Rough Old Wife is a family-friendly cidery and they welcome anyone who would like to join in the fun of apple picking, loading, barrelling or pressing. They have an on-site B&B and their very own farm cottage to let for people who are interested in making a holiday of helping out at the cidery.

Tours explain the day to day operation of the working artisanal cidery, the traditional fermentation methods and the methods of maturation in oak barrels.

Simon, co-partner of Rough Old Wife Cider, also runs traditional cider making courses for interested amateurs wanting to get more out of their apples, while learning about a great tradition dating back to Roman times.

The Orchard is pollinated by Rough Old Wife’s own bees, and the honey – sold under the Petham Vale Honey label – can be purchased in the on-site shop.

Silverware

• Kent Environmental Award for rural diversification – 2010, Kent County Council
• Best Cider Producer in Kent – 2010 finalist, Taste of Kent Awards
• Best Cider Producer in Kent – 2009 runner-up, Taste of Kent Awards

Eco-friendly initiatives

• All waste apple pulp is fed to organic pigs or used as natural compost for the orchard
• A bag-in-box system is used, which means all the cider can be used by a pub and there’s no ullage waste
• Raspberry cider uses supermarket rejected Kent raspberries that would otherwise go into landfill

Key Annual Events

• Wassailing ceremony during the first two weeks in January
• Kent Big Weekend free open days – last weekend in March
• Several open days over the summer
• ‘Pick and drink’ weekend with food and cider (holiday cottage rental is available on-site)

Community

Rough Old Cider supports several local charities including Click (children’s cancer) and Kent Air Ambulance

Trade bodies

VisitKent (VisitBritain), Sustainable Restaurant Association, Produced in Kent, NFU, Soil Association

Full review to come after visit