Well, it’s summer, and we are in Somerset, so it seems right that we should be talking about the one and only thing on everyone’s lips.
Not the coronavirus, not the weather, not even the traffic in and out of Bath.
What is, or should be, on everyone’s lips this summer is what we’re most famous for – cider (pronounced “soy” if you’re from those areas).
Now there is a lovely little cider story going on here in our midst on the glorious and sunny fields of Somerset.
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Honey’s Cider in Midford, just outside Bath, a family business originally run by the famous Honey family of eight brothers, was not long taken over by the very brave Kimberly Jones who weathered the Covid storm and, with the help of her dad Peter and his partner Matt, are flying high with the business.
They recently launched a new draft cider that is very popular in Somerset pubs, as well as a new apple and blackberry flavored cider.
But the really cool addition to the Honey family is their brand new sparkling cider that’s flying off the shelves.
PhD graduate Kimberly Jones runs the show at Honey’s Cider Farm in Somerset
Kimberly, who took over the company in 2019, said: “It was a real struggle during Covid, especially when everything closed, all of our usual pubs and restaurants were all closed overnight. We didn’t saw it coming, no one did.
“But luckily we got there, we continued to supply farm shops and bottle shops and we also deliver to customers, which has continued.
“And now everything is going great, it’s phenomenal since the pubs and restaurants reopened, April and May were brilliant, we couldn’t ask for better, I couldn’t have done it without my dad’s help and Matt. “
Kimberly’s partner Matt and dad Peter help out on the farm
If you’re on the go and see Honey’s Cider on tap, on the menu, or on the shelves, you really should try it.
Even if you are not a cider drinker you will be pleasantly surprised, it is so refreshing especially on a hot day.
Sparkling cider is particularly delicious, as this correspondent can attest to.
It is also a fun business.
A statement on their website says, “The last few years have been pretty exciting for Honey’s.
“We’ve tripled our workforce – taken on two part-timers – and for a business that started out as a stupid idea hatched in a pub, it’s gone from a hobby to a full-fledged business.”
They also mixed cider with ginger ale, an old Somerset custom, for lunchtime drinkers so they wouldn’t get completely drunk on their way back to work.
Honey’s hilariously called this remedy “Stoney Bonk” and it’s available at farm shops and on their website.
It’s such a large local company, growing its apples on about two acres in Midford, employing local people, continuing to go through a global pandemic, and all with Kimberly, a 37-year-old PhD student at the helm.
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She said: “I studied botany and plant genetics at the University of Bristol, but I really never thought I would see myself running a cider house, love it it’s a challenge but it ‘is amazing, it just seemed to happen after I arrived and working here with family and former boss Krow, they are great people to work with.
“Even though I’ve taken over the cider side of the farm, the Honey brothers still come to taste with me and we all get along really well.”
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Source: www.somersetlive.co.uk
This notice was published: 2021-06-05 23:00:00
