may well prove to be the last of the Summer sunshine. Beer options here include the excellent Purity Brewery Pure UBU, which is what I'll usually have when I'm not drinking cider.

My final destination was the ultra-cosy Crown & Trumpet, tucked away off the main drag and all the better for it. Popular with visitors to the village, but still a proper locals pub, and always very welcoming even when busy.

The beers are generally all from local brewers, including Cotswold Spring, Stroud, and Stanaway, but I was here for the local ciders. Hogans Draught Cider is a long standing regular, but occasionally during the Summer there's also something from Gwatkin of Herefordshire. The bottled cider and perry in the fridge were a little too sweet for my taste, but on handpump was a fresh barrel of Silly Ewe, a new-ish dry cider from Gwatkin. Properly dry, and surprisingly full-flavoured for a cider of only 4.5%.

There's much to admire in the Crown & Trumpet, not least the unusual range of traditional pub games on offer, which apparently include Evesham Quoits (otherwise known as Dobbers!), Devil among the Tailors, and the rarity shown in this picture, Ring the Bull. Perhaps not quite as sophisticated as our beloved Northants Table Skittles, but a game of some skill nonetheless. It definitely warrants a return visit in the hope of catching a competitive game in full flow. At the very least it's a chance to try more good ciders in one of our favourite Cotswold pubs.

Sidra With Tobie

Today, being a Saturday, and more importantly being the first Saturday of a long-awaited holiday week, we decided to sally-forth and indulge our foody (and drinky) passions on a day trip to upmarket Stamford. Mmm! Lovely, lovely Stamford. Home to some of the finest pubs, cafes, cheese shops and wine merchants in the land.... and a Waitrose. Yay!



Pizza!

Whenever we visit Stamford, we're inevitably drawn to the top of the town and the cosy, boozy, foody delights of the Tobie Norris pub. Top quality Pizza and fine Ufford Ales are the main draw, though the historic building itself is worthy of investigation. We like it in the Tobie (yes, we're on first name terms now). It's the perfect place to lose an afternoon, aided and abetted by the three 'P's of civilised lunchtime pubbing. A Pint, a Pizza, and a stack of the days Papers. Lovely! There are probably other pubs in Stamford, maybe even really great ones. We really wouldn't know.

As if things couldn't be bettered at the Tobie, they've only gone and increased the range of ciders on offer. There's now a Westons cider on handpump, and the rare treat of Hogans Draught, a full flavoured keg cider not often seen round these parts. I'd really better stop drooling now before I start to sound like a fan-boy...

Anyway, inspired by our friends Tania & David of Birmingham, who're always doing exciting things with food and drink and Tweeting about it to make us really envious, we decided to stock up on a picnic basket full of Epicurean delights, and have a Spanish themed evening. In front of the telly. With some French and English bits thrown in for good measure.

All praise to Waitrose for supplying the Manchego and Aged Ossau Iraty cheeses, as well as the Paleta Iberico air dried Pig meat. Other cheeses came from here and there, the star of the cheeseboard being a ridiculously runny Époisses de Bourgogne, rind washed in local Brandy for extra pungency/offensiveness. To complete the (ahem!) Spanish theme, I opened my very last bottle of Basque Sidra Natural, bought several years ago on a holiday in Bilbao. Standing manfully in the gathering dusk of the garden, I poured the precious drink in the traditional way, from a great height into our prized pair of Basque Sidra tumblers.

It was a little bit past it to be honest. Sidra like this isn't made to be kept for any great length of time, and this bottle had gone a little too far down the road of vinegariness to be entirely enjoyable. It was however thoroughly authentic, which is more than can be said for our Spanish themed evening.

Happy Tolly-Days

Happy days indeed at the Tollemache Arms in Harrington. Their annual Beer Festival week has now kicked off, and the event seems to get better every year. The beers have settled, the bunting is up, and Braybrooke Morris will be shaking their bells and bashing sticks this evening.

Other highlights include a Classic Car & Bike Rally, Beer Festival Bingo, Quiz, 4-a-side Football, and a Tug of War. The music starts on Friday with over 25 acts lined up for the weekend Music Festival.

There will of course be cider and perry available, including our own Rockingham Forest Cider & Perry, and Eve's Eastern Promise Cider from nearby Kettering.


Some of the ales, racked and waiting for a tap'n'spile