Bennett's, Somerset, United Kingdom

Viv Bennett is the cider maker at Bennett's Cider at Chestnut Farm in Somerset. He never told me he changed the name of his cider, but several other people say his cider is now called Chestnut Farm Cider. The jugs he gave me bear a label proclaiming his award winning drink "Bennett's Champion Farmhouse Cider". I would have given him an award too, this stuff is good! A bit on the acetic side, but highly palatable. Viv learned to make cider from his father, and the cider making tradition goes back five generations in Viv's family. Bennett's is using a hydraulic press which Viv's father installed back in the 1950s. I didn't have a chance to meet his daughter, but he tells me she helps him out with apples and with sales. Six of the apples in his cider come from the farm, the other varieties vary and are brought in from neighbors.

Products:

• Champion Farmhouse Cider