Apples have long been recognised as important ingredients in a healthy diet. The fermentation of apple juice is recorded in Ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman writings. Cider is how we describe the finished product and this word is derived from the Hebrew word "Shaker" meaning strong drink. In Greek mythology, Gaia, Mother Earth presented an Apple tree to Zeus and Hera on their wedding day. Hercules stole magic apples from the garden of Hesperides, where the tree was guarded by a serpent. Apples were sacred to Aphrodite and Venus. The Roman goddess Pomana wandered through the countryside with a curved knife pruning apple trees as she went.

The Romans Discover a British Phenomenon

Upon landing on the Kentish and Essex coasts in England in 55 BC, the Romans found indigenous peasants drinking intoxicating beverages made from apples. According to ancient records, the Roman leader Julius Caesar eagerly embraced the craft. Following the Norman Conquest of 1066, cider consumption became widespread in England. Orchards were planted to produce cider apples. During medieval times, monks living in monasteries became proficient cider-makers and much of the monasteries’ incomes were derived from selling large quantities of their often strong spiced cider to the public.

A cider allowance was often part of a farm labourers’ wages. With the impact of the dissolution of the monasteries around the late 1500s, much of the cider and orchard knowledge was dispersed. Many of the upper classes created special Still Rooms in their manor houses and cider making became prevalent. .

A Golden Age

English cider was given a boost by the One Hundred Years War (1337-1453) which stopped the importation of French wines. During the 18th century, home-grown cider moved into a golden age. Favoured by the upper classes and the common man, alike, the beverage seems to have been so highly esteemed that it was frequently mentioned in literature. John Evelyn praised its medicinal virtues, claiming that it "excites and cleanses the stomach, strengthens the digestion and infallibly frees the kidneys and bladder from breeding the gravel stone."