THE CASUAL observer could be forgiven for thinking the only accompaniment a cider drinker wants with their tipple is a handful of ice.
Certainly, the revival of the cider category in the on-trade over the past couple of years has been spearheaded by the popularity of the over-ice serve. However, it also has a long tradition as a food accompaniment - from scrumpy to wash down a pastie in the West Country, to cidre avec crepes across the channel in Brittany.
This prompted Gaymer Cider Company to expand its range last year, with the launch of Orchard Reserve, a range of upmarket ciders in bottles reminiscent of those you'd normally expect to find a decent wine in.
The visual cue is deliberate, designed to make customers consider the possibility of ordering a bottle of cider with their meal instead of wine. So does it work? In our latest product trial, Gaymers teamed up with The Publican to give three pubs the chance to find out if devotees of the grape could be persuaded to vary their drinking repertoire occasionally.
Each pub was supplied with the three Orchard Reserve ciders, as well as premium cloudy double-fermented cider Addlestones. A menu card developed for each pub matched their dishes with the various ciders. The card asked 'Is Cider The New Wine?'
Gaymers believed this would encourage people to re-think the traditional image of cider. While it seems unlikely that it would replace wine in pubs, it could become established as an alternative. With a lower ABV than wine, a glass of cider with lunch or dinner could have popular appeal.
The dishes were developed by Tom Norrington-Davies, chef and food writer, and Richard Guest, Michelin-starred head chef at the Castle Hotel in Taunton. The cards were displayed on tables and alongside the menu. Customers were encouraged to switch to the cider, with licensees canvassing opinions from diners afterwards on the suitability of the match.
The Bell, Somerset
Despite being in the heart of apple- pressing country, cider is not something regulars would normally expect to find at the Bell, near Frome, Somerset. The 16th century village inn is one of two pubs in the village and, says licensee Jeremy Westcott: "We're the posh one, cider has probably always more been associated with the other pub. Orchard Reserve fits right in with our image because it's a posh cider."
Matching food to drinks is not new for the Bell. It runs a regular beer festival, and has been working on its own beer and food cookbook - which, as a result of the trial, will be expanded to include cider as well.
The pub has a 60-cover restaurant as well as a private dining room, useful because of the occasional celebrity customer - Jeremy is too discreet to name names, but simply says "Status Quo".
During the trial the pub gave away a free bottle of Orchard Reserve with any of the four specific meals it had matched the cider to, and asked customers for feedback - which has been very positive.
"I'm really surprised at how popular it's been," says Jeremy. "Our one real dilemma was how to serve it - do you serve it in a wine glass or a cider glass? I've suggested to Gaymers they design a posh wine-style glass for it."
The White Hart Inn, Oxford
Making more of cider was not a new topic for David Peevers, licensee of the White Hart Inn - in fact, he was a man ahead of his time.
"Cider is something I'd been banging on about five years ago," he says. "Why should we be devoting time in this country to making overpriced wines when we can be making traditional ciders and perries?"
The 500-year-old pub in Wytham, near Oxford, was acquired by David on a lease with Mitchells & Butlers in 2002. At the time, the White Hart was not seen as viable on a managed basis, and there was a danger the village could have lost its pub.
The leasing deal changed that "and we're now one of the top four or five food pubs around Oxford". Having run a cider and food matching trial soon after taking over, with limited success, David was impressed by both the quality of the ciders and the customer response this time around.
"Addlestones, the cloudy cider, goes very well with sausage and mash, and Stowford Press was great with halibut," he says. "Cider is lower in alcohol than wine, and customers concerned about drink-driving can enjoy a glass with a meal."
Evidence that customers like the cider is the fact that the pub had to reorder supplies several times during the trial.
"We'll definitely continue to stock it. One of the big issues at the moment is food miles, so we should be stocking a cider that's made in England, less than 60 miles from the pub," says David.
The Fox and Goose, Maidstone
Ken Williams and his partner Jan Jheeta took over the Fox and Goose on a lease with Enterprise Inns two years ago. The pub itself was a rural inn when it was built in the 1760s, with a suburban estate having grown up around it since. "A lot of people in the area still don't know the pub is here, because it's down a leafy country lane," says Ken.
With a talented young chef, Alan Egan, masterminding the kitchen and food sales expanding, the pub has started making more of a noise about its offer. The pub already had a 'try before you buy' policy in place, which has boosted wine sales, and the same approach has worked with cider.
"What the trial shows is that cider isn't just about Magners, which we all know has been selling well, it's about other brands as well -- and the fact that it goes well with food," says Ken.
The cider has been served in 175ml and 250ml glasses at the pub. "The trial has probably quadrupled our cider sales," Ken adds.
John Mills, managing director of Gaymer Cider Company, says: "We have a fantastic portfolio of ciders, including our more premium offerings which when matched with food make for an exciting alternative to wine. We are simply offering consumers something with a lower ABV compared with wine, something that is important to many people.
"We hope this trial will inform people about the options available for cider and encourage people to substitute their traditional mealtime drink with one of our ciders - we think they may be surprised by the results."
The Ciders
Addlestones a premium cloudy cider which uses English cider apples and a double fermentation process. It tastes great with a variety of foods, from spicy and aromatic flavours and fish dishes to traditional British meals such as and roast dinners.
Orchard Reserve is a range of three single-orchard ciders:
- Stewley is a medium dry, light, amber cider, and a perfect partner for traditional British dishes.
- Stonesbrook is a dry, lightly sparkling cider, with a gentle and refreshing taste which creates a perfect match for delicately flavoured foods such as chicken, salads and fish dishes.
- Newton's Vale is a medium rich amber-coloured cider with a creamy taste, which works well with curries and other spicy dishes as well as fruit dishes and desserts.