Susy Atkins raises a toast with three superior ciders
It’s hard to imagine anything more cheering at this gloomy time of year than a spot of wassailing. What’s wassailing? A midwinter, after-dark party in an English orchard, warding off evil spirits and blessing the year ahead’s harvest. Mulled cider (the wassail) is poured at the apple tree’s foot, wassailsoaked toast is hung on its branches by the Wassail Queen and everyone bangs on pots and pans to scare the nasties away. And then has a jolly good, torchlit song, dance and hot cider drink.
That’s how we do it in my Devon village each January, though there are local variations. Wassailing is an old Yuletide or Twelfth Night ritual much revived of late, with many more wassailing parties springing up, mainly in the cider-producing South West but further afield too.
There can be no prissy recipe for a hot cider cup when you’re heating liquid outdoors on a camping stove. Guidelines then: a dry local cider, adding brown sugar or honey, cinnamon, cloves, a few slices of fresh ginger, a slug of apple brandy or rum plus some apple slices, stirring and tasting until it seems right. Don’t let it boil or the good spirits will steam off with the evil ones. For children and non-drinkers, go for a soft, similarly flavoured alternative apple juice cup (steady on sugar as the juice base will be much sweeter).
If you’d rather drink unadulterated cider, make it one that is crowd-pleasing and natural tasting, neither too tart and dry, nor too sweet. Avoid berry-flavoured and pink ciders (often tasting confected), and swerve particularly strong draughts. You may have to find your way home in the dark.
MARKS & SPENCER SOMERSET TRADITIONAL CIDER
(4.8%, £2.50 for 500ml)
Made by the longestablished and traditional Sheppy’s Cider Farm near Taunton, this really appeals with its juicy apple aroma and natural, wellbalanced, lingering flavour. Not too strong at under 5% too.
CORNISH ORCHARDS DRY CIDER
(5.2%, Waitrose, £2.09 for 500ml)
A crowd-pleasing, thirst-quenching dry cider, relatively new, that would work well at a big party. It’s produced from West Country apples at Westnorth Manor Farm near Liskeard, part of the Duchy of Cornwall’s estate.
THE TAUNTON CIDER COMPANY ORIGINAL DRY CIDER
(4%, selected Morrisons £2, independents and tauntoncider.co.uk £2.89)
Rejuvenated in 2016, The Taunton Cider Co makes delicious draughts including this relatively light, very refreshing First-Press Dry. Crisp but not tart or sour, with a lifted, slightly floral aroma and pure fresh apple flavour. Delightful.