- Published
Somerset's famous cider orchards have been "decimated" by the long summer drought, producers say.
asserted
producers → publish → drought
Many trees have produced no fruit at all, and others have dropped their fruit early, rotting before they ripened.
asserted
they → produce → fruit
"It's gut-wrenching," says Kimberly Jones of Honey's Cider near Bath, whose orchard has produced only a 10th of its normal amount of apples.
asserted
orchard → wrench → apples
Neil MacDonald, who manages more than 1,000 acres of Somerset orchards, says he has watched half his apples fall before they have ripened, because the trees are stressed by the drought.
asserted
trees → manage → drought
"Nothing sells cider like sunshine," he says, "and we've emptied our tanks.
asserted
we → sell → tanks
The sadness is we haven't got enough fruit to refill the tanks again."
asserted
we → get → tanks
Walking through Kimberly Jones' orchard just outside Bath, it's hard to see any apples at all.
asserted
it → walk → apples
The trees should be groaning with fruit, she tells me, but "we might get 10% of our normal crop here, and that's generous".
uncertain
that → groan → crop
The orchard is 25 years old, and this is by far the driest year they have had.
asserted
they → have → ?
Because 2025 was also dry, the trees became stressed, she explained, and this year most have just not made fruit at all, to save their energy.
asserted
most → become → energy
Unlike the big commercial brands, Honey's Cider is only made from fresh juice.
asserted
Cider → make → juice
Jones refuses to buy apple concentrate or industrial products.
asserted
Jones → refuse → concentrate
"So we can only make cider from the juice we make each year, which means we will be down this year," she adds.
asserted
she → make → juice
Ironically, the long hot summer has been "brilliant" for actually selling cider.
asserted
summer → sell → cider
"Everyone likes a cold cider on a hot day, but we are struggling now to grow fruit for next year," Jones says.
asserted
Jones → like → year
On one of Somerset's most famous cider farms, I hear the same story.
asserted
I → hear → story
Gordon Rich started pressing apples on a farm near Highbridge in 1954.
asserted
Rich → start → 1954
Today his grandson George Scott makes nearly a million litres of cider a year.
asserted
grandson → make → cider
"We would normally harvest 20-30 tonnes of apples here," he tells me, walking through one orchard.
"
asserted
he → harvest → orchard
There's so little fruit in here I won't even put the harvester in - the sheep can have any that drop."
asserted
that → be → any
Neighbouring farms that Scott buys from are also short of fruit.
asserted
Scott → neighbour → fruit
One grower who normally produces 200 tonnes is "down to about 30", he adds.
asserted
he → produce → 30
Will his tanks run dry then, I wondered?
asserted
I → run → ?
"No, we've got plenty of cider in the tanks for now," he smiles.
asserted
he → get → tanks
Cider makers can keep stock from year to year, but Scott says he worries about the future of his trees.
asserted
he → keep → trees
Two years of drought have already stressed them, and climate scientists are warning farmers to expect more hot dry summers.
asserted
scientists → stress → summers
"I do worry that next year will show a lot more signs of the drought and the trees will be stressed again.
asserted
trees → worry → drought
If we get another dry year, I don't know what we're going to do," he adds.
asserted
he → get → what
Rotting before they ripen
Not every orchard is bare, of course.
asserted
orchard → rot → course
Neil MacDonald manages more than 1,000 acres of cider orchards across Somerset.
asserted
MacDonald → manage → Somerset
At his Orchard Park Farm, near Shepton Mallet, I see plenty of apples - both on the trees and on the ground.
asserted
I → see → ground
With a roar, the apple harvester starts up.
asserted
harvester → start → roar
It powers down the rows, sweeping up the apples under the trees, up and away into the trailer.
asserted
It → power → trailer
This is at least three weeks' early for harvest, but they are not picking up the fruit to make cider.
asserted
they → pick → cider
"All these apples will go on the compost heap," MacDonald tells me, ruefully.
asserted
MacDonald → go → me
He cuts one open to show me the inside, mottled brown and floury.
asserted
He → cut → inside
"It's unripe, but it's already rotted before we've even started," he explains.
"
asserted
he → rot → ?
The trees are stressed without any water, so they've just dumped the fruit on the ground to save themselves.
asserted
they → stress → themselves
"
The harvester sweeps along, filling a large trailer with cider apples that Neil and his team have spent all year trying to grow, only to throw away.
asserted
Neil → sweep → that
"We've probably lost about half the crop this way," he says.
asserted
he → lose → crop
…and 16 more, not listed.
The Aporia
