The Lyme Bay Winery (originally Lyme Bay Cider Co.) was founded on a dream to leave the city and return to the West Country to live. With a passion to make a real West Country cider, and inspired by the local Lyme Bay coastline, at first they produced just draught and bottled ciders, supplying local pubs and shops. Over time they began making other traditional drinks, rediscovering the tipples country folk have always made and bringing them back to life. Many of these traditional country wines and fruit liqueurs have developed a real following and now they make a large range of award-winning drinks.

Lyme Bay combine traditional skills with modern techniques to produce their ciders. Lyme Bay Winery are passionate about keeping the craft of West Country cider-making alive. For over a decade they have used the freshly presses juice of locally grown, traditional cider apple varieties such as Dabinett, Kingston Black and Yarlington Mill, to produce a quality range of real, full flavoured ciders.

Their Jack Ratt range is named after the notorious Lyme Bay smuggler Jack Rattenbury (1778 - 1844). Jack Ratt operated along the Lyme coast, from Weymouth to Topsham. He was often in trouble with the Customs and Excise, and would hide smuggled goods along the coast in secret spots and safe houses and recover them at a later date when the coast was clear. Their traditional still Scrumpy and Vintage ciders take inspiration from this colourful local character, and are available in flagons, bottles, traditional stoneware bottles and direct from the barrel at their Winery Shop.

The Lyme Bay Winery, Shute, Axminster, Devon EX13 7PW

• Situated within the Winery, The Winery Shop offers our complete range of products plus a wide selection of locally produced food and drinks.

Directions by road: Two miles west of Axminster turn off the A35 to Shute. The Winery is sign posted 1 mile after Shute. Alternatively turn off the A3052 to Colyton or Musbury and follow signs to Whitford.

[email your comments about Lyme Bay Cider to comments@zider.co.uk]

Several bottled and draught ciders, as well as other local products, are available. The farmhouse cider is well flavoured and the price reasonable [crofter.com]

Lyme Bay ciders