Cider Voice

Our new year's resolution for 2024 is to double down on 'cider with food' content. With limited skill and dangerous enthusiasm, we turned to a proper professional to put us on the path to gastronomic glory.   Fliss Freeborn is a Fortnum & Mason Award-winning food writer, the brains behind the blog Student Cuisine for the Gloomy Teen (Jay Rayner-endorsed, no less) and the Amused Bouche newsletter. She's a panellist on Radio 4's Kitchen Cabinet, has bylines for all sorts of national newspapers and in 2023 published the brilliant cookbook Do Yourself a Flavour. If Fliss can't level us up in the cider kitchen, who can?   Armed with four ciders and perries – which Justin and Albert have to guess – Fliss has created four brilliant bespoke recipes. A four course feast for the cider chef that you can find in full here [Link to Recipes]. Along the way we chat about her journey to cooking and writing about it – everything from marble pantries to yellow labels and the nonna method.   Albert is Head Chef @RossCider Adam tosses word salads @Cider_Review Justin boils over @justinwells1346

In this episode the team go back to basics to discuss the reason we're here podcasting in the first place. With hot takes, rambles, sporadic bickering and even a bit of education here and there, we cover varieties, making, perceptions and definitions as we attempt to figure out exactly what cider even is. No knowledge assumed; precious little imparted. Enjoy the ride! Albert makes cider @RossCider Adam writes about it mainly @Cider_Review Justin just sort of hangs out at @justinwells1346

We chat to cider legend and founder of The Cat in the Glass Nicky Kong. Everything from dream cider bars, to the rise of online cider merchants, from keg conditioning to Mostviertel perry cats – and even matching apple varieties to Liverpool football players.

Adam and Justin go into roving reporter mode, doing the Lord's work of completing Rossfest 2027 via a string of on-the-ground recordings. Along the way they'll reminisce about favourite back-vintage Rossfests, taste the 2027 new releases, catch up with other punters, watch the dog show, pair cider with crisps, drink American ciders, buy some ceramics, engage in longsword fights and do their best to clean the barn out of cider at the maker's share and bottle sales. All without Albert cottoning on. Joined by a record number of pod guests (almost as many as we have listeners) join the Cousins Wells on their journey through the best few days in the cider calendar.

The whole gang review all the communication received since we resumed publishing in 2026. We talk about the ciders that stood out this year, the value (if any) of American 'cider' varieties, the consequence of the hottest summer on record to British cidermaking, and a quick introduction to biochar.