A smallscale producer - and the only cider maker in Nottinghamshire - Ray and Gail's first cider 'Sore Finger Cider' (named after the very sore fingers from cutting up the piles of apples so that they’d fit into the small food-processor) was made purely on a hobby basis. In 1999, they started planting true cider apples in their orchard making sure that they had some ‘vintage’ bittersweet and bittersharp cider-apple varieties such as Kingston Black, Stoke Red, Yarlington Mill and Dabinett; growing them as organically as possible. By late 2006 they started supplying cider wholesale to beer festivals.

They use genuine 100% Hucknall, Nottinghamshire-grown apples in their cider, so thinking of a name was not too difficult. Up until 1916, Hucknall was known as Hucknall-Torkard; the name Torkard is used by a number of businesses in the area and is synonymous with Hucknall. So Torkard Cider became the name of our first official blend.

Torkard Cider is made from 100% pure un-pasteurised apple juice with no additives, colouring agents, water, sugar or such like. It is a blend of West Country bittersharp and bittersweet cider apple varieties grown in Hucknall. The only addition is a small amount of Sulphur Dioxide to kill off unwanted yeasts and spoilage organisms. Primary fermentation is by the natural yeasts found present on the skin of the fruit, followed by a later pitching of wine yeast to get the desirable ABV of 6.5% - 7.0% to ensure it will keep. It is allowed to clear naturally and so is unfiltered and un-fined; it may have a slight natural haze. It is a pale gold in colour, with medium body and medium-to-light tannin. Look out for Torkard Cider at beer and cider festivals in the East Midlands.

Hucknall Cider Co., Hucknall, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire NG15 6ND

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