Sep 22, 2025
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 bigger than normal. They plan to increase production of their core ciders and create new varieties from this year’s exceptional apple haul.
Barny Butterfield, owner of award-winning Sandford Orchards comments: “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 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.
Aug 28, 2025
As August draws to a close, a familiar rhythm returns to the orchards of Herefordshire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall, Kent and beyond at the start of the cider apple harvest. And with it, a chance to pause and raise a glass to the people and places that make British cider one of the country’s proudest rural traditions.
Across hills and valleys, rows of apple trees are heavy with fruit. Growers speak of a promising year of trees laden with apples, the quiet reward for months of care and decades of experience. For the 300 or more families who grow cider apples under long-term contract, this is not just a crop; it’s a way of life, a partnership passed down through generations.
The scale is remarkable. With around 15,000 acres of cider apple orchards more than the size of Oxford, nearly half the area of Bristol, or the equivalent of 11,000 football pitches, cider orchards are as much a part of the British landscape as hedgerows and harvest moons. These trees anchor biodiversity, sustain rural jobs, and frame a drink that is as deeply rooted in the land as the apples themselves.
Behind every glass of cider are great teams working together: growing apples, tending orchards and making ciders we’re proud of. Every glass also supports around 65,000 jobs across the UK, hundreds of farming families, and a proud heritage of orchard skills passed down for generations.
“The harvest is a special moment, a time to reflect on all that goes into a drink with real character and connection,” said David Sheppy, Chair of the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM). “British cider is more than a drink. It’s orchards, farmers, makers, communities and thousands of livelihoods.”
This year, the warm weather through spring and summer has delivered apples full of rich flavours and natural sweetness, perfect for cider making. It’s a timely reminder that cider is not only a drink with history, but one with a future worth celebrating. The UK remains the world’s largest cider market, with over 450 cider makers across the country producing from orchard to glass, and more than 700 million litres enjoyed every year.
This autumn, cider makers are opening their gates and welcoming people in. Whether you’re a local resident, retailer, pub, or visitor to the countryside, you’re invited to see harvest for yourself to walk among the orchards, meet the makers, and discover the apples that make British cider unique.
By choosing cider made here, you celebrate the harvest, champion the makers, and help keep orchards and rural jobs thriving for the next generation.
Dec 8, 2021
Devon’s Sandford Orchards, producer of authentic cider created by combining tradition and innovation, is thrilled to have won gold at the International Cider Awards for their Sandford Reserve, which is part of their recently launched vintage collection. This is the second highly prestigious international award bestowed on Sandford Reserve since it was released earlier this year, making it officially one of the best ciders in the world.
Barny Butterfield, Chief Cidermaker at Sandford Orchards comments: “We are absolutely delighted to receive a gold from the International Cider Awards. Sandford Reserve won the only gold in the medium tannic cider class and this follows hot on the heels of its win at the World Cider Awards. This is truly a great achievement which confirms, what we already suspected, that Sandford Reserve is one of the best ciders around. We are so proud that this cider, made in Devon from apples from our orchards, has taken on and beaten the leading ciders from across the globe.”
The International Cider Awards, launched in 1888, is the ‘Oscars’ of international cider competitions and is one of the oldest competitions that is judged by cider makers. An International Cider Award is recognition, by fellow professional cider makers, that a cider is an outstanding example of its style.
Barny explains: ”This is a peer reviewed award, judged entirely by professional cider makers who have tested some fantastic ciders from across the globe. Amongst this showcase of impeccable products, in the category that represents around 90% of the British Cider Market, Sandford Orchards has marched off with the gold medal. This is the most amazing accolade. We are completely overwhelmed to have received this award. ”
Sandford Reserve (ABV 7.4%), a finest cask-aged cider, is the ‘exhibition’ cider of the recently launched vintage range. Using the pick of the 2019 crop and matured in larger wine casks, Sandford Reserve drinks like a smooth, oaky, chardonnay with flavours of honey, Madeira and dried fruits. It’s the perfect partner for curry or spicy Asian food.
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 grasslands and its orchards. Crediton’s ‘Redlands’ boast a unique microclimate, sheltered between Devon’s huge moors. Long hours of warm sunshine and mineral rich soils produce the most flavoursome apples for cider imaginable.
Combining tradition and innovation, Sandford Orchards produces an award-winning range of core session ciders including Devon Red, Devon Dry and Devon Mist and fruit ciders; blackberry flavoured Fanny’s Bramble, Berry Lane using perfectly ripe raspberries, Old Blossom made from delicate Elderflower and an invigorating and zingy Cider Ginger. Their recently launched vintage cider collection includes Sandford Reserve, a finest cask-aged cider, Apple & Oak, a fresh oak-finished cider and a mighty vat-aged cider named ‘The General’.
To celebrate this latest award, Sandford Orchards is offering 10% off purchases of Sandford Reserve at www.sandfordorchards.co.uk.
For further information on Sandford Orchards please visit www.sandfordorchards.co.uk, follow Sandford Orchards on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Sep 28, 2021
Award-winning cider maker, Sandford Orchards, is proud to announce that it is working with scientists from Bristol University to identify and preserve ancient apple varieties in their beautiful historic orchards in mid Devon. This ground breaking research aims to fingerprint thousands of cider apple trees in order to locate and propagate unique and threatened varieties.
Barny Butterfield, Chief Cidermaker at Sandford Orchards comments: “Apples are at the heart of everything that we do. Our cider mill is the oldest working mill in the UK and some of our orchards are centuries old. We take our stewardship of these precious natural wonders very seriously and we jumped at the opportunity to unlock some of the secrets of these orchards that have long been forgotten. By mapping our apple trees we will be able to preserve them for future generations, ensure diversity in our stock and secure many more centuries of cider enjoyment.”
Keith Edwards, Professor of Crop Genetics at Bristol University, is leading the new research which aims to identify and map the nation’s traditional cider apple varieties. By punching a small hole in leaves from individual trees, his team is able to collect samples for DNA testing, while geographically tagging the particular tree using the What3Words geo-positioning system.
The team has spent the summer taking DNA samples from hundreds of Sandford Orchards’ apple trees and has been surprised by the varieties being grown in these older orchards in the Crediton area, which has long been famed for its cider.
Professor Edwards explains: “We thought that, being well-established orchards, we might only find a few different cider apple varieties in each, but that has not been the case. We have fingerprinted around 400 samples and I believe there will be a great many different varieties, many of them unique.”
Barny is awaiting the results of the research with bated breath. He says: “By using genetic-fingerprinting techniques we are able to wind back the clock. We can map a particular variety and see where it crops up in places like Devon and Somerset. That allows us to start building the picture so that hopefully we can reclaim some old varieties which make great cider. You only need one apple tree to propagate a whole new orchard so once we have identified key varieties that we would like to increase our stock of we can start planning for the future.”
He continues: “Using the new techniques we will find apples that could be important in changing the type of ciders we make. Each apple variety will behave in a certain way according to the local conditions and, by having a much better knowledge of the rich diversity of trees in our orchards, we might find wonderful cider apples which are ready to take on the challenge of a changing environment.”
As well as the environmental benefits of preserving a diverse range of apple trees for the future, Barny is also thrilled at the prospect of a renaissance of delicious single batch ciders. He explains: “So it might be that we find a tree that is the only one of its kind in the whole country. Or perhaps there’s just one in my orchard but a few elsewhere. The great thing is, because we are mapping the trees, I am going to be able to collect enough fruit from those trees to make a small amount of single-apple cider.”
Barny continues: “ We are keenly awaiting the results of this research but whatever Professor Edwards and his team uncover the outcome can only be positive for the environment and for cider-lovers.”
For further information on Sandford Orchards please visit www.sandfordorchards.co.uk
Sep 28, 2021
Sandford Orchards, producer of authentic cider created by combining tradition and innovation, is thrilled to have scooped two awards at the World Cider Awards for their ‘cider done right’. The General scooped a gold and Sandford Reserve received a silver. Both ciders are from Sandford Orchards vintage collection, which was launched earlier this year.
The World Cider Awards are the global awards selecting the very best in all the internationally recognised styles. They aim to award and promote the world’s best ciders to consumers and trade across the globe.
Barny Butterfield, Chief Cidermaker at Sandford Orchards comments: “We are absolutely delighted to receive a gold and silver from the World Cider Awards. We are proud to make cider properly taking a fresh, natural, low impact approach and using the best apples in the world. A huge amount of effort went into creating our new vintage ciders. We were thrilled with the results and it is really rewarding to know that the award judges think our cider is pretty special too.”
The General – Mighty Vat-Aged Cider (ABV 8.4%)
The General is the Imperial Stout of the vintage range. This super rich cider is bold and satisfying with the flavours of Seville orange, plum and baked apple. It is a superb complement to gamey meats or a fully-laden Sunday roast.
Sandford Reserve – Finest Cask-Aged Cider (ABV 7.4%)
Sandford Reserve is the ‘exhibition’ cider of the vintage range. Using the pick of the 2019 crop and matured in larger wine casks, Sandford Reserve drinks like a smooth, oaky, chardonnay with flavours of honey, Madeira and dried fruits. It’s the perfect partner for curry or spicy Asian food.
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 grasslands and its orchards. Crediton’s ‘Redlands’ boast a unique microclimate, sheltered between Devon’s huge moors, long hours of warm sunshine and mineral rich soils produce the most flavoursome apples for cider imaginable.
Combining tradition and innovation, Sandford Orchards produces an award-winning range of core session ciders including Devon Red, Devon Dry and Devon Mist and fruit ciders; blackberry flavoured Fanny’s Bramble, Berry Lane using perfectly ripe raspberries, Old Blossom made from delicate Elderflower and an invigorating and zingy Cider Ginger.
For further information on Sandford Orchards please visit www.sandfordorchards.co.uk
