Unique cider wins top honours at Bath and West

Cider produced at 'what is possibly the most sacred apple orchard in Christendom' has won the Supreme Champion cider competition at this year's Royal Bath and West Show.

Made within the walls of the ancient Glastonbury Abbey only 3000 bottles have been produced but the medium dry cider beat more than 400 other ciders to take the coveted title at what is thought to be the world's largest cider competition. One of the judges this year was Tom Parker Bowles and the Cup, presented by the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, was handed over by former Minister, Lord King, himself a cidermaker.

Winners of the other awards were:

Weston Cup for Best Organic: Sheppey & Son

ESS Cup Best Perry: Lizzie Heck

Vigo Cup Best Apple Juice: Bridge Farm Cider

Common Ground Best Community Orchard: Dorset Nectar

Another award made on the same day was that of The Coopers Trophy. This is presented each year to an individual who has demonstrated an exceptional degree of craftsmanship in any aspect of the Cider Industry associated with apples or perry pears, cider or perry making, storage, promotion and cultivation, be it technical, artistic or cultural.

This year the award was presented to someone who is well known in the craft cider fraternity for his passionate interest in vintage cider making equipment.

Albert Rixen has over the last twenty years enthusiastically demonstrated his various presses, scratters and apple harvesting machines at agricultural shows in the cider making counties.  He is a lifelong restorer of historic cider machinery.

As a native of Gloucestershire, Albert grew up at a time when cider was still being made on the local farms. With manufacturers such as Workman in Slimbridge and Lister at Dursley he spent his childhood surrounded by agricultural machinery. Instinctively he felt that cider presses, mills and steam engines were important elements of our West Country heritage. He became a determined campaigner for their preservation focusing his attention on the cleverly engineered machines, that were once made by the Workman company.

He has tracked down and obtained many Workman products over the years. However his pride and joy is a Workman dual bed, sliding head press.

Albert went on to develop a public cider-making event that was based on a full steam powered demonstration of a Workman Trailer mounted cider machine that he had restored.  Barry Topp of New Forest Cider, agreed to host this event over a whole weekend in mid October.  The New Forest Steam Cider Weekend is now in its seventh year.  The emphasis of this demonstration is still a “hands on” experience with the apples milled and pressed with various antique machines.

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