Ciderlore: Cider in the Three Counties by Fiona Mac

Title: Ciderlore: Cider in the Three Counties

Author: Fiona Mac

Year: 2003

Format: Paperback

Page Count: 224

Price used: £5.99 (Amazon)*

*accurate at the time of posting

Description: (TLDR)

History, science and folklore of cider in Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.

On the back of the book it says:

"This is anything but a dry book ! It tackles the subject of cider and perry in the three counties of Hereford, Gloucestershire and Worcestershire in a slightly unusual way, in that the art of cider making from selecting varieties of fruit, planting and growing trees to the packaging and marketing of the completed product, is woven into the history and stories of cider makers from 1900 to the present day. There is both art and science in cider making, an activity which is done injustice through the persistence of scrumpy, however jovial an image that may conjure up. Yet scrumpy is covered too, as are the aspects of folklore and tales of the effect of cider drinking , along with descriptions of the cider houses that have and still do exist in the Three Counties.

Various tensions are apparent- between cider makers, cider drinkers and cider campaigners, and within the ranks of cider makers themselves. Whilst producers want to co-operate at one level to promote cider and perry as generic drinks, they are also in competition with one another and reluctant to share information that they perceive as family or trade secrets.

The information is presented in a number of themed chapters, which also detail the history of the national cider making names within the three counties, as well as those whose produce will only normally be found at source, or at best within a few miles of the cider press.

At the end is a section which lists the current established cider producers and cider houses mentioned in the text, whether they are open to visits and where products can be found. Accompanying this is a brief description of various organisations, grants, planting schemes and local festivals mentioned, with a contact point.

Fiona Mac is an accomplished story teller and collector of local tales, customs and folklore, living in Herefordshire, who has collected the stories and information in this book through conversations with the cider drinkers and cider makers of the Three Counties. She is a national campaigner for CAMRA (The Campaign For Real Ale) who defends the preservation of small  scale cider and perry making through her in-depth knowledge of cider and perry as a vibrant living tradition.