Cider news
We report on all things cider related
Saxby's Cider opening a shop at Chester House Estate near Wellingborough
We are very pleased to let you know we will be opening a shop in the new artisan shopping courtyard at The Chester House Estate, near Wellingborough, very soon. We will be stocking all our ciders, apple juice and cider vinegars plus many locally sourced beers, wines and spirits.
Chester House Estate will be a FREE TO ENTER Heritage Visitor Attraction with an Archaeological Resource Centre.
It will also provide:
Volunteer and Community Engagement
Wedding and Corporate
Venue Hire
Restaurant and Café
Events Catering
Artisan Shopping Courtyard (that's where we are!)
Bed and Breakfast
Community Farm Shop
Corporate Partnerships
Year-Round Events Programme
Outdoor Play Area
North Northamptonshire Council purchased the site in 2004 and secured grant funding through working with the National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop a sustainable visitor destination with access for the public to learn about the history and heritage, as well as becoming the location to house countywide archaeological finds.
It's going to be fantastic!
https://chesterhouseestate.org/
Four new Great Taste awards for Saxby's Cider in 2020
We have triumphed in the 2020 Great Taste Awards with no less than four of our products winning the highly coveted Great Taste Stars. Great Taste is the world’s largest and most trusted accreditation scheme – and is designed to support and promote artisan food and drink producers. This year alone 12,777 products were entered and assessed.
As Cider maker Philip Saxby explains:
“Putting our range of Ciders to the test with a panel of over 500 expert judges is an excellent way for us to get honest, straightforward and impartial feedback from chefs, buyers, food and drink writers and retailers. These latest 2020 Awards – for Saxby’s Original Sparkling Cider, Saxby’s Rhubarb Sparkling Cider, Saxby’s Sloe Gin Cider and Saxby’s Christmas Cheer – brings our total of Great Taste Awards to 12. It’s a wonderful tribute to our hard working team here on the family farm in Farndish. We always say Saxby’s Ciders are made with love – we’re delighted that once again the Great Taste judges agree”.
What the Great Taste Awards Judges had to say.
Saxby’s Original Sparkling Cider (1-star)
Wonderful clear golden straw colour. Complexity on the nose hints at more distinct apple aromas – apple skin, sweet apple, sharp citrus and very slight orange blossom.
Saxby’s Rhubarb Sparkling Cider (1-star)
A light and fruity cider with a punchy rhubarb aroma. The rhubarb is the star here.
Saxby’s Sloe Gin Slider (2-star)
Warm, tawny gold in the glass - a clever and appealing blend of sloes, baked apples with a hint of marzipan.
Saxby’s Christmas Cheer (1-star)
Deep amber gold. Very rich dried fruits and apples on the nose. Rich and raisiny – perfect with a mince pie.
The apple pressing season is starting early in 2020! We want your apples!
The apples are ready early this year and we’ve already had lots of enquiries about bringing unwanted apples in to the farm. So the good news is that apple pressing starts on the farm on Monday 21st September - so we want your apples!
Bring your apples to the shop on the farm and you can take some free cider or apple juice home with you. Fill up one of our trugs and we'll swap it for a bottle of our 3 Point 9 cider. Up to a maximum of 12 bottles per household. 18+ only. Or we will swap two trugs for a 3L bag in box of our delicious apple juice - so that might be something to tempt any children to help with picking your apples.
This offer runs from 21st Septmber to 3rd October 2020 only and the shop is open Monday to Saturday 10am - 2pm.
Our shop is on Grange Farm, Farndish, Wellingborough, Northants NN29 7HJ
We'll see you soon!
#wewantyourapples
Saxby's Cider September 2020 newsletter
We have lots happening on the farm this Autumn. We'll be picking and pressing our apples very soon getting next year's cider ready. The pumpkins are growing steadily in the field and will be ready for PYO picking too. And we'll be opening our new taproom for some more events.
See you soon! Philip & Amanda Saxby
SAXBY'S CIDER APPLE DAY PARTY ON THE FARM
SATURDAY 10TH OCTOBER 2020
1 PM- 6PM
Come and celebrate the wonderful world of apples with us on the farm. Where would Saxby’s Cider be without them?
We’ll have apple pressing demonstrations all afternoon using our original rack and cloth press and if you bring your own apples we’ll press them for you so you can take home the juice. Kids will be entertained with a treasure hunt and can go on a trailer ride around the orchard.
The bar will be open with our usual ciders and we’ll be serving hot mulled cider too. Come and try our new Bourbon barrel-aged cider. We’ll also have street food to make sure everyone is well-fed. Duncan Craven will be playing his guitar during the afternoon and keeping us entertained.
Tickets are £5 for adults and £2.50 for under children aged 6 - 17. Under 5s are FREE.
FREE ENTRY
PYO PUMPKIN PICKING
DAILY 9.30AM - 4PM
OCTOBER 17TH - OCTOBER 31ST
Bring your wellies, grab a wheelbarrow and go! We have planted a whole field on the farm with all sorts of shapes, sizes and colours of pumpkins and squashes. It's free entry and you pay for what to pick. We'll be selling our cider and apple juice too.
Groups are welcome email info@saxbyscider.co.uk for more info
WE WANT YOUR APPLES!
If you have any unwanted apples you can swap them for cider or apple juice at the farm from 21st September until 3rd October. Just bring them to the shop and for every one of our trugs you fill you can have a bottle of our original cider. Fill two trugs and you can swap for a 3 litre bag in box of our delicious apple juice or go for two bottles of cider. We will press your apples and they will be part of next year's cider.
SAXBY'S CIDER TAPROOM
OPEN 4-8PM FRIDAY 16TH OCTOBER
Pop down and see us! No need to book. You'll find all our regular ciders and can try our new barrel-aged Bourbon Cider. At 8.5% ABV it's one to savour in half pints! It's a smooth medium/dry cider with subtle hints of Bourbon Whiskey, it has a long flavour with a satisfying warming feeling.
Reclaimed oak bourbon and whiskey barrels now for sale at Saxby's Cider
FOR SALE!!
(UPDATE APRIL 21 NOW SOLD OUT BUT MORE COMING SOON!)
Good quality oak barrels reclaimed from a bourbon and whiskey distillery
They look amazing!
Approx 88cm height and 56cm diameter
Great for indoors and outdoors
Collect from our farm £70 per barrel
Some local delivery available POA
For more email info@saxbyscider.co.uk
or call 01933 353666
Collect from: Grange Farm, Farndish, Wellingborough, Northants NN29 7HJ
Saxby's Cider Vinegar with The Mother now available in our shop
Our first batch of apple cider vinegar is available to buy in our shop. This is unfiltered, hazy, natural cider vinegar with The Mother.
What is The Mother?
This is strands of protein that contain enzymes and beneficial bacteria. It consists of cellulose and acetic acid and gives the cider it’s hazy appearance.
Why is it good?
It contains many strains of good bacteria known as probiotics which are good for the digestive and immune systems. It has many other health benefits such as: aiding weight loss, reducing cholesterol, lowering blood sugar levels, and improving the symptoms of diabetes.
Saxby's Cider June 2020 newsletter
Hey Saxby’s Cider fans! Read our June newsletter here and find out what we’ve been up to on the farm
JUNE 2020 SAXBY'S CIDER NEWSLETTER
First of all a very big thank you to all our online customers who have been enjoying our cider at home during the Covid-19 period. It certainly has been great cider drinking weather! We are very grateful that you kept us so busy!
Now you have seen how quick and easy it is to order from us we hope to continue delivering to you thirsty cider drinkers post lockdown.
For our local customers who have been enjoying free local home delivery, we will now be delivering on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Alternatively why not pop into the shop on the farm and say hello?
WHAT'S NEW IN THE SHOP?
Our cider shop on the farm is open for the following times until further notice:
Monday to Saturday 10am - 2pm
Grange Farm, Farndish, Wellingborough NN29 7HJ
JUNE FARMSHOP OFFER! FREE 20CL BOTTLE OF SLOE GIN SLIDER
To welcome our customers back into the shop for the summer, we're giving away a free 20cl bottle with all purchases of £35+. Try it with elderflower presse or ginger ale for a deliciously refreshing summer drink.
More info about sloe gin slider here
We now have our own cider vinegar for sale in the shop. It is an unfiltered, hazy, natural cider with The Mother. This is a protein that contain enzymes and beneficial bacteria called probiotics. These are good for the digestive and immune system and many other health benefits. More info about the benefits here
NEW TAPROOM BARN RENOVATIONS ON THE FARM
We've been working hard renovating a barn on the yard to become our new taproom for events, tours and tastings. We will have a new floor, lighting, bar area, walls and decor. Take a look at the work on our YouTube channel here
CIDERY TOURS & EVENTS
We are taking bookings for cidery tours in the farm from June 27th. All bookings before this have been postponed but we're hoping those afterwards will go ahead. If we do have to postpone future events all bookings will carry forward. Vouchers are also available.
Tickets are £15 per person (18+ only) BOOK HERE
Available dates of planned cidery tours in 2020:
Sat 27th June 2020, 2pm
Sat 11th July 2020 2pm
Sat 25th July 2020, 2pm
Sat 8th August 2020, 2pm
Sat 22nd August 2020, 2pm
Sat 12th September 2020, 2pm
Sat 19th September 2020, 2pm
WE ARE STILL TAKING BOOKINGS FOR OUR SUMMER BBQ ON AUGUST 1ST BOOK HERE
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND STAY SAFE!
PHILIP & AMANDA SAXBY
AND HERBERT XX
Freddie Groome
4th May 2020
It is with great sadness that we want to let you know that Freddie Groome, who worked for us as our first salesperson at Saxby's Cider, died in a car crash last week.
Freddie worked for us for just over two two years and was very enthusiastic in all that he did. Many of you will have known Freddie and know how he was a gregarious outgoing personality who got on with everyone. From our point of view he was a great employee and friend who didn’t mind rolling his sleeves up and having a go at anything. A good person to have at a show and a great person to go out for a drink with afterwards. He will be sadly missed and a it's tragic early end for a young lad with a big personality.
New Saxby’s Christmas Cheer - a mince pie in a glass
We steep vodka-infused dried fruit you’d expect to find in a mince pie in our cider as it matures over 5-6 months. The result is a 16.5% ABV smooth festive drink that’s is like a mince pie in a glass. Available in 200ml bottles from our shop on the farm and at events leading up to Christmas.
Saxby's Cider wins three awards at the Great Taste Awards in 2019
We’re very excited to tell you we have won three more Great Taste Awards in 2019 - this also means we are now officially a Great Taste Producer.
Great Taste, organised by the Guild of Fine Food, is the acknowledged benchmark for fine food and drink. It has been described as the ‘Oscars’ of the food world and the ‘epicurean equivalent of the Booker prize’. Quite simply the Great Taste logo is the sign you can trust when buying food and drink in your local, quality retailer. Winning is important to the producers as it differentiates their products from the norm and means you, as the customer, have a guarantee that the products you buy have a reliable seal of approval based upon great taste and not marketing.
“Bright and clear pale gold cider with a lovely floral and earthy orchard aroma. Plenty of fresh apple in the mouth, well rounded, well balanced between the sweet and the sharp. A well-crafted cider.”
2019 Great Taste Judge's comments about Saxby’s Original Cider
“A wonderful garnet colour. This has sweet apple and caramel notes on the nose, and the apples come through on the nose with a well-judged hint of plummy stone fruit on the finish. This tastes honest and clean and bright. A well made CIDER.”
2019 Great Taste Judge's comments about Saxby’s Plum Cider
“Glorious blackcurrant red with lots of life in those shiny bubbles. Heady blackcurrant on the nose with a refreshing dryness to it. Well balanced sweetness with the tannic dryness making for a very pleasant mouthful with a long fruity finish. Appreciated the use of home grown blackcurrants and these are certainly the hero of the flavours, and well represented in a jolly decent cider.”
2019 Great Taste Judges' comments bout Saxby’s Blackcurrant Cider