Sandford Orchards Expands Capacity for Bumper Harvest

Devon-based Sandford Orchards has just installed 8 new 50,000 litre tanks ahead of a bumper harvest expected to be up to a third larger than normal. 

They plan to increase production of their core ciders and create new varieties from this year's exceptional apple yield.

Barny Butterfield, owner of award-winning Sandford Orchards told That's Food and Drink: “Anyone with fruit trees in their garden is likely to be experiencing a record crop this year and we are no different. 

"A mild spring and the sunniest summer for some time has left our trees groaning under the weight of fruit, and we're looking forward to a harvest around a third bigger than last year. 

"That's around 4,000 tonnes of apples! In fact, it looks set to be the biggest harvest I have experienced in my entire lifetime as a cider maker!”

He continues: “ The very un-British weather has also meant that the apples are ripening ahead of schedule and were already beginning to drop in late August, so it's all happening a lot earlier than normal. 

"We don't usually start harvesting our apples until early October but this year looks set to be different. 

"All our fruit comes from local orchards so we are able to make regular checks on them to identify the optimum moment to harvest. Our inspections throughout the summer have already indicated that this year is set to be an epic harvest and in anticipation of that we have invested in eight new tanks which will increase our capacity by 400,000 litres.”

He finishes: “The extra hours of sunshine that the apples have enjoyed this year should also have boosted sugar levels, which means this could be the sweetest and largest harvest on record for us. With our newly increased capacity and these fantastic raw ingredients, we will be pressing 6 days a week from 5am until 9pm to produce more bottles of our much-loved ciders for next summer's cider drinking. 

"We will be pressing at least 70 different varieties and, amongst them, there are going to be a lot more of the rare apples that we have been identifying in our DNA mapping project. So we'll be able to do some really interesting small batch blends with them too!”

Sandford Orchards takes a fresh, natural and low impact approach to producing cider. Combining tradition and innovation, Sandford Orchards produces an award-winning range of core session, traditional, fine and fruit ciders.

For further information on Sandford Orchards please visit www.sandfordorchards.co.uk, follow Sandford Orchards on X, Facebook and Instagram. 

Devon's Sandford Orchards' Red Zero Named World's Best No-Alcohol Cider

Devon-based Sandford Orchards' Red Zero has just won gold and been named Best Non-Alcoholic Cider at the World Cider Awards, less than a year after it was launched. 

This latest accolade follows gold awards from Taste of the West and The Farm Shop and Deli Awards, with undoubtedly more to come.

Barny Butterfield, founder of Sandford Orchards told That's Food and Drink: “We took our time creating Red Zero because we like to do things properly at Sandford Orchards. It was not the first non-alcoholic cider to market but we like to think that it is one of the best and it seems that the experts agree. 

"Winning Best Non-Alcoholic Cider at the World Cider Awards recognises all the hard work and effort we put into making Red Zero and puts it firmly on the global cider map as the best in the world!"

Red Zero (ABV 0.5%) is an utterly delicious, crisp and fruity non-alcoholic cider created from fabulous apple varieties including Farmers Glory, Dabinett and Sweet Alford. Created using traditional cider methods and the same technology used for creating Guinness Zero, you're drinking the real fermented drink, but with the alcohol extracted.  

Barny continues: “We chose to make Red Zero in the most expensive way because we weren't prepared to compromise on quality and the result is on another level. 

"In its short life, Red Zero has already won rave reviews from our customers but this accolade is the icing on the cake and a testament to our team's efforts. I am really proud of how hard they've worked to produce a cider with the same attention to detail as our flagship Devon Red.

"Red Zero tastes so good that most people can not believe it is not alcoholic- we call it alcohol-free cider, done right.”

Founded in 2002, independent, family-owned Sandford Orchards is based in Crediton, Mid Devon in the oldest working cider mill in the UK. 

The area has long been known as one of the most fertile parishes in all of Britain, both for its grazing and ability to grow apples. Crediton sits in the lee of the moors, so receives the right amount of rain and the right units of heat in summer.

Sandford Orchards takes a fresh, natural and low impact approach to producing cider. Combining tradition and innovation, Sandford Orchards produces an award-winning range of core session, traditional, fine and fruit ciders.

The World Cider Awards celebrate the best ciders from across the globe. For more information visit www.worldciderawards.com.

Stig's Cider? Sandford Orchards Launches Ben's Cider, at the First Ever Bristol Cider Week, in Collaboration With Ben Collins

Sandford Orchards is launching a new Vintage Straw Pressed Fine Cider (ABV 6.8%) created in collaboration with Ben Collins, formerly known as The Stig. 

The cider will be launched on 30th July at the inaugural Bristol Cider Week and will be available in 750ml bottles RRP £14.50 from www.sandfordorchards.co.uk and other retail outlets.

Barny Butterfield, founder of Sandford Orchards, told That's Food and Drink: “Not many people know that there is a very different side to the racing driver who was once The Stig on Top Gear and a stunt driver for James Bond. 

"He's also now a farmer in Devon who wants to grow apples and make fantastic, truly authentic cider. We have been working with him on that journey and Straw Pressed is the result of our first collaboration.”

Using a centuries-old, single screw, Devon straw press, Ben and Barny hand-pressed apples from an ancient orchard at Prowse Farm, which contains a unique collection of cider varieties. 

The result of their labours is a spectacular cider with a burgundy hue and notes of grapefruit and melon running through a classic Devonian bittersweet farmhouse blend. 

It's a fine cider with truly extraordinary lineage, born in the nineteenth century. Slowly fermented and naturally bright and unfiltered, a whisper of yeast may remain as a final reminder: this is living history in a bottle.

Ben's Cider will be launched at the first ever Bristol Cider Week, the Oktoberfest of cider that aims to firmly establish Bristol as the undisputed 'Cider Capital of the World'. 

Running from 25th July until 3rd August there will be parties, tastings, dinners, talks and workshops alongside a city-wide Cider Trail and a city centre block party hosted by Cider City. There will be two opportunities to meet Sandford Orchards and Ben and be the first to taste the new cider as well as a diverse selection of Sandford Orchards' craft ciders, all made with fresh juice from British cider apples. 

Join Sandford Orchards and Ben at 5pm on 30th July at  The Apple (unticketed event) or at 7pm at The Steam Crane (admission by tickets available here from eventbrite.co.uk).

Ben adds: ”My early years were spent on a farm in Devon and I have always had a dream to return to that life. It has been immensely rewarding to tap into Barny's vast experience to help me to create my own cider orchard and to make my very first cider. 

"Traditional English cider making is a rare process that touches your soul through every sense. Barny shares my passion for doing things “right” and I'm delighted to be working with one of the best cider makers in the country. We are both looking forward to slaking the thirsty with our first batch of this straw-pressed special.”

Barny finishes: “It is always a pleasure to collaborate on a new cider. It is always enlightening to bring a new perspective and distinctive skill set to the mix and we've been inspired to seek out more opportunities like this going forward so watch this space.”

Sandford Orchards X Ben's Cider (ABV 6.8%) 2024 Vintage Straw Pressed Fine Cider will be available in 750ml bottles from www.sandfordorchards.co.uk and other retail outlets RRP £14.50. It will also be available to the trade in 30 litre kegs.

For further information on Sandford Orchards please visit www.sandfordorchards.co.uk/cider-awards or follow Sandford Orchards on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

For more information about Ben Collins please visit www.bencollins.com. 

For more information about Bristol Cider Week please visit www.bristolciderweek.co.uk.

Celebrate Spring & National Rosé Day With Sandford Orchards' Devon Rosé Cider & Katja Rosé

Whether you're looking to celebrate the arrival of spring or raising a toast on National Rosé Day on 8th June, award-winning Sandford Orchards has two perfectly pink options to quench your thirst for authentic cider.

Devon Rosé Cider (ABV 3.4%, 500ml bottles RRP £2.50 from www.sandfordorchards.co.uk) 

Devon Rosé is an elegantly clean and vibrantly fresh rosé cider, bursting with the fruitiness of Pinot Noir red wine grapes. 

It's a delicious, medium sweet cider made from Browns, Katja and Jane apple varieties which are fermented with grape skins to give the cider a fabulous depth of flavour and a beautiful natural blush colouring. 

Its relatively low alcohol content means it's a light and refreshing, summery drink, perfect for lunchtime tipples, picnics and BBQs.

Katja Rosé (ABV 8%, 750ml bottles RRP £11.00  from www.sandfordorchards.co.uk) 

Katja Rosé is a sumptuous sparkling skin-contact rosé cider, produced using the Martinotti method. Lovingly crafted in Devon from locally grown Katja dessert apples, the juice is fermented with Rondo grapes from a nearby vineyard.

This bestows wine notes and an unmistakable rosé finish. It is a fresh and fruity cider which tastes of sun ripened cherries and peaches, with hints of apple blossom and candyfloss, balanced with tannins from the wineskins. It is the perfect all-British alternative to a pink bubbly.