If you're ever foolhardy enough to host an evening of Cornishness in honour of St Piran then by gosh you'd better be armed with a decent supply of Cornish cider. Cornish Orchards, which observant readers might recall played a leading role in a certain Wassail not so long ago, produce a decent selection of ciders the old-fashioned way, on a farm in Liskeard. Stranded in London, the only way to get at them was over the internet, which is how we came to receive a large box of their appley wares in the post.
Getting to the point, Cornish Orchards' medium Draught Farm Cider (5.2%) - which can be bought in five-litre boxes - smells of apples alright. Golden yellow, no carbonation; this was essentially apple juice with a slightly dryer finish - quite sweet, but with an edge. Top cider!
Their flagon of Farmhouse Cider described itself as medium too, but this tasted sweeter and smoother than the draught, despite it being a tad stronger (5.5%). Popular with womenfolk.
Finally, the Black & Gold Pear Cider (5%), smooth and carbonated, was on the dryer side, and didn't taste an awful lot like pear.
In sum, Cornish Orchards shows what great feats can be achieved with a few apples and, er, some other stuff. Should I ever want to celebrate St Piran again I'll know where to go.
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