I love reading the ebb and flow of content here on Cider Review. Some weeks it’s a stylistic focus; followed the next by a variety focus; after which comes a call to arms about a crisis (or opportunity) within the industry that we feel needs a bit more exposure with you, our darling readers. Every so often, there’s just a good sit down and review of some bottles for the sake of shining a spotlight on something we feel deserves a bit of space and praise on these digital pages. It’s often been a good way to introduce a producer to a wider audience than just their local vicinity, later bumping into them a trade fairs or cider salons across the UK and beyond. Back in 2022 James did this with Ripe, Adam wrote about 99 Pines in 2023, Bea covered Pom Cider in 2024, and Ed focused on Balance Brewing’s cider output in 2025. All of these articles were my digital introductions to these producers, whose wares I’ve gone on to seek out and sample on multiple occasions. If it’s happened like this to me, I’m sure it’s happened to a few of you out there as well.

The effort that producers go to when building up a local reputation is valiant and undoubtedly monetarily worthwhile. If your primary route to market is literally a collection of farmers markets within a 20 mile vicinity of your cidery, and through these markets you’re able to sell the vast bulk of your output, then kudos to your business plan and the lucky attendees to these markets. The producers we like covering here on Cider Review are more often than not on a scale where press releases are not an option, and word of mouth within the cider community can go a long way to aiding a spike in sales of a particular bottling. As mentioned before on these pages, my neck of the woods is West Norfolk, an agricultural, relatively sparsely-populated part of the UK, so the predominant way I’m finding out about producers on the scale mentioned above, is on the weekly output of Cider Review (and very grateful I am for it too). If I’m lucky those producers then have online webstores, or are stocked by online bottle shops like Aeble, Cat in the Glass, Fine Cider Co, and more. Quite often, it’s a case of waiting for the stars to align with travel or friends allowing bottles to find their way back to my home.

When I was putting together the Harvest Reports at the end of last year, I reached out to Suzanna Walters of Blackmoor Orchards and Gospel Green Cider. As well as providing an account of how the sweltering hot summer and early autumn of 2025 went, she very kindly sent a few bottles over for me to try. Back in March of 2023, James interviewed Suzanna on all things traditional method and vintage statement – for over 30 years Gospel Green have been flying the flag for this production style of cider in the UK. Around the time of this article going live, they had joined forces with the Blackmoor Estate, who at the time were just starting to produce some 500ml bottled and kegged cider. I’m very grateful to Suzanna for sending me through these bottles as Hampshire is just a bit of a blind spot on my radar (in geographical and cider-producing terms) and I don’t think I would have gotten around to trying these drinks otherwise. I do see they’re for sale on Blackmoor Orchards webstore now, so please do form an orderly online queue and pop a few in your basket if the following reviews are engaging and informative.

My Hampshire blind-spot falls into a similar category as the recent visit to Taunton in Somerset for CraftCon 2026. It’s not that I’m avoiding the place, circumstance just hasn’t brought me there yet. The dice of fate have been rolled for me and it’s a distinctly West Coast of Scotland, and the Three Counties (plus Monmouthsire) that have been determined my geographically regularly frequents. Whenever friends visit from America, they stop off in the UK for a bit and quite often then fly off to Rome, Paris, Athens, and more – all these wonderful sites of grand European history. Up until this year, I’d never visited Italy before! 38 years of age, with one of Cider Review’s esteemed writers now living in the country, and I’d never been. This is shortly about to be corrected with a visit to my partner’s sister and family out near Venice. Greece will have to be on the list for next year (any Greek cider producers out there I should visit?). To bring it back to Hampshire, and Blackmoor Orchards/Gospel Green, it’s lovely that Cider Review can help illuminate the existence of brilliant producers like this for little old me in my Fenland bubble. We all get there in the end, one way or another. Onto the reviews!

---

Blackmoor Orchards, Ridges Green Cider – review

How I served: A day in the fridge as temperatures start to warm in the garage through Spring. 10 minutes in the study to bring up to cellar temp.

Appearance: Great clarity, copper gold hue, mild effervescence, no real mousse.

On the nose: I went into this expecting that unmistakable clean, sharp Bramley nose, but it’s far more nuanced than a pure single variety Bramley. There’s dessert fruit at play in this blend and it’s presenting in a lovely tarte tartin aroma.

In the mouth: Un-oaked, a neutral vessel for a super clean fermentation. Still very malic acid led, it’s reminding me of biting into a perfectly ripe Granny Smiths dessert apple. Green gooseberries, jasmine, lime rind, pomelo. How could I miss Apple Chewit sweets off the list too, that sherbet note is at play, whilst being practically bone dry in presentation. At 5.5% abv, a nice sessionable cider that would go amazingly well with a cod, plaice, or scallops!

In a nutshell: A delicious orchard blend cider from Hampshire. Bramley in harmony with the other varieties in the mix.

Blackmoor Orchards, Brickyard Cider – review

How I served: Identical scenario the Ridges Green bottle above, day in the fridge, 10 minutes room temperature before serving.

Appearance: Lemon gold radiance, mild effervescence that leaves a thin mousse around the rim of the glass. Super clear liquid.

On the nose: Gorgeous barrel-matured Egremont Russet aroma wafting up and out of the glass. Apple and walnut (almost a Waldorf Salad note), raisins, apple crumble.

In the mouth: So much flavour from each sip, but definitely not from barrel-influence, that’s very subtle here, perhaps a rinsed wine barrel or an unpeated speyside as the oak is just adding mouthfeel but not assertive tannin to the drink. This is Egremont Russet in a similar style to that of Little Pomona’s releases of this variety – wine-like, refined, elegant. There’s a creamy, herbaceous note on the finish, 6.5% abv as befits the sugar level in these apples. It’s doing something similar to a discretely oaked Chardonnay wine, fruit forward with a balanced, barrel-influence foundation.

In a nutshell: Elegance personified in a cider. Great things coming out of Blackmoor Orchards right now!

Gospel Green, Traditional Method Cherry – review

How I served: Day in the fridge, 10 minutes to acclimatise to room temperature.

Appearance: Blushed rose, decent level of effervescence as per the expectations with a traditional method cider. Prominent mousse upon pouring which then recedes to a thin bubbling mantle over the liquid in the glass.

On the nose: This is a base level of apple with a dose of cherry, and on the aroma, it’s a 50/50 delivery of the two component parts. Apple and cherry cordial.

In the mouth: A Co-Ferment partnership that is shining with all the extra effort that goes into traditional method presentation. There’s so much dancing on the palate from the level of fizz, it’s haribo gummy happy cherries meets Apple chewits. Cherrywood rolling tobacco and fresh apple juice. Sweet and sour in equal measure. 8.4% abv hits the top of regular cider duty levels, but as a Co-ferment I imagine this could have gone even higher?

In a nutshell: Quaffable and refined, cider that is elevated by the inclusion of a healthy dose of cherry. Wassail!

---

Conclusion

I’m very glad to cover and review a co-ferment again on Cider Review, and one that contained cherries, and was a stable, clean product. Giving that drink the traditional method style of production really elevates what you can do with cherries in my eyes (and I love a kriek beer). The Brickyard cider fulfils that brief of Egremont Russet and barrel-ageing working harmoniously, that a lot of you know Little Pomona do so well, but don’t see from that many other producers. I’ve tried making a Double Russet cider myself, with Norfolk Royal Russet and Horsham Russet as the two component varieties in the blend. Time will tell with mine as the cider was only bottled in November last year. Suzanna and her team have done a sterling job on working with their Egremont Russets here. I think the Ridges Green cider contains something very familiar to me, and although Hampshire is firmly centre of the south of England, this drink is as close to Eastern Counties, acid-led cider stylistically as I can see. As a 100% full juice cider, I’d far rather drink this than the concentrate-derived Aspall’s Cyder you can find in most supermarkets. Economies of scale really do drive some producers to abandon things you hold dear, thankfully Blackmoor Orchards/Gospel are doing things the right way for their local orchards in Hampshire. A real pleasure to review these bottles, thank you Suzanna!