WORLD RUNNER

KEVIN CARR:

I never reach
my limit

OLYMPIC CHAMPION
MARY KING:

Best part of going away is

coming back to Devon

BBC SPOTLIGHTS
VICTORIA & JUSTIN:

Its great to be back

together on screen

September
October 2015 | devonlife.co.uk
REVE ALE D

TIME FOR A TIPPLE

Royal William
Yard
revealed
Barnstaple
Fairs
history
24 hours
of fun
in the city
War
Horses
Origins
An amazing
Terrific
Greataquarium
Torrington
Living the Huts
lido life
Shepherd
on sale
Veronica Henrys tips

>>Guide to Devon ciders

>>Make your own sloe gin

COASTAL
PHOTOGRAPHY:
TOP TIPS

+ See YOUR
work in print

Opera
Devon

Class acts coming

to the county

SPECIAL IN

SIDMOUTH

RE

>>Science Festival comes to town >>A Royal stained glass window

>>Regency grandeur by the coast >>WIN a hotel break

VE
AL
ED
:

3.80

DEVON LIFE October 2015

D E VON
CIDERS
Never mind fine wine, this
autumn its all about fine
ciders says SOPHIE SWEATMAN

P U B Q U I Z C I D E R FA C T S
Proud French wine producers today
might be surprised to find that cider replaced wine in Paris after vineyards were
destroyed by disease in 1900.
Real Devon ciders made today are made
from 100% juice from apples picked
nearby; organic in all but name and have
a low carbon footprint.
While cider and beer are in the same
price and alcohol percentage ranges, real
Devon ciders are fermented with their
own yeasts and often named after the
orchards they come from.
A cider producer can sell up to 7,000
litres before they start paying duty.

204

As ninety percent of pubs are owned by

breweries, many widely available ciders
are factory-made from apple concentrate
(sometimes from as far away as China),
in order to meet distributors volume
requirements.
Apples are one of the first fruits to have
appeared millions of years ago
Devon is known for cider apple varieties
such as Fair Maid of Devon, Slap Ma Girdle,
Browns Apple and Hangy Down.
In the 1700s, Devon vicar Tom Putt
created his own cider apple variety, which
is still cultivated today.

DEVON LIFE October 2015

Food & Drink

FRUIT
CIDERS

Artisan ciders give a traditional tipple a modern twist

The most famous cider

made from fruit other than
apples is perry, made from
pears grown in conditions
where cider apples do not
thrive, particularly in
Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and
Monmouthshire.
While English perry is
dry and still, Normandy
Perry, called Poir, is sweet,
sparkling and fermented in
the bottle. Babysham is the
most known, mass-produced commercial brand of
Perry, although traditionally made real Perry is
making a comeback alongside real cider.
Like wine, cider is made
from pressed fruit and producers have crafted a
variety of different flavours.
While perry is made entirely from pears, fruit ciders
by Annings are made with
real fruit extract blended
with a cider apple base.
Annings produce Strawberry and Lyme, Elderflower and cucumber,
crushed mixed berries as
well as infused perries with
mint and peach.
Hunts Cider produce a
strawberry cider and have
added blackcurrant to their
roster this year.
Elderflower cider is
growing in popularity and
is produced by Norcotts of
Honiton, who also make a
cranberry and raspberry
with orange. Blackberry
cider can be made at home
from freshly picked wild
blackberries. Ashridge
Cider of Staverton, Devon,
recently added blackberries
to their cider recipe to make
sparkling and still bush.

Cider has gone all ladylike

with sparkling ciders a
popular choice

DEVON LIFE October 2015

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