Summer News

New Look Katja

Perfectly timed for summer, we have just relaunched our English sparkling cider, Katja, in a convenient new 500ml bottle. A crisp, modern, single-varietal sparkling cider, Katja offers a sophisticated and easy-drinking alternative to English sparkling wine. With delicate, orchard-fresh notes of strawberry and pear, leading to subtle, complex layers of melon and honeysuckle, this is a wonderfully easy-drinking and crisp cider that finishes with a clean, bright citrus note. Crafted from the early-season Katy dessert apple, Katja is pressed and cold fermented with a white wine yeast that enhances the apple’s fresh and fragrant characteristics. This careful process produces an elegant, light and fruit-forward cider that translates the eating qualities of the Katy apple into a refined, sparkling cider. It is the perfect British bubbly for any occasion and at only 6.8% ABV it is around half the strength of a glass of champagne.

We Hosted the BBC at The Cider Works

On Tuesday 23rd June, we were thrilled to host a recording of BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet. There was much excitement in the weeks preceding the event as we worked hard to transform our tap room with a new kitchen area and designated space cleared for a stage. On the day, we threw open the doors at 4pm so that the audience of around 200 people could enjoy a tasty burger, cooked up by our friends from Darts Farm and, of course, some cold cider while they waited. At 6pm food critic and chair of the panel, Jay Rayner was joined by a host of food experts who took questions from the audience and led some lively conversations. It was fascinating to see behind the scenes of a radio production! It was all very slick and within an hour the very entertaining recording was finished. The key topics were molasses and crayfish but to find out any more about what made the cut for the 30 minute show, you will have to tune into Radio 4 on 18th July.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Sandford Orchards’ founder, Barny Butterfield, is not the sort of person who likes to grab the limelight but we are very proud that he has just been presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to the Cider Industry at the British Cider Championships, hosted by The Royal Bath & West Show. The award was given to Barny for his tireless efforts to secure the future of authentic cider making for generations to come. James Crowden, author and judge at The Royal Bath & West, explained that Barny has, over many years, given sterling services to the cider industry. The award recognises not only Barny’s work at Sandford Orchards, but also his wider contribution to the cider industry: from mentoring emerging producers, to collaborating openly with fellow makers and helping drive forward projects such as the DNA work with the University of Bristol to identify and preserve lost apple varieties. Barny considers himself to be part of a chain of cider makers stretching back hundreds of years. He admits that he could not do what he does today without the incredible orchards, knowledge and techniques handed down by previous generations and he is keen to pass this on to future cidermakers.

Red Zero Wins Another World Award

We are delighted to announce that Red Zero has won another prestigious award. It has just scooped the Best Non-Alcoholic Cider Trophy at the World Alcohol-Free Awards, following on from winning Gold at these awards earlier this year. This cements its world-class status having already won Best Non-Alcoholic Cider at the World Cider Awards 2025 as well as a host of other accolades including awards from Untapped Gold 2026, Great British Food Awards, Great Taste Awards and The International Cider Challenge. The judges described Red Zero as ‘outstanding’, ‘complex, authentic and multi-layered’ and ‘a brilliant expression of cider without the alcohol’. Red Zero (ABV <0.5%) is an utterly delicious, crisp and fruity non-alcoholic cider produced from the fresh juice of traditional English cider apple varieties, all grown and pressed in Devon. Created using a combination of traditional cider methods and cutting edge technology, it is a real fermented drink with the alcohol extracted.