Cider in full production in Lambourn

Bumper harvest for local company

THE Lambourn Valley Cider Company has announced resumption of full production this autumn, after taking a break last year.

And there’s set to be a bumper harvest.

The company was formed in December 1995 to produce real Berkshire cider from local apples.

Proprietor Roy Bailey uses fruit of all types – cookers, eaters, crab apples and even some genuine cider apples such as Dabinett, which grow in orchards, gardens and on farmland in the countryside around Newbury. All the fruit is gathered from trees unsullied by pesticides and growing on land free from artificial fertilisers and agrochemicals.

In 2007, Mr Bailey ceased production of cider, concentrating instead on making bottle-fermented perry.

Then, in 2012, the company ceased full-scale production altogether, although it continued to make small amounts for limited distribution.

Mr Bailey, who lives in Great Shefford, said: “We produced nothing in 2014 because the fruit crop was so poor, and also because I was busy with another project. But we intend to make as much cider as possible this autumn.

“We’re looking for sources of apples, both cookers and eaters. If you have one tree or twenty where the fruit is surplus to your requirements, we can put it to good use, so please get in touch.”

Mr Bailey can be contacted on (01488) 648441, via email at apples@lambournvalleycider.co. uk or via the company’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/lambournvalleycider