Come and celebrate the best of British cider at the Royal Bath & West Show this year!
Lovers and makers of cider will flock to this year’s Royal Bath & West Show to take part in the British Cider Championships as the craft continues to produce a huge array of delicious delicacies.
Cider has shot to popularity in recent years as makers have branched out to produce artisan ciders that are sweet and crisp on the tongue – a far cry from the traditional farmhouse scrumpy. From pear-based ciders to a wide range of traditional apple tipples you are sure to find people reaching for a cool glass when the weather is hot.
The Show, which is home to the British Cider Championships – the biggest cider competition in the country – now attracts over 600 different ciders, meaning visitors can check out every kind of cider they can imagine.
The competition attracts entrants from large commercial manufacturers down to small hobbyists making cider in their garden shed.
Of course, no two ciders are the same so there are a plethora of classes catering for different dryness, sweetness, varieties of apples, and still or sparkling options at the Show.
The British Cider Championships has grown year-on-year and as a result more classes and judges have been introduced. “Around eight or nine years ago there were 130 entries of farmhouse cider, all judged by the same pair of judges – as you can imagine that was quite challenging. So, we have split the classes and we have 3 pairs of judges for the farmhouse classes and 34 judges in all now.
Visitors to the Show also have a chance to join in with the judging by taking part in the People’s Choice Award – where members of the public can vote for their favourite ciders. In addition, there will be cider making demonstrations and tutored cider tasting sessions.
The Royal Bath & West Show will be held on 29 May – 1 June. Competition schedules and tickets are available from the Bath and West website: or by calling 0844 776 6777. Children – for the first time – can go free during the May half term, with a £5 discount on early adult bookings.
