Where the Winking Prawn’s cider comes from
As you know, we do our very best to provide local produce at the Winking Prawn, Cracking Crab, and Island Street Bar & Grill, and amongst our most popular products is Hunt’s Cider, the family-run Devon brand that uses only the best of Devon apples. Owner Annette explains more…
How did Hunt’s Cider start?
My brother and I are in our thirties and we now run Hunt’s Cider, after our parents handed it over to us last year. Rich makes the cider and I sell it; he’s an eighth generation cider maker. Our family however has been making cider since 1805, and possibly before that. In its heyday it was huge so we are working to get it back to its original size. We used to be farmers primarily, and our dad still farms over 300 acres, so in our spare time we can be found chasing sheep and cows. We have a campsite as well, so it’s a busy, proper family business.
What makes your cider so special?
We make it all on site, we press all the apples (they’re all Devon apples) and we put a lot of care into what we do. Rich is a perfectionist, his attention to detail is beyond anything and he’s always trying to improve our product. We ferment the cider here and do all the tasting as well. The art to making a good cider is to have everything really clean. The days of dead rats are long gone (thankfully)!
What's the best thing about the industry?
In the cider industry there’s not many females around, so I feel I am flying the flag for women. If you go to cider maker meetings there tends to be older gentlemen there, so I like bringing a younger female influence to it. I also like going out to meet people, like the team at the Winking Prawn, who are passionate about local food and appreciate the hard work that goes into it.
What's the most challenging thing?
We are growing so I guess growing pains are the trickiest thing, but I don’t have anything to moan about to be honest, life’s good here in South Devon!
What's your favourite way to drink Hunt’s Cider?
I like to drink it straight out of the fridge, sat outside the Winking Prawn in the sun, with friends and dogs.
What's your favourite thing about the Winking Prawn?
The outside decking area because you can chill out there, enjoy the sunshine, eat the seafood (with great local cider) and enjoy the atmosphere.
Tell us one thing we don't know about Hunt’s Cider…
This is our cows’ favourite time of year as all the apple pulp left from pressing ends up on their dinner plate!