The first event in the cidermakers year has to be The Powerstock Cider Festival, this is a charity event hosted by Nick Poole (West Milton Cider) in Powerstock Hut. cidermakers of all persuasions start to congregate on the night before at The Three Horsehoes Public House.

On the day a hearty lunch is prepared by the Ladies of the village washed down with copious quantities of cider drawn from our private reserves and served from all manner of rustic crocks and flagons!  lunch is cleared away to make room for the serious business of the day, each producer has staggered into the hall bearing 3 gallon jars of cider to enter into the competition, the anonymous glass jars are lined up for tasting/judging which takes some time, each entrant scores the cider 1st 2nd and 3rd for dry medium and sweet. at about 5:30pm the results are anounced and the certificates are awarded.

All the while the lanes all around the village have been gradually feeding the hall with upto 500 ciderlovers intent on a right old knees up! at 6.00pm the doors are flung open and in they all come.

At one end of the hall the band strikes up and all around the outside the cidermakers have set up shop to dispense their cider.

Local food vendors are serving up hot Cornish Pasties and stone baked pizzas from a vintage Citroen Van.

You really couldn’t find these people and all this unique cider all in one place anywhere on one night in April.

Incidentally we won:

• 1st Prize for Dry Cider
• 2nd Prize for Medium Cider
• 2nd Prize for Sweet Cider