UK pub chain Tempted? by local artisan cider

UK pub chain JD Wetherspoon has been Tempted? by a unique craft cider developed by dj's juice and cider, the Lisburn artisan producer

A Sweet Summer Cider has been created under the successful Tempted? brand by dj's for the chain's upcoming Cider Festival in July. Cider lovers will be able to taste the quality of the new Tempted? product in the chain's 900 pubs during the two-week festival.

The Tempted? Summer Sweet Cider is being supplied to the pubs in 20 litre bag-in-box format, another new development for the artisan business which is based at Lisburn in County Antrim. The contract with Wetherspoon's for the annual cider festival represents a significant breakthrough for the company in Britain.

Davy Uprichard, who founded the craft cider business in 2010 with wife Janet, says: "We've been talking to Wetherspoon's for some time and had been asked to provide cider to last year's festival, but we weren't quite ready in terms of production. We are now fully geared in production and can offer an extensive range of ciders from our purpose-built cidery.

"While we have a range of four ciders, including our unique strawberry cider, we decided to develop one specifically for Wetherspoon's to show our determination to maximize the opportunity presented by the popular festival.

"Our hope, of course, is that the festival will lead to a contract to supply our ciders over a longer period.

"The cider that we are supplying is made from our own blend of cider, dessert and Armagh Bramley apples, which we source from local Irish growers north and south of the Border, giving us complete control over the whole production process," he adds.

The apples for Tempted? branded ciders are pressed and the pure juice is left to ferment for over six months. Then the cider is lightly carbonated as it is bottled. Tempted? cideris made with pure apple juice,unlike more commercially produced ciders where the legal requirement is a minimum of 35 per cent apple juice.

The company has won a series of awards for the quality of its cider including a Gold Award in last year's Irish Food Awards for its strawberry cider. The Tempted? range also includes Dry, Sweet and Special Reserve ciders.

Tempted? ciders are available in bars and retail outlets in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.