The first global guide to cider and perry arrived on British bookshelves this week, with appropriately, a number of events both in the cider heartland of Herefordshire and the Big Smoke. As Pete Brown, one of the authors said on twitter,
“#WorldsBestCider launches this week! @IAMCIDER and I may be drinking fermented apple juice at various locations”
Best known for his entertaining travels through the heritage of beers, pubs and the characters that live in them, Pete Brown’s partner in cider is professional photographer Bill Bradshaw. Somerset-born, Bill, whose blog, I am Cider, is a bit of a giveaway, had already amassed a breathtaking library of images and insight.
The globetrotters
Thanks to the vision of Jacqui Small Publishers, the pair traversed the cider-making regions of the world to document cider and perry as they are now, with due deference to its history and heritage.
I’ll carry a longer review in due course, but for now I’ll say that I have seen the book, and it is beautiful. In Britain, Pete and Bill have visited many of the cider heroes we at DrinkBritain love, including both Tom Oliver and Simon Day of Once Upon a Tree. Further afield, they indulged in sidra in Spain, talked apfelwine in Germany, and visited North America’s many cider hotspots.
Among the many happenings occasioned by his book, Pete is particularly pleased about the Food Programme which he recorded with Sheila Dillon and Dan Saladino for Radio 4. Due for broadcast on Sunday 20 October, 12.30pm, expect some sparks to fly…
And early next month, Pete’s paying a return trip to The Thatchers Arms, the scene of our famed Cider vs Wine dinner earlier this year. This time cider hogs the stage, with Henry Chevallier Guild of Aspall’s joining Pete once more for some tastes and chat.
World’s Best Cider – taste, tradition & terroir from Somerset to Seattle, £25, Jacqui Small Publishers
For Pete’s own thoughts on the book’s arrival, see his blog.
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Wassail! Seen here at the cider-tinged welcome for the book at the Euston Cider Tap, from left, Matt Veasey of Nooks Yard Cider, Bill Bradshaw, Jo Cope of Jacqui Small, Pete Brown and Tom Oliver.