A SOMERSET cider farm has revealed that its apple harvest has ended a month early. 

Showerings Cider, whose apple harvest started on September 23, announced that the volume of apples in the orchard dropped by nearly two thirds compared to a normal year. 

The Shepton Mallet cider farm says this was due to the extremely wet weather conditions and the strain of three consecutive strong harvests.

Nick Showering, director of Showerings Cider, said: “It was sad to see our depleted orchard this Autumn, however, thanks to the tireless work of our dedicated orchard team, the apples harvested are in excellent condition and will produce a good quality cider.

"Fortunately we are a triple vintage cider so will use our 2024 vintage sparingly, enriching it with vintages ageing back to 2017.”

Usually the harvest at Showerings extends into late November, but this year it ended on October 30. The harvest produced 200 tons of Dabinett apples, but these were of good quality say the cider farm.

However, Showerings say that as a triple-vintage cider producer, they can draw on a reserve of aged cider which will ensure a consistent supply.

Preparations are now underway for pruning season at the farm.