Bristol's first Cider & Cheese Festival is coming to Bristol's Temple Quarter on Saturday, July 16 from 2pm until 10pm.
Hosted by Wapping Wharf's The Cider Box, the festival will take place on Silverthorne Lane where you'll find The Cider Box's taproom (which happens to be Bristol's only cider taproom).
A haven for craft and traditional cider, The Cider Box has invited local fine cidermakers to share their knowledge and produce with the cider-lovers of Bristol. There will also be live music, award-winning cheesemongers, multiple guided and themed tastings, a pop-up artisanal gin bar courtesy of Circumstance Distillery, and much more to enjoy.
Known for craft cider slushies, cider ice lollies, cider bingo, and cider & music pairing with Friendly Records of North Street, The Cider Box knows a thing or two about having a good time.
Silverthorne Lane will be closed to all traffic for an afternoon and the street will instead be filled with bunting, hay bales and The Cider Box's favourite cheese and cider producers, visionaries, and enthusiasts.
Tickets for the Bristol Cider & Cheese Festival are just £18 and include a welcome cider, some artisan cheese, and all the day's awesome activities.
What can I expect from the Bristol Cider & Cheese Festival?
There will be talks and tastings with expert cheese judges and cheesemakers, cider and cheese pairings, cheeseboards from The Bristol Cheesemonger, a great wall of cider, live music, DJs, street food, a gin bar, and a craft beer stall.
The 'great wall of cider', for one day only, will be Bristol's biggest selection of craft ciders from across the West Country. This drink-able display will be packed with various styles and varieties of cider, from naturally-fermented 'wild' ciders to modern takes on this traditional West Country beverage.
Festival revellers will be able to pick up bottles of cider made by the finest regional and international producers to take away or drink on-site whilst soaking up that glorious and sunny July weather.
The Bristol Cider & Cheese Festival promises to be a delicious slice of rural magic and mischief which will transform the familiar gritty urban streets of St Philips.
Confirmed events to expect at the Bristol Cider & Cheese Festival
Dan, the founder of The Cider Box pictured above on the left, is finalising the day's festivities but confirmed a couple of events to expect at the Bristol Cider & Cheese Festival:
Introduction to cheese tasting with The Cheese Explorer
Emma Young, The Cheese Explorer, is joining the festival as a very special guest. This international cheese judge is a teacher at the Academy of Cheese and at the Guild of Fine Food. Her expert palate will be your guide as she teaches revellers how to take their first steps into the world of cheese tasting. You will discover what flavours and notes to look out for and how to appreciate a truly great cheese. She will also be hosting a 'cider vs cheese' tasting session so you can compare how these flavours complement and enhance one another.
Tutored cider tasting with Wilding Cider
One of Chew Valley's finest cider makers, Wilding Cider, is coming to the city with its outstanding traditional and natural ciders. Wilding Cider produces low-intervention ciders created using wild yeast fermentations. Originally a hobby cider maker, Wilding Cider went full-time in 2018 and now produces 6,500 litres of cider from its own 4.5-acre orchard and three other orchards across Somerset. Using traditional and organic methods, the Somerset cider apple varieties are picked from the ground, matured and fully ripped, then finally pressed and fermented gently to create a unique heritage flavour.
Cider-matched cheeseboards from The Bristol Cheesemonger
The Cider Box's neighbours, The Bristol Cheesemonger, will be pitching up for the afternoon and supplying exclusively prepared cheeseboards that have been thoughtfully matched with the ciders which will be flowing at the festival. This award-winning specialist of artisan cheeses focuses on sourcing seasonal and smaller-production cheeses, visiting farms and dairies to ensure that only the best UK cheeses reach our plates.
Cider & music pairing session with Friendly Records
North Street's Friendly Records is an independent vinyl record shop and label that has an excellent taste in music. This fun, frivolous, and humoured affair will see punters attempting to pair good cider and fine tunes. After the success of cider & music pairing in 2018, The Cider Box and Friendly Records thought it only fair to bring it back for 2022!
Where is the Bristol Cider & Cheese Festival?
You will find the Bristol Cider & Cheese Festival in the street surrounding Arch 5 Silverthorne Lane, Bristol, BS2 0QD. Silverthorne Lane is in St Philips located within Bristol's Temple Quarter.
This lightly industrial area will be transformed into a destination of revelry, mischief, music and good food on Saturday, July 16 from 2pm until 10pm.
