LOVE LOCAL
Local libations
Celebrating the very best of the South West drinks scene
T
he South West is home to a huge number and variety of drinks producers: everything from cider to coffee, ales to apple juice, and liqueurs to lemonade.
Basically, we’re spoilt for choice, with both smaller independent companies and larger, more commercial brands all looking to quench our thirst with their new and exciting creations. But why are they so successful? It’s a
combination of many things: a passion for what they do, an inventiveness that sees new products being launched all the time, and a wealth of locally grown ingredients that can be blended, infused, juiced and brewed to produce some seriously good refreshments. Te team at Taste of the West see hundreds,
if not thousands of local drinks producers parade their products in front of them each year, in the hope of winning an award. We asked John Sheaves, Taste of the West’s Chief Executive, to tell us more about why he loves the South West’s drinks scene. Business confidence has grown significantly
in the West Country, none more so than in our food and drink manufacturing sector and especially amongst our drink producers. We have always had a strong showing of apple juices from our orchards, along with the ciders, of course, but a diverse range of products are the key these days and at Taste of the West we underpin this with our own three values – Quality, Integrity and Provenance. With this in mind, there is now an
extraordinary range of products on offer from our region, such as beautiful wines which regularly scoop awards on the world stage, particularly our sparkling whites. But now we have a surge in small gin distilleries in the
40 | THE WEST COUNTRY FOODLOVER
West Country, coupled with a massive rise in both craſt beer manufacturers and artisan cider makers. We can’t forget the hot
drinks either: we have a host of specialist coffee and tea blenders in the region too, as well as our very own tea grower in Cornwall on the Tregothnan Estate, of course. We’re proud to highlight the diversity in the drink sector in our region.
baptised in it as it was known to be cleaner than the water. It’s all down to the apples. Proper cider is
Celebrating cider
Tere’s no denying that here in the West Country, cider is our native drink, and is as synonymous with the South West,
to visitors, as the Cornish pasty and the Devon cream tea.
We asked Pete Snowman, owner of the
Bristol Cider Shop, to tell us just why the South West is so great for cider.
Te South West really is the land of cider. From Herefordshire right down to the tip of Cornwall, cider runs through our veins. Cider is the original British drink and people have been making it for centuries. Farm workers used to be paid in it, and babies were even
made from 100% juice and nothing else. To make really good cider you need really good apples - and specifically cider apples. Cider apples are high in tannins and acidity, and lucky for us they are particularly suited to the soil and climate of the South West. You pick the apples in the autumn, squash
them and then leave the juice to ferment over the winter. Te yeast that lives on the skins turns the sugar into alcohol and when that’s finished (usually aſter about 6 months) you end up with cider. It’s as simple as that! Obviously making really good cider takes
a bit of practice, and the best producers have been making it for generations. Tey have developed the perfect blend of apples to make their own unique taste – along with a bit of luck, a lot of love and a little bit of West Country magic…
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