Autumn News 2024

New Red Zero

In September, we launched Red Zero (ABV 0.5%), a refreshing non-alcoholic version of our award-winning Devon Red. As you know, we like to do things properly at Sandford Orchards. We knew we weren’t prepared to make a dressed up soft-drink – which sadly many zero products are. Our new Red Zero is a real fermented drink with the alcohol filter extracted at 2 degrees. This is not a cheap way to make it, but for quality, it’s on another level and our customers seem to agree. ‘It’s incredible! I have never known an alcohol free cider to taste like the real deal until now!’ The Brendon Arms, Bude, Devon.

Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels

On 5th November, we will once again be sponsoring the Tar Barrels of Ottery St Mary. This is a fabulous part of Devon folklore that dates back hundreds of years. It is a Westcountry tradition to roll tar barrels through the streets on November 5th but Ottery St Mary is the only place in the country where they carry flaming barrels on their shoulders! We are thrilled to be supporting this event. You’ll find our ciders at venues throughout Ottery St Mary. Come along and be part of a true Devon spectacle!

Tap Room Now Open

We’re thrilled to have opened up the doors to our Cider Works in Crediton, once again. The tap room bar is now open every Friday and Saturday from 4pm until 11pm. We have a fully licensed bar serving beer, wine, soft drinks and ALL of our ciders. Delicious stone baked pizzas are also available to eat in or take away, until sold out (last orders for pizza at 9pm). Come and join us and soak up the atmosphere of the oldest working cider mill in the UK.

Harvest Time

It’s harvest time at the mill and it’s our busiest and favourite time of the year. Everyone is flat out and the air is full of the smell of delicious apple juice. We only press British apples, fresh from the trees, mostly grown within a stone’s throw of the cider works. So the harvest is concentrated into a few weeks in the autumn. The apples that arrive at the mill need to be of the highest quality and we have watched and waited all year, hoping for a bumper crop. We harvest, we mill and we press all within hours, acting quickly to ensure the juice is ready to go. We have tonnes of apples delivered daily and it can mean long hours and a lot of hard work but it is extremely satisfying to see the apples starting their journey to becoming fabulous cider.

Mulled cider

As we head into the cooler months, have you thought about adding mulled cider to your offering? Perfect for special events such as bonfire night, halloween and Christmas, mulled cider is a comforting and warming option for the autumn and winter months. Our top tips for the perfect mulled cider are: don’t cook it for too long, never heat past the serving temperature and be as gentle as possible during the cooking process. If you’re looking for a recipe you can find one here.