Since 2018, Totally Cider Tours has brought cider enthusiasts directly into orchards, cider houses, and farmhouse cider culture across Europe.
In this episode
- Upcoming interviews for Season 11 of Cider Chat
- Audio snapshots for the 2026 UK Blossom Time Totally Cider Tour
- UK cider culture during blossom season
- Traditional cider houses in Somerset and Herefordshire
- Perry pears and orchard biodiversity
- Wild fermentation and tannin structure
- What makes a proper cider, and how does traditional cider culture shape that experience?
Walking Through Orchard Country
This tour followed the blooms across the West Country during one of the most beautiful stretches of spring weather imaginable.
Along the way we visited:
- Ross on Wye Cider & Perry
- Oliver’s Cider and Perry
- Gwatkin Cider
- The Newt
- Little Pomona
- Far Orchard – Branch Cider
- Somerset Cider & Brandy Company
Guests shared what surprised them most:
- Wild fermentations
- Perry pear orchards
- Bag-in-box cider culture
- Orchard grazing systems
- Fruit co-ferments
- The hospitality surrounding cider in the UK
What the Guests Took Away
One recurring theme kept surfacing throughout the tour:
Cider here feels connected to place.
Guests spoke about:
- Relaxed hospitality
- Drinking directly from the cask
- Orchard biodiversity
- Farm-to-glass traditions
- The connection between animals, orchards, and cider making
Several travelers compared the experience to wine regions or farmhouse brewing cultures, while others described discovering tannin structure and traditional cider styles for the very first time.
Perry Pears, Cheese, and Orchard Stories
This episode also touches on:
- The work of Charles Martell
- The famous Stinking Bishop cheese
- The National Perry Pear Centre
- 99Pines – cider company community based at the National Perry Pear Centre
- Orchard walks during peak blossom
- How cider tourism creates lasting friendships
And yes… there were plenty of moments involving laughter, overflowing Ploughman’s lunches, and impromptu bottle shares in castle ruins.
Why This Tour Matters
This tour and as a result this episode is less about reviewing cider and more about understanding what cider culture actually feels like when you slow down enough to experience it.
That’s the real takeaway from Blossom Time.
Not just tasting cider.
Living inside cider country for a little while.
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