Did some lovely roast pork last weekend and used some cider to make an onion gravy. Finished off the rest of the bottle myself and quite enjoyed it, Bulmers original it was. Now I don’t know if this is one step up from Strongbow and it is a bit sweet but how about some suggestions of readily available ciders that I can try.

Bulmers original

I am no way a cider snob*, they will be along shortly, but Bulmers isn’t a great cider. My personal favourite is Aspall, mainly the Premier Cru. Not annoyingly niche, that you can only find it in one shop in Suffolk that only opens on a Tuesday, but genuinely really tasty and most supermarkets stock it.

…it’s also 7%, which is always fun.

*I quite like the Brother’s Toffee Apple Cider.

3 litre bottle of white lightning. Once you’ve drunk a tenth of it, tip in your quarter bottle of vodka. Sorted.

I’m not generally a fan of it tbh- not allowed beer and took to it as a pint substitute- but thistly cross whisky cask is lovely imo.

I’m a cider pleb.
I like Thatcher’s and Aspel’s (but I think well kept Strongbow, off the tap, is also quite nice 😳 )

I had white lightning once whilst waiting to see Guns N Roses when I was a youngster, I don’t need to try it again with or without vodka.

Being down ere in Zummerzet, Thatchers is a favoured tipple.

There’s a pretty wide variety of the stuff round these parts, from stuff sold in cleaned plastic milk bottles to fancy schmancy ‘artisan cider’ but for quaffing, Thatchers Gold takes some beating.

its like beer and lager, loads of cheap nasty mass produced rubbish and loads of lovely made stuff thats worth seeking out whether thats the more nationally available varieties or the locally crafted gems that you buy in a plastic jug.

i personally like henry westons vintage, although at 8.2 percent its a bit strong and can lead to almighty hangovers.

Westons have it sussed. Old Rosie and Henry Weston’s Vintage are both lovely dry ciders.

Thatcher’s Katy

Weston’s Vintage

Those will tell you all you need to know.

Living the dream.

Not a fully paid up Cider Snob here, but I’m at least 50% of the way there… Put it this way, when I go into a bar in town and the only ciders they’ve got are the fruity Bulmers ones, or Rekorderlig, I’ll have a Coke instead!

That said, I’m not a fan of scrumpy or flat ciders, or anything with mysterious origins. I’d rather it came in a glass bottle with a label and a barcode…

As a general rule, if it says Thatchers or Weston’s on the bottle, it’s well worth giving a try. My favourite is Weston’s Wyld Wood, but there are plenty of others from both brands well worth trying. On a hot summers day, and when you know you’ve “got” to drink a few pints, then Thatchers Gold is pretty much unbeatable to be fair. Old Rascal is also rather tasty…

Others to note are as follows…

-Morrisons own brand ciders (made by Weston’s iirc). Their organic and vintage ciders taste just like Wyld Wood and Weston’s vintage respectively. Their cheapo 4.8% stuff (£2.69 for 4 cans) tastes remarkably like Thatchers Gold!
-Dunkertons Black Fox… Responsible for 9 out of 10 of my hangovers… Says its 7%, tastes like half that, **** you up like its twice that!
-Aspalls is very nice. Especially the Organic stuff (7%), but I’ll happily drink any of them to be fair…

There are a few more I quite like and can’t think of right now, the guys who REALLY know their cider on here are 40MPG (that’s how many miles he can manage per gallon of cider!) and the rest of the Team Sumo boys…

Aspall’s is indeed very good.

Also, try Waitrose own label Normandy cider. It’s really rather nice.

Aspall’s

I’m not big on grammar. But that dunt lookie right.

I’ve just added a nice bottle of cider to a chicken and apple casserole for tonight’s tea!

Another Thatchers Gold fan here. They are just down the road and all the apple remains coming out of the factory this last couple of weeks have smelt lovely 😀

Bath Ales Bounder is nice too.

Not really one for experimenting with cider as I find most I don’t like so I just stick to what I know goes down well.

Gwynt y Ddraig worth a look if it can be found over the border.

Meself and two mates made over 1000 pints last autumn and about 210 pints of perry.
Arguably not for the faint hearted, but reasonably palatable, if perhaps a little dry.

Sheppys Cider. Lovely stuff and available from Sainsburys. Henry Westons is nice too and can be got in Tesco.

On a recent taste test with some mates, Tesco Original Dry Cider in cans was way ahead of Thatcher’s Gold 😀

If you fancy a traditional cider,try these
http://gwatkincider.co.uk/cider/
Don’t try a dry one if you ain’t a diehard fan,but I can personally recommend the Norman cider,I get it every time I pass the farm.
Its a good job I only pass once every two months or else I could be in serious trouble with this stuff,its goddam superb.

3 litre bottle of white lightning

That should last you all winter.

Cheers everybody, might pop into Morrison’s on the way home from the rugby tomorrow.

westons old rosie for me tonight

I’m a fan of Henney’s Frome Valley Dry Cider, available in Waitrose, Tesco and Aldi to suit all snob levels.

Lishin the dream

🙂

Just to pre-empt timidwheeler’s next pic.

Scamper – Member
On a recent taste test with some mates, Tesco Original Dry Cider in cans was way ahead of Thatcher’s Gold

It is very good but I’m no cider snob & we all have different tastes. Like thatchers a lot, gold & old rascal. Not a fan of Aspall’s though

Lots and lots consumed at the Big Bike Bash every year, come and try all the different types next August

I’m trying to remember a name of a cider now.

It was organic. Brown bottle (stella size not Thatchers gold size) with a beige/brown logo. For some reason I remember a hare or something on the label, maybe.

at 8.2% this goes down surprisingly well !

Wrong.

What the Big Bike Bash needs is a portable pump track. Then we could come and sample some cider.

Love thatchers coxes but can’t find it anywhere!

Shorry bout that.

Try some Thatchers Old Rascal, goes down so easily

Shah. ..shehe er. .