Meet The Producer: Cuckoo Valley Cider

Tucked away in a hidden valley not far from the Cornish coast, an industrious family is busy crafting delicious ciders from 100% juice – breathing life back into the soil and surrounding environment at the same time.

Lorraine O’Connor, partner Colin Holmes and daughter Phoebe are all involved in production and land management at Cuckoo Valley Cider, and here at Truro Farmers Market we are the lucky beneficiaries of all their hard work.

Lorraine joins us at market every Wednesday and Saturday and has a strong following with regular visitors to market, who say it’s simply the best cider they’ve ever tasted. We took a trip to Cuckoo Valley to find out just what makes it so special…

How did it all start?

The family obsession with apples began when Lorraine and Colin bought their first house in the South East and discovered that the garden of the property was part of Richard Cox’s original orchard (Cox was a 19^th Century horticulturalist who bred Cox’s Orange Pippin and Cox’s Pomona).

Lorraine and Colin became experimental cider makers and tree growers, but soon outgrew their garden and started looking for somewhere they could turn their hobby into a business. “We had family in Cornwall and so were thrilled when a piece of land came up for sale in Nancekuke near Porthtowan,” Lorraine recalls. “It was a small sheltered valley which had previously been a potato farm, but we could immediately see its potential.” It would take a lot of work, but the family had the vision and energy to make their artisan cider business a reality.

What’s special about the approach at Cuckoo Valley?

Starting from scratch has meant that Lorraine and her family have been able to shape their entire orchard based on their favourite apple varieties (Yarlington Mill, Dabinet etc), creating a ‘mother orchard’ which they can use to replenish their trees and sell to others.

“We have a variety of Cornish and Westcountry varieties, all of which are part of our cider-making heritage in this country,” explains Lorraine. “Part of our mission here is to preserve older varieties so that they don’t die out.”

The valley itself is becoming a haven of biodiversity thanks to the family’s sensitive approach. Surrounded by fields and woodlands, Lorraine, Colin and Phoebe have now added a wildlife pond and bee hives. Although they are not organically certified, they don’t use any chemicals in the orchards and the trees share the soil with an array of wildflowers and herbs, with growth and pests managed by an army of guinea fowl, geese and ex-battery hens given a second chance at life.

What should you expect from Cuckoo Valley ciders?

This is a craft cider operation, so only juice is used (no concentrate) and nothing is added bar a small amount of sulphites to preserve quality and consistency. With an orchard in its infancy, Cuckoo Valley have mainly produced blends of different varieties so far. “As the trees mature we’re looking forward to making single-variety ciders to showcase the individual characteristics of the apple varieties,” explains Lorraine.

At the moment you can buy Groover (a sweeter style) and Carver (dry). Every year Cuckoo Valley also make batches of Vintage cider which is aged in stainless steel, but it quickly sells out when released. The family also make a Heritage cider using their own apples and those bought to them by local people. “There’s a lot of good cider apples going to waste in gardens – we invite people to bring us theirs and we add them to our annual press in exchange for cider or honey,” explains Lorraine. “It has been very popular and successful in previous years.”

What’s next?

“We’re always going to be a small operation,” explains Lorraine, who says she has no plans for world domination. The family want to continue to nourish the land by encouraging biodiversity. They’ve already seen the positive effects of this, with the return of frogs, newts, owls and – very aptly – a cuckoo to the valley (one interpretation of the name Nancekuke in Cornish is ‘valley of the cuckoo’).

200 trees are planted every year, something they plan to continue as it will allow them to offer single variety ciders as well as new and interesting blends. The growing ‘mother orchard’ will be an excellent source of root stock, helping to plant from new, or replant lost orchards, across the South West.

Cuckoo Valley also now have a license to host tastings at the orchard and sell direct to the public, something which is already proving popular. A farm shop and community space might not be far behind, as Lorraine and her family are keen to share this beautiful valley with others.

“I think people are more interested these days in where their food and drink comes from, and can see that – when it’s done right – it can benefit the whole local community with environmental, social and economic gain,” says Lorraine.

We’ll drink to that!