Tricky Cider is run by Matt Gillett, a life long lover of cider and Somerset. Matt grew up in nearby Taunton and after 10 years working as an automotive engineer in Essex, he decided to change direction and move back to his home county.

His passion for fermenting started in the mid 2000’s with 'Genghis Ales' his home brew label, and small batch cider making using fruit from neighbours’ trees. This background led to a micro-brewery installation project with friend Freddie Farnworth in the back garden of the Holman Clavel pub on the Blackdown hills, at that time owned by Tricky founder Steve Watkins. The pair purchased Tricky from Steve in 2018 and Matt is now the sole owner of the business.

Operating out of Higher Willand Farm on the Blackdowns, his aim is to produce and promote high quality traditional farmhouse cider and work to regenerate forgotten orchards. Matt is proud to be part of the tradition of Somerset cider making and the exciting revival of this fabulous natural drink.

The key to his approach lies in the heart of the Somerset levels, an area still home to a goldmine of traditional cider apples:

“Sourcing apples from these orchards and helping maintain them is central to our cider making. Every drop of Tricky Cider is produced from fruit we pick and press ourselves. I’m able to taste the apples before they’re pressed to build a picture of how they can be blended or kept as single varieties. Each basket of fruit is sorted by hand to give a cleaner pick. This approach means that every cider has a unique story, created from the lifecycle of each orchard through Winter pruning, Spring pollination, Summer grazing and Autumn harvest.

An advantage of using other peoples’ orchards is that we have access to a diverse range of fruit. As most apple trees are bi-annual, the varieties available in any given year may change. This means our ciders vary from year to year and new single variety and blended ciders are always being found. Our ciders do not conform to a script, the most important thing is to work with nature, make from what is available and ensure the quality is as high as possible."

Tricky Cider 2004 - 2018

Tricky Cider was founded in 2004 by Steve Watkins and Alistair Brice. With a lifetime of hobby cider making behind them, the pair started Tricky to preserve the art of traditional cider, refining the authentic taste over several years with a perfect blend of local cider apples. Tricky takes its name from nearby Trickey Warren; a flat open area with a reputation as a hard place to shoot rabbits! In 1941 Trickey Warren became home to RAF Culmhead, the first of 3 airfields constructed on the Blackdown Hills to provide air support for Exeter and Bristol and shelter for aircraft from bombing raids. Tricky is aptly named as anyone lost in the back lanes of the Blackdown hills will concur! To find us we recommend typing ‘Tricky Cider’ into Google maps or using what 3 words: most.impulsive.lime.

Thanks to Steve and Al the Tricky name flourished, and today we are taking the business forward on the next stage of its journey.

Natural ingredients

At Tricky we believe that real craft cider is not getting the recognition it deserves. Our cider is made only made from real cider apples we pick ourselves, never using concentrate and without additives or acids. We open ferment our cider using natural airborne yeasts and backsweeten medium ciders with cane sugar, never artificial sweeteners. All our fruit ciders are made with our own homemade cordials including elderflower from the farm, and rhubarb from our generous rhubarb donors!

Support Local, reduce waste

We want to support local businesses and charities, wherever possible we use local suppliers.

While it is not currently possible to eliminate all plastic from our packaging, (bag in box especially), we aim to reduce the use of plastic wherever possible with alternatives such as PLA and cardboard.

At Tricky we like to have fun, work to sustain the natural environment and bring high quality traditional cider to as many people as possible.