World Cider Day - Producers you can try from Worcestershire

Worcestershire is home to more than a dozen cider producers, each making the most of the quality fruit produced in the area.

Among them is Pershore Press, which uses fruit hand-selected from Pershore College’s Avonbank Orchard.

Development manager Richard Toft said: “Worcestershire has a long history and heritage of making cider and perry.

“Traditionally styles have varied across the country with different types of fruit grown – for example the west of the county has a legacy of bittersweet/bittersharp varieties, more typical of our Herefordshire neighbours.

“Perry was widely grown in the area to the East of Worcester, before the Vale of Evesham, in villages like Crowle and Peopleton.

“The Vale of Evesham was famous for growing dessert fruit, and as such that reflects in the cider produced. This means they are lighter, crisper, fresher drinks that hose containing the tannins of bitter products.”

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Pershore Press ciders (Image: Pershore Press)

He added: “At Pershore Press we make cider of all these styles and we use the same techniques typical of making white wines to make consistently excellent products. We only ferment using freshly pressed fruit juice, never imported concentrate.

“Being in the Vale of Evesham has always influenced how we produce our cider.”

World Cider Day was launched by the members of the Association of Apple Wine and Fruit Juice Press Houses as a way of celebrating all types of cider, not just apple.

It takes place on June 3 each year, to mark the start of the cider season.

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Fletchers' range of ciders (Image: Fletchers)

Also producing cider in Worcestershire is David France of Fletchers Cider, based just outside Callow Hill.

Much like at Pershore Press, a lot of work goes into ensuring the cider they produce is the best it can be.

Mr France said: “We leave the juice to ferment slowly for up to six months. Then we taste and blend the cider and leave it to mature.

“When we’re happy the cider is ready it’s filtered, pasteurized and bottled to produce a clear, bright and smooth cider.

“We keep close control over every stage of the process, doing all that we can ourselves and using local suppliers. Even packaging and labelling is done by us by hand.

“We only produce small volumes of our ciders, typically around 1000 bottles of each variety per year. Once it's gone, it's gone for another year.”

David France of Fletchers Cider (Image: Fletchers)

Worcestershire cider makers 

• Fletchers Cider 
• Wayside Farm Shop 
• Pearsons Cider 
• FruitFields Cider 
• Peopleton Press 
• Ellenden Farm Shop 
• Broomfields Farm Shop 
• Bells Farm Shop 
• The Fleece @ Bretforton 
• Lenches Cider 
• Clives Fruit Farm 
• Barkers 
• Akiki Organics 
• Barbourne
• Commonwood Farm
• Naked Orchards
• Tardebigge Cider
• Oldfields Cider
• IVOR