Trio of medals for cider start-up in Berwick

Monkey House Cider, based on the Ramparts Business Park, achieved two golds and one silver accolade at the recent Media International London Food and Drinks Awards.

Phil Elliott and his wife Julie Ann also have an extensive range of single nursery grown plants and vegetable seedlings to browse with pint in hand.

The business produces ciders without water or concentrate, just pure single variety apples crushed and fermented.

Phil said that the award winners were single variety ciders – Dabinett and Browns Apple received gold and Yarlington Mill silver.

He added: “We’re delighted as winning these awards is quite exceptional for a business that is only in its early stages.

“It has been a busy time for us as we also attended last week’s Newcastle Beer and Cider Festival to showcase 10 of our ciders.

“We’re constantly working on new flavours and looking forward to continuing to spread the word about Monkey House during spring and summer.”

The business moved to its current premises, which includes a tap room and bar, last November, although it was not until the new year that it became fully operational there as November and December the team had to concentrate on harvesting the apples.

Opening hours can vary, so go to the Monkey House Cider Facebook page for the latest times, as well as pictures of the plants available at the time of posting.