This History of Tricky Cider

This History of Tricky Cider

Tricky Cider 2023 - present

In 2023 Tricky moved location down to Netherham Farm in Low Ham on the Somerset levels. The main reason for moving was to place the business closer to the orchards we pick from, enabling us to operate our own cider press and increase the amout of cider we produce. We had been working with the owners of Netherham farm for many years helping maintain and taking the fruit from the orchards on the Farm. The new location is ideally suited to cider making with a series of traditional cow barns and a large sheltered yard. The area around Low ham is surrounded by many traditional cider orchards, farming and cider making are part of the heritage of this part of Somerset.

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.

Now Matt believes that the key to his cider making 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 2018 - 2023

In 2018 Tricky was purchased by Matt and his friend Freddie, after a project installing a micro brewery into the back garden of the pub owned by Steve Watkins. Matt became the sole owner of the business in 2019 and ran the business for 5 years out of Higher Willand Farm on the Blackdown hills. During these years he picked fruit from the Somerset levels, and rented time on the press at Hecks Cider in Street, transporting the juice up the hill to ferment. This solution worked well allowing a large range of different ciders to be produced and the business to develop. The difficulty and cost of transporting juice up onto the Blackdowns however prompet a search for a new home for Tricky, culminating in a move to Low Ham in the Winter of 2023.

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.

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.

Netherham Farm

Tricky is based at Netherham Farm in Low Ham near Langport. Besides benefitting from the orchards in the local area and on the farm itself, Netherham farm has many of its own attractions of significant historical interest. Most notably the Church in the Field - a 17th century private chapel built and a roman villa, from which a mosaic was unearthed which can be found at Taunton museum.

Many traditional orchards are no longer commercially viable due to their drop in yield and poor tree health. Historically, small villages such as Baltonsborough and nearby Butleigh were surrounded by orchards, with farmers collecting the apples to make cider for the farm and their workers. The above map from 1880 shows the extent of orchard decline over the last 140 years, the green dots are where orchards exist today.

In the mid-20th century, the Showerings cider mill at nearby Shepton Mallet became a hub for landowners who would bring their fruit to press during the Autumn harvest. Today, the prevalence of imported apple juice concentrate in commercial ciders, and a preference from large cider makers to use modern high yield bush style orchards means that many traditional orchards have fallen into decline. Matt believes that It is down to small cider makers to make use of the orchards that still exist, replant trees and maintain them for the future.

While living in Baltonsborough near Glastonbury, Matt noticed the poor state of many old orchards. Commonly, unkept trees become overgrown with Mistletoe and are blown over in the winter storms. Orchards would inevitably be ‘grubbed up’ and the land repurposed, often for building and
development.

Tree pruning and mistletoe removal needs to be kept up every year otherwise hard pruning is required and trees such as the one pictured above may take some time to recover and yeild good fruit.

Miranda Benzies Art

Miranda Benzies was an artist who lived from 14/02/81 - 05/01/15. Sections of her work are used as the artwork for our labels. Profits from print and book sales go towards a fund setup in her name to help struggling young people using the arts. More information and a portfolio of her work can be found at: www.mirandabenzies.co.uk