Cider and Perry News

New CAMRA Good Cider Guide

The latest edition of CAMRA’S Good Cider Guide has now hit the bookshelves. Surveyed by CAMRA volunteers, and featuring over 550 outlets for real cider and perry throughout the UK. The extensive listing of producers will help those who love to visit and sample real cider and perry direct from the farm gate, and there are also a number of interesting features by respected cider luminaries on subjects such as the resurgence of Welsh cider making, and a French capital of traditional Perry craft. The guide is priced at £10.99 (£8.99 CAMRA members) and can be ordered direct from the national CAMRA website.

Wetherspoon get serious about Cider

J D Wetherspoons have got themselves firmly behind the cause of good cider and perry by permanently adding a range of draught and bottled ciders to their listings. Draught Westons Old Rosie and Organic Vintage are now available and served cool and fresh from Westons innovative bag-in-box. A recent survey revealed that at least one of these ciders is available in every one of the Leicestershire Wetherspoon’s. In addition there is bottled Sheppy’s Oakwood Draught, and a perry, albeit carbonated, from Thatchers. As if this wasn’t enough the recent Wetherspoons Autumn Beer Festival featured a high quality bottled cider from Brittany.

Bottled Fruit

In common with the vast majority of ciders available in pubs, the bulk of bottled cider on sale in supermarkets is of the heavily fizzed-up keg variety, about as far from a quality, pure apple juice cider as it’s possible to get. There are however, one or two alternatives worth trying, look out for bottles from Aspall’s, Frome Valley, Thatchers, Sheppy’s and Westons for something better than average. Perhaps the pick of the bunch is the recently launched Tillington Hills cider from the Co-op, an off-dry, full flavoured cider, made from traditional cider varieties grown on the Co-op’s own fruit farm in Herefordshire. The cider is filtered and very slightly carbonated, but not pasteurised, which means it has a much fresher flavour than most bottled ciders. I’ve found Tillington Hills in co-op stores in Broughton Astley and Glenfield, ask your local co-op and they may be able to get some in.

Local Cider to Take Home

Another bottled cider worth tracking down is Roundhead English Cider (6.5%) from the Welland Valley Vineyard in Marston Trussell. A draught version of this cider has featured at the Leicester Beer Festival and proved very popular. The bottled version is filtered and pasteurised, but as our only home-produced cider, it’s certainly worth a try. Roundhead English Cider is available at Farndon Fields Farm Shop, Farndon Road, Market Harborough.

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This page last updated: April 15, 2011

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