Paignton Cider
I first produced this post back in June 2018 and things have changed quite a bit since then, but rather than wipe the slate completely clean, I thought it best to keep much of the original post as a reminder of how things used to be, with an update to the current situation as we go along.
The UK has the highest per capita consumption of cider in the world and although there are other areas of the UK such as East Anglia that have a tradition of producing fine cider it’s generally regarded that the counties of Herefordshire and Worcestershire in the West Midlands and the West Country in general are the areas with which it is most associated.
The county of Devon has had a long history of cider making, and although there are no really large commercial businesses down here these days, there are still a number of smaller producers dotted about – including Hunts of Yalberton.
Yalberton is a small village on the outskirts of Paignton, and although the nearby industrial estate and new housing have started to encroach on the once serene countryside, there are still plenty of apple trees growing in the fields. In years gone by, many of these apples were used by the famous Whiteway’s Cyder firm of Whimple, but they also spawned a couple of local Yalberton cider farms as well – namely Churchward’s and Hunt’s. The friendly rivalry between them ceased to exist after Churchward’s closed down sometime during the 1990s, the exact date of which I can’t quite remember.
Fortunately, Hunt’s is still going strong, and it was in 2018 that I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to have a look around Higher Yalberton Farm to see where the apples came from and how their cider was made.
The family started producing cider here over 200 years ago, and the same orchards and traditional methods of making cider were still being used when I joined the 2018 Wednesday Wobbler tour.
The press was made back in the 1950s and was all very low tech – but what they didn’t have in modern equipment they more than made up for in experience. The only ingredient that was used in the process was apples – just apples – but what they knew about apples and the production of cider was staggering.
The tour included generous tastings of Hazy Days, a summer tipple at a modest 4.5% ABV, Barn Screecher at a more respectable 6.2%, and Bull Walloper at an eye-watering 7.2%. I’m pleased to say that these ciders are all still available and have been added to by several others including some delicious fruit ciders for summer drinking.
Of course, for a business to thrive in this day and age it can’t continue to produce cider in any quantity using traditional methods, so the family have moved their operations to modern purpose-built facilities at nearby Broadleigh Farm, which technically speaking is in Stoke Gabriel rather than Paignton. Either way, the tradition of cider making in the area is still going strong, and the future, like a cider drinker’s cheeks, is looking rosy – and the other bit of good news is that there is still a Wednesday Wobbler tour around the new set-up, which I believe still offers generous samples of the current crop of apple juice, and if my tour was anything to go by, and you don’t want to be found under an apple tree spending the night with a herd of Devon Reds, then it’s probably best that you arrange some form of transport to get you home.
For all the latest info, news and more, check out Hunts’ website at https://www.huntscider.co.uk/
ORIGINAL POST – JUNE 2018
LATEST UPDATE – JULY 2025
Originally posted 2018-06-23 14:54:51.
Oh, I likes a good eyewatering cider. None of your ordinary stuff for me!!! Great post.
I’ve had cider that has not only been green in colour but also turned me green before finishing it 😊
Lol… I sometimes don’t like to think of what I have partaken of. BUT after a hill walkng day my tipple has aye been a pint of the strongest strength and yeah at times that is cider.
Very wise to knock it back AFTER the walk in that case 🙂
Oh aye.
I live near the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia which also has a tradition of making hard cider (as we call alcoholic Apple cider) as opposed to the more frequent staple of all fall farmer’s stands, nonalcoholic Apple cider. I like many of the hard ciders around here but some really don’t taste like they have apples in them. Like beer, I guess each individual has their own idea of the type of cider they prefer. Some friends and I went to one cidery and did not like any of their four versions (five if you include the non alcoholic version). We have been to others that we preferred a lot more. For someone like me who does not like any type of beer at all, cider is a good substitute.
That’s interesting. It begs the question as to whether we swapped our cider for your tobacco in that case. Walter Raleigh was a Devonian, so it wouldn’t have been impossible to have taken some with him.
From the limited colonial era history I remember, hard cider was a staple in the colonies. So you might be on to something. Our wine industry in VA did not really get going until the 1970s-1980s. But we have been making excellent moonshine for centuries. 🙂
Apfelwein (= apple wine) is the traditional drink here in Frankfurt and vicinity.
I have to confess in trying some when I was in Frankfurt Don – and very nice it was too. Quite different from West Country scrumpy though
I’m not one of the many who contribute to those cider consumption levels, but seeing how it is made would be interesting
Good job they don’t pay workers in cider any more is all I’ve got to say