Alan Dearling visits a new cider company making an original range of ciders and more in the English-Scottish borderlands
I’ve known Phil Elliott for well over a decade since his Peel Walls’ cider-making days outside the village of Ayton in Berwickshire. He’s a larger than life character. He looks the part of an artisan scrumpy farmer, or, a butcher, brewer or baker, come to think of it. I think he’s actually worked in all those professions.
He’s now a year into commercial cider-making under the
Monkey House Cider moniker, working from adapted, and totally legal, premises at the rear of his home in Berwick-upon-Tweed. It’s an impressive craft set up. I arrived late morning and soon rolled up my sleeves and joined his team of Bill, John and Joe – and became a part of the Cider ‘A’ Team. I’m not called ‘Cider Alan’ for nothing!
Caroline says generally, the tarter the apple the tastier the cider so the varieties they grow are unlikely to end up in a fruit bowl. Most of them are pretty ghastly to eat, but they have beautiful names like Broxwood Foxwhelp, Kingston Black, Tom Putt and Sweet Alford.
Kingston Black cider apples
Photo: RNZ / Cosmo Kentish-Barnes
The Peckhams have just released a single variety cider from the Broxwood Foxwhelp apple which, historically, was highly sought after by cider aficionados. In the 18th century a barrel of Foxwhelp cider was as valuable as a barrel of fine French wine, Caroline says.
A DEVELOPMENT of new council homes has been completed behind schedule due to a number of delays. The scheme in Laxton Road, Taunton, includes eight one-bed flats in two three-storey blocks built on the site of disused garages. Building, which started in November 2019, was due for completion last autumn but was delayed by a number of challenges , including the discovery of a service pipe and the Covid pandemic. Work was halted for six weeks following the onset of the coronavirus and contractors Classic Builders was forced to implement new safe working practices and extended working hours. The completed flats in Laxton Road
A fresh crop of Pacific Northwest ciders are announced for the second quarter of the NW Cider Club. This online cider subscription club, presented by Northwest Cider Association, launched in October and first shipped in December. For Spring 2021, NW Cider Club offerings include: Discover Washington Box, featuring a mixed-6 cider selection and a new Elevated Box, featuring four-750ml (wine sized), celebration-worthy bottles. Each quarter, a themed and thoughtfully curated selection of NW ciders are hand-picked by industry experts, with a focus on quality and variety. NW Cider Club brings a taste of the people, passion and place behind the craft, delivering NW cider to enthusiasts at home, across the country. Join by 2/10 to receive your March shipment!
WHILE the country remains in lockdown, one Somerset pub has found a way to banish bad spirits and encourage a bumper fruit crop. The Lion, at West Pennard near Glastonbury, broadcast a socially distanced wassail on its Youtube channel on Sunday (January 17), on what many traditionalists recognise as twelfth night, before the introduction of the Gregorian calendar. The wassail ritual has been performed for centuries, and usually sees drummers and singers parading to fruit orchards in an attempt to drive away bad spirits, and look forward to a good new year and a bumper fruit crop. But, like many other events across the country, many of this year’s wassail festivities have been cancelled.