Steilhead Cider

Steilhead Cider Welcome to the FB page for Steilhead Cider, makers of Scottish craft cider since 2010

Welcome to the Steilhead Cider Page, where we hope to keep the world abreast of everything happening with Scotland's newest craft cider-maker. We make naturally-fermented dry cider, in the west-country style: a full-flavoured, dry, tannin-rich cider, in the "artisan" or "craft" manner - the same way that generations of our family has done; which is to say, on a small scale and with a reliance on n

atural processes to produce a drink of high quality. We don't use any added ingredients in our cider, and we allow the wild yeasts found in our apples to ferment the juice at their own pace. All we do is to provide the finest juice we can, in the best, cleanest environment, and keep a close eye on how our little ye**ty friends are doing over the course of fermentation (which can take up to a year) before blending the different barrels to get a satisfying, balanced, deliciously flavoured cider. We use locally-sourced culinary apples for our cider, mixed with true cider varieties, many of which come from our own orchard of 60 trees here at Steilhead. We currently supplement these with cider-apples from Herefordshire, since our trees are still quite young, but every year the balance will shift towards home produced fruit. Once it is ripe, we mill the fruit and press it using a traditional pack-press, then ferment the juice in sterilised barrels, racking it occasionally as required. Sometimes we blend the juice before we ferment it, sometimes after, and sometimes we keep a particularly good batch as a "single-variety" cider. When the cider is clear and matured we either bottle it or syphon it into bag-in-boxes, and after that....well, that's up to you!

Seen atDumfries Farmers' Market on Sunday - on the left, a dog that doesn’t drink cider…If you want to be big and strong...
08/02/2025

Seen atDumfries Farmers' Market on Sunday - on the left, a dog that doesn’t drink cider…
If you want to be big and strong, drink cider! You can get some tomorrow at Moffat Farmers' Market, 10.30-2.30, where our latest batch of cider vinegar will be making its debut, and it is awesome.

01/02/2025

It’s been a hectic month of rest at Steilhead Cider culminating in our annual wassail. The audio is a bit muffled but here I am addressing our favourite tree before we adorn it with toast. Yes, toast, the good orchard fairies’ favourite snack.
First market of 2025 tomorrow at Dumfries Farmers' Market. Last minute notice, I know, but come along and see me if you can!

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas so it’s time for you to toddle down to Dumfries Railway Station on Sunday fo...
13/12/2024

It’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas so it’s time for you to toddle down to Dumfries Railway Station on Sunday for the last Dumfries Farmers' Market of 2024 to stock up on goodies before it’s too late. We have a special price on mulled cider and juice this weekend so don’t miss out on these ever-popliar products!

These rather unattractive little fellows may not have beauty on their side but to me they’re like a bucket of George Clo...
06/12/2024

These rather unattractive little fellows may not have beauty on their side but to me they’re like a bucket of George Clooneys and Sophia Lorens because they’re the very last ones to go through the press this year! Just need to wash everything down, tidy up, put the press away and sit with our feet up for a few months, tossing our heads at the winter storms while the Cider Magic happens outside.
Talking of winter storms, I don’t reckon they should start with successive letters of the bloody alphabet, they should all start with F. Due to this current one, Storm F’ing F by my system, we now won’t be going to the much-anticipated Discover Lanark Xmas pop-up market as it has moved indoors and invalidated our alcohol licence. Not the organisers’ fault, of course, it’s The System and Storm F’ing F.
Currently still planning to be at Moffat Farmers' Market on Sunday, though.

Oh, very funny, I must say! After I’ve gone to the trouble of counting all the apples some clever-clogs has snuck in and...
04/12/2024

Oh, very funny, I must say! After I’ve gone to the trouble of counting all the apples some clever-clogs has snuck in and left these in the barn. Must be another couple of hundred apples there.

These lonely little bags are the last ones of 2024, scheduled to render up their apples to the cider gods on Thursday. T...
03/12/2024

These lonely little bags are the last ones of 2024, scheduled to render up their apples to the cider gods on Thursday. That'll be 15 tonnes of apples or thereby, and by my estimation, ie counting the number of apples I have to pick up to fill a bag, then multiplying by the number of bags, that comes to a total of 307,895 apples. Plus the one that the Cider Dog ate, and the one that rolled under the driver's seat in the pick-up and went rotten. So that's 307,897 in total.

On Saturday we're returning to Lanark, this time to https://www.facebook.com/DiscoverLanark pop-up Christmas Market. The lights Switch-on market was tremendous so we're all a-tremble with excitement for this one as well.

And on Sunday it's Moffat Farmers' Market Xmas market from 10-30 - 3.00, should also be good.

The multi-talented Cider Dog has been relaxing today, no need to drive the ATV or anything while Mrs Cider and I have be...
29/11/2024

The multi-talented Cider Dog has been relaxing today, no need to drive the ATV or anything while Mrs Cider and I have been busily preparing for tomorrow’s Drumlanrig Castle & Country Estate Christmas Fair. Not only, but also for Dumfries Farmers' Market on Sunday, the first of TWO whole Dumfries Farmers' Market’s at the station this month.
I’ve asked Cider Dog if she could possibly do the hoovering while we’re at these events, especially as most of what needs hoovered up is generated by herself. She denied that, and said she’d only do the hoovering if she was allowed to sleep on our bed every night. Negotiations continue.

Managed a wee bit in the orchard recently.  The guards we put round the trees are beginning to collapse, and they are a ...
27/11/2024

Managed a wee bit in the orchard recently. The guards we put round the trees are beginning to collapse, and they are a bu**er when the apples fall inside them as well. Plus, they're a great home for nettles and voles, so this winter's project is to delete most of them and just wrap the trees in a bit of sheep-netting for protection from, er, sheep. Pic is a before-and-after job. All the rotten stops and so on can go on the wassail bonfire!

This weekend we'll be at Dumfries Farmers' Market on Sunday, with hot mulled apple juice as a seasonal treat, and we'll also be at Drumlanrig Castle & Country Estate Christmas Fair as well on Saturday and Sunday too. It's Christmas-time again. Yippee.

Bert stopped us going to Kirkcudbright Farmers' Market but we had plenty to do at home. Super-sharp wee yellow beauties ...
25/11/2024

Bert stopped us going to Kirkcudbright Farmers' Market but we had plenty to do at home. Super-sharp wee yellow beauties from a local hedge-row. The juice has all gone into one barrel and I’ll keep it as a single variety cider but I suspect it will be eye-shrivellingly sharp.

This weekend we’re at two events - Moffat Farmers' Market on Sunday, outside the town hall as usual but a week later tha...
15/11/2024

This weekend we’re at two events - Moffat Farmers' Market on Sunday, outside the town hall as usual but a week later than usual, and Lanark Christmas Lights Switch-on on Saturday. This looks like a great event (first attendance from us) and well worth a visit. It’s all day, from 10-5.30.

This rather unprepossessing bundle of rubbish was discovered today on the branch of one of the trees in our cider orchar...
08/11/2024

This rather unprepossessing bundle of rubbish was discovered today on the branch of one of the trees in our cider orchard. It's the remains of the first bird's nest I've found in any of the trees over there, and is a real reason for rejoicing. The trees are getting big enough to offer the songbirds enough cover to feel confident of nesting in them, and the more of them that do so, the more bugs and caterpillars will be destroyed - hurrah! The nest-boxes I put up a few years ago have been regularly used already; the d***s harbour wagtails and other species' nests, and the old, senescent bash tree has a few natural nesting holes in it but this is the first nest in an actual apple tree. Very nice. Maybe a chaffinch or a goldfinch, perhaps.
No market this weekend, just more pressing and apple-collecting...

02/11/2024

It’s taken three years but I’ve finally got the Cider-dog to drive the ATV safely. Here she is taking the last of the Sweet Alfords and Golden Bittersweets to the cider barn for me. Unfortunately, I can’t leave her to gather the apples on her own as she has trouble tying the sacks, what with having no thumbs, so I have to do that for her. But she’s still a great help. Next year, I’m hoping she’ll be able to run our stall at Dumfries Farmers' Market so that Mrs Cider and I can enjoy a leisurely Sunday morning occasionally.
It’s Dumfries Farmers' Market tomorrow, don’t forget.

30/10/2024

We have some very odd people helping at Steilhead Cider sometimes. I don’t know what’s wrong with them but I suppose they do help a bit. I try not to talk to them too much, tbh.
But I’m looking forward to Sunday’s Dumfries Farmers' Market - over 30 stalls, including cheese, fresh fish and fresh coffee all at the same market on the same day! Get out of town!
We’ll be there, of course, and we’ll have our beloved MULLED CIDER and MULLED JUICE back on sale as it’s the run-up to Ch******s again.
First person not in the video to come up with the hidden movie reference in the above drivel gets a free apple.

Another venerable old tree gives up its apples for the benefit of Scotland’s cider lovers. This one must be a fair age b...
29/10/2024

Another venerable old tree gives up its apples for the benefit of Scotland’s cider lovers. This one must be a fair age but it’s developing a bit of a lean to the right now. She’s an easy variety to identify - all the features point to Unknown Cooker, our most common type of apple.

Oooooo Yes!  It's back!  Our world-famous Mulled Cider is making its annual reappearance tomorrow at Kirkcudbright Farme...
26/10/2024

Oooooo Yes! It's back! Our world-famous Mulled Cider is making its annual reappearance tomorrow at Kirkcudbright Farmers' Market. I mulled some this afternoon and In have to say that it's delicious, as always, and we'll make sure it's available into the new year - perfect for warming the parts other ciders can't reach!

21/10/2024

And soooo another day of cider-making starts. A shame it’s so dry, though - yesterday was perfect.

Mrs Cider knackered after a busy but really enjoyable day with our Cider Day visitors. Dog less knackered after a day in...
20/10/2024

Mrs Cider knackered after a busy but really enjoyable day with our Cider Day visitors. Dog less knackered after a day indoors.

Weather forecast looks a bit better now! Quite blustery but ok otherwise. Looking forward to our Cider Day tomorrow, the...
19/10/2024

Weather forecast looks a bit better now! Quite blustery but ok otherwise. Looking forward to our Cider Day tomorrow, the soup’s made, bread made, cake baked, ciders all set out, cider barn prepared, the yard has been rubbed down and all the mud polished until you could see your face in it. It’s going to be great fun!🤩

Address

1, Steilhead Cottages, Auldgirth
Dumfries
DG20TN

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