Cider Summer

While most people would cite beer if asked to name a traditional British drink, there is another wonderful traditional British beverage that is regaining popularity and enjoying a revival.

Over 2 MILLION new cider apple trees have been planted in the UK since 1995 to support this resurgence in cider drinking. Cider apples are completely unlike dessert apples – they are very tart, hard and usually small. In the traditional press method of making, the whole apples – pips, peel, stems (and occasional worms) go into the cider making process. The picked apples are left to mature for a week, then they are crushed so the juice starts to run.

Sheets of hessian are laid into the press and the apple mash (pomace) poured on. The hessian is wrapped around the apples and more layers built on top. The press is then tightened down and the apple juice can run out through the cloth. The press is undone and the apple pulp is broken up and then a second pressing takes place.

This kind of cider does not need yeasts to ferment, there are sufficient wild yeasts in the air at the time of year that cider is usually made. However in commercial processes, apple yeasts are used and the pressing process is done on a far larger scale and without the cloth in hydraulically operated processes.

Traditional cider is fermented and matured in barrels and is ready to drink in about 6 months. It is mostly flat but can have a natural fizz from the fermentation. It can be really strong, so if you aren’t used to drinking it – beware!

I live near Portsmouth in the South of England and when I first moved here in the 1970s there were still some pubs that only served cider and no beer but they gradually moved over to selling a full range of drinks. One such pub was the Florence in Southsea, but I believe that it has now closed and has been converted to flats – such a pity because the cider was wonderful and VERY alcoholic!

It is possible to buy old-fashioned pressed cider in some places in the UK. All of the western counties, that is Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall and also Hereford and Kent still produce local ciders and there is a growing industry for commercial production.

If you are visiting the UK ask what ciders you can try in any pub you go in. Most will have one or two on draught and others by the bottle. Ciders from France, Scandinavia and Ireland are also commonly available. French cider is produced by the same method as some sparkling wine – not the ‘methode champenoise’ used for champagne where the wine is finished and corked in the bottle, but in pressure tanks. Brittany and Normandy are the areas to find great cider in France and the ones that you find in local markets or advertised at the side of the road are very often the best.