September 2024: Featherstone makes his debut
Featherstone the Gypsy Cob arrived at Fair Oak Farm when he was five months old. Now he’s working the cider mill.
He has been nurtured and trained at Fair Oak by Vika Engel, who taught him to drive. And this autumn, at the start of the cider season, he has been tutored in the mill by Wendy and John Lloyd of Llanigon, who own the two horses who have worked the Fair Oak mill for the past ten years, Pye and Tommy.
‘Feathers’ has grown up to be a calm, good-natured horse. We were a bit concerned that he might grow too broad for the mill, as it’s such a narrow space, But in fact he’s just the right size. His ears just fit under the beams.
We had one or two trial runs so that he could get used to the set-up, and the crunching noise of the apples.
So we were thrilled when Featherstone actually milled a batch of apples, and made his first half-barrel of cider. Guiding him in the mill was our friend David Wilkins, also known as Red, who is also new to the process.
We can now confirm the dates of this year’s Open Weekend, when visitors will be able to watch Featherstone at work: Saturday and Sunday, October 26 and 27, from 11 till 4, at Fair Oak Farm, Bacton, HR2 0AT.
2024: our tenth anniversary of horse-powered cider making
In May, celebrating our tenth anniversary, we held an open weekend – part of the National Mills Weekend. In brilliant sunshine, visitors were able to taste and buy some of this season’s new ciders, as well as enjoying a Thai buffet provided by Sunanta Garlick, and rides on an antique dray provided by Vika and Featherstone, the young Gypsy Cob who is our apprentice mill horse.
2023: a new variety
In 2023 we introduced a new variety: Barrel-Aged Cider. After fermenting over winter in the cider house, this medium dry cider has been matured in an oak barrel, taking on a bright golden colour, a full fruit aroma, and a lasting rounded softness.
We recommend serving it chilled, with fish, chicken or pork. Like all our ciders it is gluten-free, and suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Reasons to be cheerful: December 2022
Tommy the Gypsy Cob from Llanigon, and other members of the Fair Oak Cider team, have several reasons to look pleased with themselves this month.
Tommy has just milled the last load of a record harvest of cider apples; so we’ve made more cider than ever this year. It’s all now bubbling away nicely in the cider house.
We’ve also belatedly heard the news that Fair Oak’s Medium still cider beat all (but one) of the competition at CAMRA’s Beer on the Wye festival in July this year.
Mark Haslam of CAMRA apologised for the news having travelled so slowly: but it finally came to light when CAMRA’s magazine, the Hereford Hopvine, reappeared this month after two years’ absence.
More than 130 cider and perry makers took part in the festival; and Fair Oak came second in the cider category to Gwatkins of Abbey Dore.
Another reason why this year’s cider making has been special at Fair Oak is that several Ukrainian families who are staying nearby have joined in to help.
Vitalii Levytskyi, from Odessa, who is living in Longtown with his wife and three young children, said he wanted to learn all about making cider, and has helped out with the whole process from harvesting to pressing. He said, ‘The Fair Oak cider makers have made me very welcome. And my family liked watching the horse working the mill.’
Open Weekend and Schools Open Day, 2021
After two years of being disrupted by floods and Covid, both of these events went off brilliantly. Three local schools sent groups of pupils to watch Tommy working the mill; and the children, as well as teachers and parents, were fascinated. The cidermakers, Neville Fleet and Ed Budd, were able to explain the process while at the same time working the old press; and the children were able to have a go too.
On the same day we had visits from BBC Hereford and Worcester, as well as Midlands Today; and so their broadcasts helped to swell the number of visitors for the open weekend that followed.
We sold a lot of cider, made new friends, and raised £160 for the Laurie Engel Fund for Teenage Cancer Trust.
Tommy was a star, and seemed quite unfazed by being the centre of so much attention. His owners, Wendy and John Lloyd, working alongside him in the mill, were very proud.
July 2021
At the annual Big Apple Cider and Perry Trials held at Putley, near Ledbury, in July, Fair Oak came fifth in the Dry Cider category. The event was run on a smaller scale than in normal years; but nevertheless the four producers above us on the list were all from elsewhere in the country, so we consider this to be a serious accolade.
August 2021: A new variety: Whisky Barrel Cider
As an experiment this spring we decided to start maturing some of our medium-dry 2020 cider in an oak whisky barrel. The result is a treat: the cider has taken on a smooth, creamy hint of whisky in addition to the traditional fresh, appley Fair Oak flavour.
It is on sale through our regular customers in 75 cl bottles.
December 2020 A new product: Cider Brandy
We are very excited to be launching Fair Oak Cider Brandy.
The challenge of 2020 has turned into an opportunity. Without the usual summer shows, tastings and open days, like many small producers we were selling less cider this year than normal. But then came an appeal from Mike Hardingham, at the Ludlow Distillery, to turn some of last year’s cider into brandy.
We took a thousand litres from the Golden Valley up to the heights of Shropshire’s Brown Clee Hill, where Mike has his wood-fired still, surrounded by his own vineyards. Above a roaring log fire, the cider was heated in copper and stainless steel chambers and magically transformed into pure alcohol. Then it was poured into oak casks and left to mature.
Gradually the brandy has taken on some of the golden colour of the oak tannin, while still keeping its appley flavour. It has now been bottled as a 40% abv ‘fruit spirit’: a warming cider brandy that we are calling (slightly tongue in cheek) ‘Herefordshire’s answer to Calvados’.
We’re delighted to have been able to combine the 17th-century technology of our mill and Mike’s 21st-century expertise, with such a delicious result.
New bottling room and shop
In spring 2020 we created a bright, spacious new bottling room and shop in the barn above the cider mill. The massive oak baulk that holds the top of the press is a focal point.
The premises are licensed, and customers are welcome to make an appointment to come and (at a safe distance) taste and buy cider here.
October 2019
Fair Oak Cider was chosen as one of four finalists in the Best Cider Producer category of the Hereford Times Food and Drink Awards.
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