Nick follows the cider house rules
North Yorkshire has a fascinating history of cider making. Sally Clifford meets Nick Burrows who is among those helping to keep the legacy alive. Pictures by Tony Johnson.
MONASTIC orders were among the early pioneers of cider production. Finding use for the glut of apple stock from their plentiful orchards once the fruit had been shared among the community led to the production of this popular aperitif, and nurtured an entrepreneurial spirit still in existence today
Nestled in the foothills of the North Yorkshire Moors, Ampleforth Abbey is a fine example of this ongoing cider making success story and is keeping the spirit alive in this beautiful part of God’s Own County.
Yorkshire was, apparently, the first English county recorded to be making cider so the growth in the craft cider industry here is certainly in keeping with tradition.
Nick Burrows, a great appreciator and preserver of the past, is among those – including the aforementioned Ampleforth Abbey – contributing to the county’s cider production. Nick’s cider making is also helping to restore and maintain his 800-year-old home – the brand behind his business. Coulton Mill is a Grade II* listed former water powered corn mill. Located within the Howardian Hills, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Nick’s home is perfectly placed with its orchard, producing 64 varieties of apple including every known Yorkshire apple, and outbuildings providing him with the space for his craft cider production.
The table in his cosy sitting room is topped with his latest batch of Coulton Mill’s Mulled Cyder. The soft glow of the open fire illuminates the bottles’ golden liquid contents.
Interestingly the first written instructions for cider making, on which Nick bases his recipe, were documented by Elizabethan clergyman, William Lawson of Coxwold in his book A New Orchard and Kitchen Garden.
Flicking through the pages of this rare copy from Nick’s collection of early horticultural books, he talks enthusiastically about Lawson, and his benefactor Henry Belayses’ apple growing legacy through their writings. Through research, Nick also discovered the important part Yorkshire had played