Their story
Bray's Cider is made at Meare Court Farm in Wrantage, near Taunton, by the Bray family. The business traces its cidermaking back to 1918, when Devon farmer Abraham Bray began pressing cider to help pay farm workers, a practice his son Geoffrey continued from 1949. Adam Bray revived the tradition in 2005, setting up a "Cider Shed" as a tribute to his forebears, before the business moved into wider commercial sales from 2012. It's now also run with Adam's wife Jess. Apples come from orchards within around five miles of the farm. Cider is pressed and bottled on site using traditional rack-and-cloth methods, then fermented in oak barrels for around seven months, using 100% apple juice rather than concentrate.
Sources apples from orchards within about five miles of Meare Court Farm; describes its own orchards as regenerative but doesn't publish their size.
What they make
- Farmhouse Cider bag-in-box, still
- Dry bottled
- Vintage bottled, dry
- Sparkling Elderflower small batch, lightly sparkling
- Cherry Bomb lightly sparkling fruit cider
Visiting
The Old Barrel Room at Meare Court Farm
Opening times, as they publish them: Monday-Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 10am-4pm
Tastings: Yes. Also hosts occasional gatherings with live acoustic music and food pairings.
Where to buy
- Online, direct from the maker brayscider.co.uk
- At the farm or cidery When open
Also supplies shops, pubs and restaurants on a trade basis
Their events
Hosts occasional events at the Old Barrel Room, described as laid-back gatherings with live acoustic music and food pairings.