Great Taste Awards 2017 and New Shop

At the family farm in Farndish near Wellingborough, Chief Cidermaker and owner Philip Saxby and his team are celebrating a trio of Great Taste Awards this year - often described as The Oscars for fine food and drink.

Great Taste judges, who are experts from the world of food and drink, blind tasted 12,500 products over 62 days to select the national winners among contestants who genuinely care about the quality and taste of the food and drink they create.  That is certainly the case with Saxby’s Cider. 

All the cider is made with love - pressed on the farm, from their own orchards.  There is no rushing - just carefully selected English apples, slowly matured and expertly blended.  Philip and his team like to think you can taste the difference and are extremely proud to have won not one but three of these prestigious Great Taste Awards 2017. The Rhubarb cider was described as nicely balanced; the Limited Edition cider as full flavoured; and the judges particularly liked the Plum Cider, which was awarded a 2-star award for being crisp, refreshing and very drinkable.

Philip was originally an arable farmer but diversified into cider making back in 2011.  He tried out his first batch of cider on a home-made press using apples
from neighbouring gardens and from the roadside.  Having got the bug, he planted his new orchard with a blend of cider apples and dessert fruit – a blend still used to this day.

The business has continued to grow, and Saxby’s Cider uses apples from their own orchards as well as others from Northamptonshire and Herefordshire farmers.  The ethos is to produce high quality, authentic cider using fruit from English trees embracing both traditional and modern techniques, for a flavour that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Saxby’s Cider is widely used in local pubs and restaurants and available to buy from several outlets and at local markets.  To further the distribution of their awardwinning ciders, a shop was opened at the farm at the end of September, and an online shopping facility with national delivery is now available from the website.

To celebrate their latest achievements, Saxby’s Cider is kindly offering readers of Village Connect a chance to win: A 12-bottle case of 500ml bottles of any of their ciders: Original, 3 Point 9, Plum, Rhubarb, Blackcurrant plus a t-shirt (choice of blue, grey and red). 

This can be picked up from the farm or delivered.  Proof of age will be required for receipt, so the competition is only be open to those over 18.  To enter, please email your details and the answer to the question below by Monday 20th November 2017 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. by stating VC competition as the title. How many Great Taste Awards 2017 have been allocated to Saxby’s Cider?

Shop opening: Monday to Saturday 10am to 2pm. Saxby’s Cider, The Cider Yard, Grange Farm, Farndish, NN29 7HJ

tel: 01933 353666 email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

Saxby's Cider Saxby's Cider