We are a local family from Parbrook, over the hill from the Glastonbury Festival site. The garden we inherited was an old orchard in poor repair containing mainly cider apples trees. We only thought about making our own cider after a well known local cider producer did not turn up to pick up our apples!! We gave the orchard a bit of attention, and planted 19 new cider apple trees of various sor
ts - Yarlington Mill, Somerset Redstreak, Harry Masters, Dabinett. These have just started producing a nice crop and will only improve. We hand pick the apples on hands and knees over a few weeks once the majority have fallen. More stubborn ones are vigorously shaken down using a ladder and a helmet a day or so before press day. Then on one carefully selected day (notably when we can command most help from friends neighbours and family) we press the apples on our antique twin-screw press. For the first few years, we added cider yeast to the barrels. But for the past couple of years, we have just relied on the natural yeasts which can be found on all apples to set off the fermentation. At no stage is sulphite added. Also, we don’t pasteurise the cider. We find that this non-invasive method of cider making leaves the finished product with a clean mouthfeel, as opposed to a ubiquitos commercial cider taste. This method can be quite risky, in that we rely on the natural yeasts and bacteria to ferment the juice into cider. Many commercial cider makers can’t afford to take a risk on any unstable natural yeasts spoiling large batches of cider. They will add sulphite as a matter of course to kill off the natural yeasts and bacteria, then introduce a cultured yeast. Because we are a tiny outfit with apples from our own known sources, and producing small batches, the risk is less. Non pasteurising also means that there is still yeast present in the bottled cider. This is how we achieve the delicate effervescence
present - from a secondary fermentation which happens after bottling. This comes about by the presence of a particular bacteria and can also round off the acidity of the cider and develop a smoother, rounder taste with wider appeal. People who are allergic to sulphites can drink our cider safely. People who just don’t want to drink them, can rest assured that they can be drinking a truly ‘craft’ cider made in small batches by hand. No other chemicals are used to settle, preserve or influence the taste of the finished product. It is one of the purest ciders you will taste. Last year there were 4 generations of our family getting their hands dirty! Why call it Limited Edition?
…Because we only press about 800 litres on one day in the year. It seems like an ocean of cider when you are picking, milling, pressing, manhandling barrels and finally bottling it…all by hand! It is a bit too much to drink by ourselves – so, we decided to see if we could sell some to spread the love! So, when it’s gone, it’s gone… until the next year’s stash has matured in its bottles that is. This takes at least another 6 months. What does it taste like? After pressing, the juice ferments in the barrels for about 5 months. During this time it will be siphoned off once, into a clean barrel, leaving most of the sediment behind. Once the cider has been created and all the natural sugars have turned into alcohol, then it is bottled by hand. Each bottle can have its own unique style because of the absence of added sulphites and the reliance on natural yeasts and bacteria. We add the equivalent of about a teaspoon of sugar to each bottle at bottling time to facilitate a secondary fermentation whilst the cider matures in the bottle. The effect can be a delicate champagne-like fizz and it is at its best served icy cold! Is it VEGAN friendly? It is unfiltered and any sugar used is also suitable for vegans. How to store it? It is bottled in clear glass 750 ml screw top bottles. It should be stored in the fridge, or in a cool dark place and drunk within a week of opening. Replace the lid securely if not finishing the bottle on the same day. It is unfiltered, therefore has some settling of sediment and yeast particles. According to the experts, this is an extra source of vitamin B! Despite not sulphiting, we have only ever had a couple of bottles which have been disappointing. We are certainly no experts, but follow the basic rules from expert’s books. It has kept us and friends and family in cider for the past 7 years! Is it ORGANIC? Not officially…. however, we don’t use sprays or fertilisers. You decide! Cyder, hand made locally. One day, one press, one product. Limited Edition - Unlimited Joy! Instagram:
Facebook: Letchford’s Cyder
