Sara Boyd of Loch Mor Cider Company (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)
With the days growing shorter and not just the apples but the leaves off the trees, Loch Mor Cider Company is preparing for its second Wassail.
Sara and Gary Boyd started planting cider apple trees on 10 acres of Hillier clay loam in 2017. Their dry ciders — Loch Mor’s full-flavour liquid gold is made without an overdose of sugar — are crafted in the European tradition, and have already won over 25 industry awards, including Best Cider of the Year at the 2021 WineAlign Awards.
The County’s late fall Wassail is perfectly timed.
“It’s a really great way to celebrate the harvest
Sara Boyd
and all the hard work that’s gone into the growing of our apples.
Traditionally, Wassail is held in apple orchards in early January,
but it’s cold that time of year here,
so we get a head start on our celebration,
which comes as we put the vines and the apple trees
to bed for the winter.”
The cidery offers mulled cider by the glass and a free single cider tasting for those who belt out a Wassail carol, no matter how badly.
To properly balance the dryness of their Savvy Pomme or Harry Masters Jersey, there’s chocolate pairings featuring Centre & Main Chocolatiers of Warkworth.
Loch Mor is also offering cheese pairings featuring favourites from Lighthall and Empire.
“What we really enjoy most about Wassail is that it tends to be a really local celebration. We see a lot more locals coming out and enjoying the tour. It’s the locals who really seem to take advantage of this celebration and we appreciate that aspect of it.”
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