A fun and delicious collection of traditional still and Sparkling Artisan Apple ciders and modern lightly Sparkling Flavoured Ciders with a twist. Group bookings of 10 or more adults are not permitted (couples and immediate family members excepted). During this time of COVID 19 please socially distance and regularly wash and sterilise your hands using the sanitiser and toilet facilities.

Spend your days wandering through the fields or exploring by the River Brit nearby. The world-renowned beaches of the Jurassic Coast, including West Bay Beach, are only a 10-minute drive away too! I was pleasantly surprised by the food. I had the Vegan Burger. The mung bean, spring onion & bean sprout patty was really flavoursome and different from your usual veggie burger and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Simon had the Mac & Cheese with bacon. It smelt divine, of truffled panko breadcrumbs. He also really enjoyed his meal.

Features

If you fancy lunch after your Tour & Tasting With us I would highly recommend the Hare and Hounds pub in Waytown only a short way down the road from us with beautiful views of the local countryside in their large garden. Our first cider apple harvest, Oliver harvests apples by night and continues with Penny sculpting metal sculptures by day whilst she holds the fort. Took part in Dorset Art Weeks with Sculptures in the orchard for the first time whilst living in Spetisbury near Blandford Forum. The Cider Farm is completely family run. You are invited to visit the Cider Farm to enjoy a cool, crisp cider in the Cider Garden while admiring the topiary and sculptures in the garden. In the Tasting Room you can browse and even taste some of the 13 different ciders that are available to buy, from the lightly sparkling contemporary ciders to the handcrafted artisan ciders. This includes a tour of our beautiful organically managed apple orchard which has around 3,000 mature apple trees. We begin by venturing into the orchards where you will be introduced to some of the 15 varieties of heritage cider apples that we grow at the Cider Farm. During the tour, we discuss some of the fascinating history and folklore behind apple growing and making cider in Britain. We even participate in a yearly traditional Wassail or Blessing of the orchard! We tell you about the important role of the bees to ensure pollination and how the apples grow. Questions are always welcome. We discuss harvesting techniques, cleaning and the pressing procedure on our big old belt press. We tell you about the natural fermentation methods, before we take a peek into the Cider barn where the blending, filtering, taste testing and bottling happens. We finish in either the Tasting Room or the Cider Garden for a cidermaker led cider tasting of some of our delicious ciders. Dorset Nectar is a Soil Association certified farm, meaning they have to adhere to strict rules around the use of pesticides and fertilisers. They do not use any, and instead rely on nature for natural pest control. Wild birds help to control caterpillars and other insects that might otherwise munch away at the leaves in the summer or the apples in the autumn.

We finish with a guided tasting of our award-winning artisan ciders. If the weather allows, we sit out in the sunshine in the Sculpture Garden, otherwise cosily indoors in the Tasting Room and shop.We adhere to the procedures set out in the UK Data Protection Act 1998 in the storage and disclosure of any data to prevent unauthorised access.

This includes a tour of the organically managed apple orchard which has around 3,000 mature apple trees. We begin in the Cider Farm`s Tasting room with a sample of apple juice before being guided through the orchards where we grow 16 varieties of select apples, next we go through how we care for the organic orchards to harvesting techniques, cleaning, pressing procedure on our large modern Belt Press before the ciders is allowed to wild ferment between blending. At which point we draw everyone through our Cider barns where we blend, filter, taste test, keg, box and bottle on our bottling line the ciders and products. Lastly we return to the Tasting Room for a master cidermaker led tasting of 13 various ciders and any other questions. As well as rural and coastal vistas, this part of Dorset has a lot of attractive gardens, including the well-groomed grounds at Mapperton House (15 minutes) and Bennetts Water Gardens (40 minutes), which is geared towards water lilies. A trip to Abbotsbury (30 minutes), meanwhile, can combine a wander around the subtropical gardens, the swannery and the maze. If you need to cancel or amend your booking, please give as much notice as possible so that someone else has the chance to book. You may wish to buy holiday insurance for cancellations and for your property/injury whilst away. Experience the magic of the orchard. Learn about the important role of bees in pollinating the apple blossom and have an opportunity to commune with nature in this stunningly beautiful orchard.Excellent turnout to our annual Charity Wassail afternoon/evening in January. Cider barns completed and new equipment begins arriving. The new yard is laid. Apples sourced from Coombe Down orchard nearr Beaminster. Pressing system improved on, a few new vessels ready to fill with the bumper "On" year. Along Marine parade, you’ll find a tempting array of ice-cream shops and pastel painted beach huts that line the beach – it’s the epitome of British seaside resort. From that day on my love of cider has grown and grown. Like apple blossom joyously bursting open in the spring sunshine, something bloomed within my heart when I first tasted cider. For me cider is a reminder of home, of celebrations that come with the seasons. It is always my drink of choice. A drink that finds itself into my hand during the best moments. From family get-togethers to music festivals and camping trips with friends, it is the perfect accompaniment to the good times. You can pitch your tent between the rows of apple trees, so alongside booking our tour and tasting experience we also spent two nights camping at the farm. My great auntie Molly noticed, and she spoke words a little something like these – ‘Careful, not too much. It’s very potent!’. Her words were sharp like the cider in the glass in my hand, aimed a little at me, but mostly at my grandpa, warning him not to give me too much.