Jul 22, 2025
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 first ever Bristol Cider Week and will be available in 30 litre kegs and 750ml bottles from www.sandfordorchards.co.uk and other specialist distributors.
Barny Butterfield, founder of Sandford Orchards, comments: “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 is also now a farmer in Devon who wants to grow apples and make fantastic 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 is 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 to the trade as a limited edition in 30 litre kegs and 750ml bottles. For more information contact sales@sandfordorchards.co.uk
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.
Jul 2, 2025
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.
The Breakthrough Cider Maker Award entrants were judged by industry experts including Gabe Cook, The Ciderologist, Tom Oliver, from Oliver’s Cider and Perry and Mary Topp from New Forest Cider and The London Cider House.
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.
To celebrate the awards, Sandford Orchards has created a fantastic Breakthrough Cider Maker Taster Case containing all the winning ciders, which is available from www.sandfordorchards.co.uk, RRP £35.00.
For further information on the Sandford Orchards Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards please visit www.sandfordorchards.co.uk/cider-awards or follow Sandford Orchards on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Nov 25, 2024
Sandford Orchards has just launched the 2025 Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards which offer aspiring cider makers the chance to win an invaluable package of advice, guidance and guaranteed listings in the on and off trade. These unique awards, which are now in their fourth year, are free to enter, open to cider makers producing between 3,000 and 50,000 litres of cider or perry per year and designed to support the future of cider in the UK. The closing date is 31st January 2025.
Barny Butterfield, Chief Cidermaker at Sandford Orchards and founder of the awards comments: ”When we launched the inaugural Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards at the end of 2019, we had no idea that they would prove to be such a huge success. I set them up because we wanted to give something back to the industry that I love and I wanted to ensure that fledgling cider makers, who share my passion for real cider, were given the opportunity to thrive. Business is tough and it can be really daunting trying to get started. We are keen to support emerging cider makers in order to secure the future of quality cider enjoyment for generations to come and the response since the launch in 2019 has been incredibly encouraging. There is a hugely talented pool of new cider makers in the UK and we are looking forward to meeting more of them as part of the 2025 award process.”
The Breakthrough Cider Maker Award entrants will be judged by industry experts including Tom Oliver, Gabe Cook and Mary Topp and the winner will receive a prize package that includes a £500 Vigo 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 and all three winners will receive a 12 month listing at Darts Farm, Devon and a 12 month listing on www.sandfordorchards.co.uk. Plus, everyone who enters will receive personalised, practical and actionable feedback.
Andy Jenkins (pictured) from Ganley and Naish, the most recent winners of the award comments : “Winning the award proved to myself that I can make cider, and cider to a good standard. As silly as that sounds, having peer approval has been hugely validating. Being in the company of amazing previous winners and runners up, is an exclusive club that I am going to cherish forever.”
Gabe Cook, The Ciderologist and awards’ judge adds: “It is a joy to be part of these utterly unique and crucial Breakthrough Cider Awards. To give small cider makers not only a platform to shine, but to have real financial and technical support is fabulous. Bravo to Sandford Orchards for, not for the first time, thinking about the big picture and giving something back to the cider community.”
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 Vigo, The Bag In Box Shop, The Stable and The London Cider House for their support and prize donations.
For further information on the Sandford Orchards Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards please visit www.sandfordorchards.co.uk/cider-awards or follow Sandford Orchards on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Jan 15, 2023
Sandford Orchards is delighted to launch the 2023 Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards. Now in its third year, these unique awards are free to enter and offer aspiring cider makers advice, guidance and guaranteed listings with the on and off trade. This year, the competition is open to cider makers making up to 50,000 litres a year. The closing date for applications is 28th February 2023.
Barny Butterfield, Chief Cidermaker at Sandford Orchards explains: ”We created the Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards three years ago to support the future of our precious UK cider industry. We aim to seek out Britain’s most talented cider makers and provide them with invaluable exposure, mentoring, advice and technical help as well as guaranteed listings in both the on and off trade. Winning this award provides small scale cider makers with the help and opportunities that they need to progress their business to the next level!”
The 2023 prize includes: business strategy mentoring with Barny Butterfied, founder of Sandford Orchards, a retail listing at Darts Farm, Devon, on-trade listing with one of The Stable restaurants and The London Cider House, £500 to spend with equipment and consumables supplier, Vigo limited, mentoring from Sandford Orchards’ cider makers, and a Sandford Orchards winner limited edition cider. Two silver winners will receive a £200 voucher to spend with The Bag in Box Shop. Moreover, everybody who enters will receive thorough, detailed, actionable feedback on their entry.
The winner will be chosen by a panel of expert judges. Tom Oliver, owner of Oliver’s Cider and Perry and one of last year’s judges comments: “It was a real honour to be able to taste some of the more forward thinking and progressive cider makers at last year’s Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards. The amount of discussion that ensued between the judges was a great indication of the quality of the cider but also of the many aspects that cider makers need to cover. They must want to grow, whether it is in size or quality, must give great attention to labels, both legally and design wise. They must leave the judges feeling that they really do want to “make a go of things”. If you think as a maker this is you, then this is the award to go for.”
Barny adds: “I am so proud that Sandford Orchards has been able to make these awards a reality. It feels great to be able to give something back to the industry that has given me so much. Bringing cider makers together is always brilliant for sharing ideas and dreaming up plans which we all hope will bring the joy of cider to more and more people. By supporting the energetic future of cider across the country we hope to reach out to curious wine, beer and spirit drinkers and grow the love for this marvellous drink.”
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. They are free to enter and open to cider makers producing between 3,000 and 50,000 litres of cider per year who can enter now at www.sandfordorchards.co.uk/cider-awards/.
Sandford Orchards would like to thank the generous sponsors of this year’s competition: Vigo Ltd who are providing a £500 voucher for the gold winner, The Stable and The London Cider House who will give the Gold winner a listing and The Bag in Box Shop who are giving away £200 vouchers to two silver winners.
For further information on Sandford Orchards and the Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards please visit www.sandfordorchards.co.uk email cider@sandfordorchards.co.uk or follow Sandford Orchards on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Image of last year’s judging available here.
Nov 1, 2022
In 2002 Barny Butterfield began making cider in a shed. Fast forward 20 years and he is Chief Cidermaker and owner of Sandford Orchards, a business that produces over 7 million pints of cider per year, yet still retains Barny’s original vision, to produce the best tasting cider ‘done right’.
Barny Butterfield comments: “ In the beginning, cider making was really just a hobby but one that I seemed to have some talent for. It was also something that I was incredibly passionate about, right from the outset. Eventually, it was clear that either my hobby or my day job had to go and I made the decision to put all my efforts into Sandford Orchards. It is a decision that I have never regretted. I feel incredibly lucky to have been able to create such a successful business doing something that I truly enjoy.”
In the early years, business growth was slow, as Barny navigated a steep learning curve with limited staff (mostly family and friends paid in cider) and equipment. However, producing top quality cider was always his focus and in 2010 he won CAMRA Champion Cider of Great Britain. This threw Sandford Orchards into the spotlight and this recognition gave Barny the confidence to invest in and expand the business.
The next step was to buy the Cider Works in Crediton and bring it back to life as the oldest working cider mill in the country. This enabled Sandford Orchards to increase capacity and establish itself as a serious player in the cider industry. Growth continued at a steady pace and then at the end of 2019, they made the strategic decision to invest heavily in a full rebrand. Alongside this, they expanded their packaging capability by setting up their own canning line, replacing their bottling line with brand new state of the art machinery and increasing automation in their kegging line.
Barny explains: “The last few years have seen the most rapid growth for the business. Having invested over £1.2 million in 2020 on our rebrand and new equipment, we can now produce 3,500 cans per hour and 6,000 bottles, so that we can supply more of our great tasting cider to more people. This means that, as well as being available in pubs, hospitality venues, off licences and independent shops, our cider has also now made it onto the shelves of high street retailers including Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, Aldi, Spar and The Co-op.”
Although the business, in some ways, has grown beyond all recognition from its humble beginnings in a lean-to on the farm, it still shares his original vision to create fantastic authentic cider. Over the years, Sandford Orchards’ cider has scooped a host of national and international awards that confirm that they are continuing to produce some of the best cider around. However, Barny is never one to rest on his laurels, he wants to ensure that generations to come can continue to enjoy award-winning cider, which is why he is working hard to protect orchards for the future and encourage the next cohort of real cider makers.
Barny elaborates: “They’ve been making real cider in the UK for over 2,000 years and I want to make sure that tradition continues. Recently, we’ve been working with Bristol University to map the DNA of ancient apple trees in our orchards, so we can identify vulnerable and unique varieties and protect them for the future. We also want to encourage the next batch of cider makers and have instigated The Sandford Orchards Breakthrough Cider Maker Awards, which offer aspiring cider makers advice, guidance and guaranteed listings in the on and off trade.”
Meanwhile, Sandford Orchards continues to grow at the fastest pace in its 20 year history. Barny adds: “ We are proud to still be an independent, family-owned business and we are in a really healthy place that allows us to reinvest in the business and our staff. We still press and ferment whole juice from the finest apples and age it to perfection to create fabulous cider. Our continued growth simply means more people get to enjoy it and that is exactly why I started making cider twenty years ago.”
For further information on Sandford Orchards please visit www.sandfordorchards.co.uk
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).
