UPTON Noble has secured sponsorship for its third Uptonogood Cider Launch (on Saturday 31 March) from local haulage company RH & AJ Bateman Ltd. The Cider Launch, with doors opening at 6.30pm, will be a plastic-free event.

The evening fixture will be headlined by toe tapping jazz/hokum/swing band Animal Krackers, with Stevie P on ukulele, Gem Quinn on washboard and Smiffy Smiff on double base. There will also be slots by well known local DJs Phil Harry and Paul Owen. Entry to the event, which will also boast delicious local street food and a range of fine wines, craft beers and soft drinks, costs just £5.

Last autumn the village collected 110 bags, or almost 3 tonnes, of apples — the biggest haul yet — and 2,000 litres of juice was pressed by Millwhites, the cider making company run by committee member John White. This marks a significant increase on 2016’s 1,400 litres and will make approximately 3,900 bottles. The cider is being bottled in Clutton near Midsomer Norton by the Original Somerset Cider Co.

“The apples were pressed the day after collection and the juice has been quietly fermenting all autumn. With it being a mild winter the fermentation has run its course fairly quickly and the cider is now ready for the bottling stage of its production,” said John White of Millwhite Cider who organises the entire cider making process. 

“The cider is tasting clean and crisp and will produce a finished product very much in line with 2015’s batch,” continued John.  

“We’re looking forward to our third cider launch,” said organising committee chairman Dan Hurring. “We have a fantastic local sponsor in RH & AJ Bateman Ltd, aggregate and sand merchants and bulk haulage contractors, and we are delighted to welcome them on board. They have regularly backed our Beer Festival and we’re incredibly grateful for their support. With this year’s cider set to be the best ever, too, and with great entertainment and food, this is going to be a fantastic evening for locals and for those coming from further afield.”