Pictured: BCMA Winners Claire Daniels and Mike Shorland from Rull Orchard with Barny Butterfield, Sandford Orchards
Sandford Orchards has just announced that Rull Orchard has won their 2025 Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards with their Autumn Unwrapped Perry (5.5% ABV). These unique awards, which offer aspiring cider makers the chance to win an invaluable package of vouchers, guidance and guaranteed listings in the on and off trade, are designed to support the future of cider in the UK.
Rull Orchards Autumn Unwrapped Perry
Claire Daniels from Rull Orchard comments: “We’re over the moon to receive this award! It’s wonderful to have our natural, full juice perry recognised by a panel of such acclaimed judges, and very exciting to be part of a growing appreciation for sustainably produced drinks that reflect our passion for nature and biodiversity. We’re very much looking forward to collaborating with Barny and our future journey in creating and promoting cider and perry.”
Barny Butterfield, MD of Sandford Orchards and founder of the awards explains:”Rull Orchard is a worthy winner of these awards. Their Autumn Unwrapped Perry is technically sensational. Every judge on the day wished they could make a perry of this quality. If you are looking for flavour, character and style, you simply will not believe what Rull has landed here.”
Silver Winners Canterbury Cider
Silvers were awarded to Canterbury Cider for its Celebration Cider (ABV 6%) and to Tippetts Cider for its Crow Cider (ABV 4.8%). The judges described Celebration Cider as a wonderful introduction to cider for the curious; brilliantly approachable, very smooth and well made. They felt that Crow Cider was a rich, easy drinking, balanced cider with delightful tannins and baked apple flavours.
Gabe Cook says: “I was particularly delighted that it was a Perry that sealed the win for Rull. Clearly they are relishing blending their drinks and are determined to share the joy of cider and perry, far and wide. What an honour it was to taste through a wonderful selection of ciders and perries.”
Silver winners Tippetts Cider
Tom Oliver adds: “This was my favourite and hardest Breakthrough Cider Awards judging! The standard of liquids, packaging and storytelling was compelling from several makers. But in the end the result was unanimous. The perry was one of the finest anyone at the table had tasted in a long time and Rull Orchard’s passion shined through their application.”
Mary Topp finishes: “I’m delighted by the success of all the winners in this year’s Breakthrough Awards. The distinct regional flavours showcased by Tippetts and Canterbury’s Silver awards were excellent examples of how English cider has evolved, proving there’s truly a cider out there for every palate. For The London Cider House, involvement with the Breakthrough Awards is incredibly important. We’re so proud to support initiatives that champion future leaders in cider.”
Rull Orchard will receive a prize package that includes a £500 Vigo voucher, a £250 Murphy & Son voucher, a listing at their local Stable Pizza, a listing at The London Cider House, a Sandford Orchards collaboration limited edition cider and a visit by Sandford Orchards’ cider makers to offer practical help and advice about set up. The two runners up will both receive a £200 voucher from Bag In Box Shop UK plus a £100 voucher from Murphy & Son. All three winners will receive a 12 month listing at Darts Farm, Devon and a 12 month listing on www.sandfordorchards.co.uk.
The Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards were launched by Sandford Orchards at the end of 2019 and aim to recognise and celebrate excellent quality whole juice ciders from around the UK. Sandford Orchards would like to thank Gabe Cook, Tom Oliver and Mary Topp for judging and Vigo, Murphy & Son, The Bag In Box Shop, The Stable, The London Cider House and Darts Farm for their support and prize donations.
It’s exciting times at Dunkertons Organic cider as they celebrate new international award wins and a complete packaging refresh, just in time for what is hopefully a glorious British Summer.
Dunkertons began in 1980 with the pioneering spirit and vision of their founders, Ivor & Susie Dunkerton. Their vision was to craft organic ciders in harmony with the environment to support the natural eco-system and were the first UK cidery to be certified organic as a grower & producer with the Soil Association. They only use whole pressed organic apples or pears and mature their ciders in single VATs similar to winemaking, for over 12 months, resulting in all their ciders or perry containing over 90% juice. Their ciders and perry are world renowned for their famous ‘deep flavour’.
Lee Holdstock, Trade Relations Manager for the Soil Association commented, “It’s been a pleasure certifying Dunkertons for over 20 years, and it’s great to see them facing the future with the same pioneering spirit that has shaped everything they do. By growing organically for so long, without chemical pesticides or herbicides, the orchards that provide Dunkertons’ apples will have been contributing to better soil health, cleaner air and higher levels of insect life. In fact, organic farms have 50% more wildlife than non-organic. Shoppers are increasingly interested in where their drinks come from, both in terms of the provenance of the cider and terroir. On both these counts, organic production delivers high quality ciders for drinkers to enjoy, just as Dunkerton’s has been doing for over two decades.”
The new packaging includes embossed labels, tactile inks, gold foils and the addition of neck labels plus the addition of new cyclops tasting notes and food pairing on the back labels. Dunkertons are confident the new presentation of their premium organic ciders and perry will genuinely appeal to today’s discerning cider drinkers.
Dunkertons are also launching a new deep flavoured 5% ABV Craft cider in a 500ml bottle and a 330ml can which is the first in the can format for the cider company. The organic Craft cider was developed over a few years to ensure the ‘deep flavour’ was captured and they are confident that the new format and lower ABV will make Dunkertons even more appealing to a wider range of discerning cider drinkers.
Continuing their pioneering spirit Dunkertons are also going to be the first cider company to include a scale for sweetness, acidity and tannins on their packaging, all of which help deliver the flavour of the cider. Most ciders just distinguish between sweet and dry but this doesn’t give the drinker a full understanding of the complex flavours within each cider. Dunkertons have also included a food pairing for each cider to drive awareness of cider as a great accompaniment with food.
The packaging launch follows on from a triumphant start to the year for Dunkertons with Black Fox winning Gold for Best in Class and second place in the Traditional Dry Cider category, with Organic Dry and Organic Perry winning bronze at the 2019 Great Lakes International Cider & Perry Competition (GLINTCAP). Meanwhile in the International Cider Challenge 2019 Breakwell Seedling won a gold medal.
Co-owner Julian Dunkerton commented, “2019 will be another milestone in the history of Dunkertons Organic Cider Company. Our organic ciders and perry have a very strong following but we knew the brand presentation required a complete refresh and that we needed a lower ABV cider in the range to appeal to a wider range of today’s discerning cider drinkers. The new packaging looks fantastic and each label reflects the individual characteristics of the deep flavour that all our ciders are renowned for. Launching these straight off the back of our award wins sees us entering another exciting chapter in the Dunkertons story”.
2 bottles of Dunkertons organic perry (1 Litre / 2 x 500ml Bottles)
300g caster sugar
4 seasonal pears
1 cinnamon stick
Pared zest of a lemon
1 tsp pink peppercorns
6 rasps of fresh nutmeg
Crème fraȋche
½ lemon
Pour the 2 bottles of perry into a medium sized saucepan.
Add the cinnamon stick, lemon, peppercorns, nutmeg and caster sugar to the pan.
Gently stir and melt the sugar on a low medium heat for a minute.
Peel the pear with a vegetable peeler, leaving the stalk in tact. Then rub it with the lemon to prevent it going brown.
Gently lower the pears into the perry liquor and poach for 25 minutes or until the pear is soft and a cocktail stick is inserted easily into the pear.
Take the pears out of the pan and place aside on a plate. Simmer the cooking liquor on a medium to high heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the liquid reduces into a syrup.
Strain the aromatics out of the syrup through a sieve. Place a pear on a plate . Drizzle over some syrup and serve with a spoon of crème fraȋche.
Any leftover syrup will be delicious served over ice cream or swirled through a cheesecake.
Click here to watch on youtube. Alternatively, click here to have a look at other recipes by The Fuss Free Foodie involving ciders from our members!
Are you a Feta fan, a Stilton stalwart, or a Cheddar champion? If so, you might be keen to know that today is National Cheese Lover’s Day. Cider and cheese are the perfect complement to one another, and work well together on so many levels.
Cheddar (surely the Nation’s favourite?) is from one of cider’s heartland regions in Somerset, with large and small cider makers right on the doorstep. I can think of few better food and drink pairings than a large lump of mature Cheddar, a door-step sized slice of crusty white bread, and a glass of dry, bittersweet cider. But, there are other great matchings to be had: why not try a fresh, zingy goat’s cheese with a fruity, medium cider or a fully ripe brie with a crisp, dry cider? The options are endless – the fun bit is experimenting to find out what works best for you.
There are a surprising number of meals where cider and cheese combine as ingredients to create delicious dishes. A British take on Mac n’ Cheese, for example, could involve a glug of bold, dry cider. Similarly, why not try using some cider next time you have a dinner party, go retro and dust off the fondue set. The addition of a crisp, dry cider will provide a bite of acidity to cut through the richness of the cheese.
Cider and perry can sometimes even be integral to the cheese making process itself. The Famous Stinking Bishop cheese, from Charles Martell in Gloucestershire, has been rind-washed in perry, providing that fabulous pungent aroma that so befits the name. Whilst former Blur bassist, Alex James, has crafted the multi-award-winning Goddess cheese, which has been rind-washed in Somerset Cider Brandy. Fabulous!
So why not celebrate National Cheese Lover’s Day in the best possible way: with a glass of great British cider!
