True farmhouse cider is a drink with a heritage that goes back to Celtic Britain and is one of the endearing tastes of rural Britain and the Wine of Somerset.
The production of Traditional Cider couldn't be simpler. Jill chooses regular cropping cider apples, including such varieties as Tom Putt, Sweet Alford, Tremlett Bitter, Somerset Red Streak and the famous Kingston Black.
In addition, for the production of apple juice, Bramley, Cox and Jonagold apples are put into a mill and turned into pulp or pomace.
This pomace is then crushed using the cider press to extract pure apple juice.
Juice selected for our pure apple juice is then pasteurised and bottled.
The juice selected for our cider is run off into a holding vessel before being transferred into storage vessels, where it is left for several months to ferment. The natural yeast from the apples does the fermentation work.
The quality and taste depends very much on the blend of apples used and at Torre Cider, ten or more apple types can be used in their cider making.
Being a small family establishment, Jill's brother Dorrien is the farm's cider maker and Jill still prides herself on the final tasting and blending.
Torre Cider has 8 acres of their own orchards but Jill also buys in apples from smaller private growers in order to make around 30,000 litres of cider a year.
Golden in colour with a good clean taste of apples traditional Cider is the flavour of summer as well as the countryside.
Torre Cider Farm currently make 4 Traditional Scrumpy Ciders
HOWZAT - 7% Medium SweetFARMHOUSE - 6.5% Medium Dry
SHEEP STAGGER - 7.4% Dry
TORNADO - 8.4% Mind Blowing Extra Dry
plus Pure Apple Juice and Cider Vinegar
Open Daily
10.00 am - 5.00 pm
Easter to October
10.00 am - 4.00 pm
November to February