CORNISH CYDER FEST SUCCESS
There’s no doubting that cider is the drink of the summer, with sales soaring and new flavours being introduced all the time.
One Cornish farm got in on the act and organised its first ever cyder festival (that’s cider to most of us).
The Healey’s Cyder Fest was such a success, raising more than £1,500 for the Cornish Community Foundation, that they’ve vowed to do another one next year.
The fest was a cyder lovers dream with endless pints of the good stuff, Cornish pasties and live music, including local bands Grey Dog and Rudi’s Message.
It saw the launch of Berry Rattler Cyder, a refreshing mix of Cornish Rattler with red berries and a bit of fizz.
With the blossom season in full swing, the event was also the occasion for the selection and crowning of the annual Blossom Queen. Healey’s Orchard Manager Darren Sutton selected Clare Ray from St Columb Minor from the crowd as the 2010 Healey’s Blossom Queen. Clare was then crowned in the traditional manner, on a throne under the maypole in the centre of the Healey’s Cyder Farmyard. Led by the Tatters Morris Morris Dancers, members of the crowd danced round Clare to complete the blossom blessing ceremony.
Organiser Sam Healey said: “We were delighted with the success of this, our first Healey’s Cyder Fest. We had a great mix of ages, contributing to a really chilled Cornish atmosphere. We have been overwhelmed by local support for all we do here at Healey’s and for the Rattler brand and wanted to use this evening as a way of saying thank you to Cornwall, whilst also raising money for the Cornwall Community Foundation.
“Rudi’s Message and Grey Dog put in some awesome performances on the night and I am very grateful that they managed to change their schedules to be with us. I am also incredibly grateful to the Healey’s team who gave their time on the night for free and worked so hard to make the evening such a success.
“On the basis of the response to this year’s event, I see no reason why we should not make the Healey’s Cyder Fest an annual event to coincide with the blossoming of the apple trees in our orchards.”
This year’s event was massively over-subscribed so anyone interested in being put on the invitation list for next year’s event (tickets will be limited with priority given to those who booked this year) should email Healey’s at info@thecornishcyderfarm.co.uk
