Devon Christmas Cider (Marks & Spencer’s) Bu @SpectreUK

Well it's that time of year again when Cinabar get's very excited and starts bothering me to find the Christmas tree out of storage in a dusty grim place in the roof. Of course it's bagged and tagged with other numerous bags of Christmas decorations for dotting liberally around the house. I must admit, they are a cheery colourful sight once everything has been stuck, draped and hung wherever it's been decided it goes in the house this year… or wherever there is a modicum of space!

After my avoidance for sometime and general pleading by Cinabar to retrieve the decorations from the chilly loft I was promised a warming spiced cider. Of course it couldn't be anything else other than a Christmas cider, but hey-ho… Or is it ho-ho-ho?! This Devon Christmas Cider was produced by Sandford Orchards. It had Clementine juice, as well as Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Allspice, Mace, and Juniper Berries added in the brewing. At 4% volume this cloudy cider promised some citrus and spice to provide my tired bones some warmth after rummaging around in the freezing cold loft.

There was an inviting fizz on opening the bottle, which cheered me up a little as I watched Cinabar and her mom sifting through the decorations before retreating to find a quiet place and read a good book. There was a spiciness to the cider apple aroma with a hint of citrus on pouring this Devon Christmas Cider into my waiting glass. This certainly is a cloudy drink and has a nose tickling fizz to it. On taste there is the sweet cider apple to start with which blends well with the ground spices moving into a Clementine finish. Full of flavour and not short on jolly fizz, this drink is recommended for roast pork with crackling, gammon (with fried eggs, pineapple slices and thick-cut chips no doubt), and even the ubiquitous Christmas Yule Log. Of course I used it to wash down some rather lovely iced mince pies…