‘Lost Apple’ Cider Triumph
In May we swept the board at The West Country Cider Championships, with ciders we had created from long-forgotten apple varieties, discovered whilst working with the University of Bristol to uncover and preserve lost cider apple cultivars. We are still reeling from the excitement of winning seven out of a possible nine medals, Reserve Champion and Supreme Champion at the UK’s oldest cider competition, which is held as part of the Devon County Show.
These medals are real recognition for our efforts to find and rescue the very best apples that make the most delicious cider. There has been tragic and generational loss of orchards in the West of England, with glorious varieties quietly vanishing from the landscape, and with them the recipes of centuries of cider makers. These award-winning ciders are the most fabulous evidence of what can be done if we make the effort to understand the huge diversity of fruit we have at our fingertips.
We have been buoyed by the overwhelming response to these ‘lost apple’ ciders. It confirms that we need to act now to preserve our cider heritage for future generations. There is plenty more work to be done but we are clearly on the right track and we are very excited about the revelations to come. Our research will continue throughout the summer and we will keep you posted on our findings.
Franklins Night
On Saturday 18th May we celebrated Franklin’s Night at the Cider Works with live music, food and plenty of cider. Franklin’s Night is based on an old folklore that pitted Franklin, a cider maker, against the devil himself, to prevent a late frost ruining the apple crop. We had a brilliant night which included a reenactment, by the Mummers, of the fight between the devil and the cider maker. You’ll be pleased to hear the cider maker won so we can look forward to a bountiful harvest this year!
The Best of Devon & Cornwall
We are delighted to have collaborated with the oldest Cornish Pasty maker in the world, Warrens Bakery, to create a new Pork & Devon Red Cider Pasty, made with our award-winning cider. It really is a collaboration of the best of the South West! This new pasty is made with a delicious hand crimped, flaky pastry case, complete with a sage and rusk topping and is packed full of juicy pork, apple, potato and onion, all enhanced with a generous helping of Devon Red cider. It is available now in all 39 Warrens Bakery stores, so pop in and pick one up. We recommend washing it down with a bottle of Sandford Orchards’ cider!.
Summer at Sandford Orchards
There is a real buzz around Sandford Orchards in the summer. The orchards look lovely, as tiny apples start to appear and grow and, now that cider season is officially here, we are working flat out at the Cider Works, blending, kegging and bottling all of your favourite ciders to make sure everyone is fully stocked. Of course, there is much talk about the weather! We are all praying for plenty of sunshine, to help our apples grow and ripen and to provide those perfect al fresco cider drinking opportunities, because our cider tastes even better in the sun!
Devon Mist in a Can
Devon Mist is our medium, hazy session cider. It is gently sparkling, unfiltered for extra flavour and texture and bursting with the taste of ripe, heritage West Country cider apples. This summer we are going to be launching it in 440ml cans. The new cans, sold in packs of four, will be perfect for parties, festivals and al fresco drinking and we think the new canned Devon Mist will prove to be a big hit.
