‘Excellent’ fruit harvest to produce ‘exceptional quality ciders’

The quality of this year’s fruit harvest is “full of promise for next year’s ciders”, according to the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM). Jessica Mason reports.

Speaking to the drinks business, NACM public affairs director Mark Hopper said: “The 2025 cider apple harvest is now well underway, with cider makers right in the middle of their busiest few weeks as mid-season fruit is being gathered and pressed. Fruit quality is reported as excellent, high in natural sugars, packed with flavour and full of promise for next year’s ciders.”

Exceptional quality on par with fine wines

Describing what made the British fruit harvest so impressive this year, particularly for cider-making, Hopper explained: “While apples are slightly smaller than average following reduced rainfall over the summer, they’re rich in juice and character, which is exactly what cider makers look for. Conditions vary across the cider-making regions, but it looks as though most producers will be celebrating a plentiful crop and a wide range of exceptional quality ciders next year.”

As a result of the harvest, which early data from the Met Office had already forecast would “almost certainly” be logged as the hottest summer on record, some producers have remarked on how the sweetness of the fruit will boost the ABV on a selection of ciders made as a result. This, producers anticipate, will lead to sharing bottles being sold as specialist products and assist in cider being positioned more readily as an alternative to fine wines.

Giving extra context to what is happening in real time, Hopper explained that “the harvest typically runs for around 12 weeks, and this year is expected to finish towards the end of November” noting how the crop was so bountiful that orchards were extremely busy at the moment. The glut is well-timed since this week National Apple Day (21 October) is also shining a light on the pubs that keep cider at the heart of their offer.

Cider at the heart of British hospitality and gastronomy

The NACM, which represents cider makers who make more than 90% of all cider sold in the UK, highlighted how cider remains a key part of the UK pub offer, generating more than £2 billion in on-trade value and supporting around 50,000 jobs in hospitality.

Hopper told db: “Pubs across the UK play an essential role in keeping cider at the heart of British hospitality. It’s been really encouraging to see venues in every part of the country expanding their cider ranges so that customers can find a style that suits their taste from traditional dry ciders to sparkling modern blends.”

Fine cider in particular has also now started to be listed in some of the UK’s most revered restaurants with premium brands being served alongside high end food. In fact, quality cider is already being treated with the same reverence as wine in a selection of fine dining establishments by some of the best Epicureans in the business. For instance, London restaurants such as St John and Rules all championing cider. Added to this, Nigel Sutcliffe, founder of restaurant group Truffle Hunting and owner of The Oarsman in Marlow, is the ex-director of Heston Blumenthal’s The Fat Duck has already described cider as “one of the best things happening gastronomically in the UK right now”.

According to Hopper there were also pubs that went a little further to support cider and pointed out that “pubs in the heartlands of cider-making places like Herefordshire, Somerset and the wider West Country are particularly special. They often champion locally-made ciders on tap or by the bottle, offering visitors the chance to taste products crafted just a few miles from the orchards where the apples were grown.”

Local connection and pride

Hopper explained: “It’s that local connection and pride in quality that makes the British pub such an important part of cider’s story.”

The association additionally revealed that cider makers work closely with local, regional and national suppliers, supporting British manufacturing and partnering with more than 300 farmers who grow apples across 15,000 acres of orchards.

Hopper added: “Every glass of cider starts with an apple, but it’s in the pub that the journey truly comes to life. From growers to cider makers and the thousands of people working in hospitality who bring those pints to customers, our industry works together to deliver great-tasting ciders all year round. National Apple Day is a moment to celebrate that partnership and to recognise the pubs and people who keep cider at the heart of British hospitality. The connection between orchards, cider makers and pubs is what makes this category so distinctive.“

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