Over 70 Artisan Ciders & Perrys
Taste Fine Cider and Wild Food
Headline Act: Coco and the Butterfields
Artisan cider and perry from Kent and neighbouring counties will be showcased at Brogdale’ s annual Cider Festival on the August bank holiday weekend. Over 70 different fine ciders and perrys will be on offer to taste and drink along with rural entertainment.
The festival will celebrate Kent’s long and colourful history of “farmhouse style” cider. Individual producers will come together to offer traditionally made cider, now widely known as artisan cider.
The Kent Cider Company, based in Faversham is just one of the producers who will offer their ciders for sale over the weekend. Owner Mark Henderson will be at the festival with a traditional cider press and demonstrate cider making methods which have been used for hundreds of years.
Mark says, “We aim to produce ciders with depth, unique flavours and finishes. To achieve this we follow a rustic process starting with sourcing heritage apple varieties then press with a traditional oak press and leave for nature to take its course in fermenting the juice”.
The Kent Cider Company use cider apples from the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, as it preserves over 90 different heritage varieties.
Bernie Cranfield, Events and Marketing Manager at Brogdale, says “The range and taste of ciders is extraordinary. Kent is a treasure trove of small producers and we are dedicated to bringing them together to showcase artisan ciders whilst giving our visitors the opportunity to taste and enjoy them over the weekend”.
Producers will enter a cider competition; sponsored by the National Association of Cider Makers in the hope of being awarded with the winning Artisan Cider. Local food will accompany the cider along with a wild food tent to introduce foraged food, game and other rural delights. Local bands will play over the weekend including headline act “Coco and the Butterfields”.
Bernie continues; “The festival is growing into an event that can be enjoyed by the whole family. We are introducing more children’s activities including a creepy crawly tent, Newfoundland Dog Display by Splashpals and a barrel train pulled by a quad bike”.
Visitors can take advantage of a complimentary shuttle bus running from Faversham Station to Brogdale over the weekend and can book tickets online at a discounted rate.
The National Fruit Collection is the largest collection of fruit varieties in the world
Contact: Kimberly Campion Tel: 01795 536250 Email: kimberly@brogdalecollections.co.uk
