09th June, 2025
A sweet cider made by Alan Berry and his son Mark of Blackmore Vale Cider near Templecombe on the Somerset and Dorset border has been voted “The People’s Choice” in the Orchards and Cider Exhibition at the Royal Bath and West Show.
Over 1,000 showgoers voted in the competition, which gives participants the chance to taste and pick a winner from six top quality ciders. Blackmore Vale Sweet was the clear winner, with “Silly Cow Medium”, made by Paul Courtney of Courtneys of Whimple in Devon, the runner-up.
“We’re just really, really pleased to have been given what amounts to a vote of confidence by the people who matter most – our customers, both present and future”, said Alan Berry.
“The winning cider was at the drier end of the sweet category, made from 80 per cent Dabinett apples and 20 per cent Bramleys, from our own and other Somerset orchards. The public do tend to favour sweeter ciders – hence the Dabinett’s – but they also seem to enjoy a bit of bite, which is what the Bramleys provide.
“It should really be my son Mark who gets the credit, as he looks after the cider business, while I concentrate on the apple juice. We’re only a small business, producing 4-5,000 litres of cider a year, but we’re very proud of the quality of our products and to win this accolade means a lot.
“It was particularly gratifying that when our local MP, Sarah Dyke, was given the chance to tale part in the People’s Choice, she chose our cider and told me how much she had enjoyed it!”
