Some ciders are clearly stronger, more powerfully flavoured than others. Just roll a rich cider round the bowl of the glass to see how much weightier its texture can be. These are the apple equivalents of the chardonnays or even soft red wines, made from apple varieties which deliver a lot of clout, and they can take on much more hearty food. Make sure if you have a rich cider, you match it to a correspondingly robust, no-nonsense dish. Light, delicate ciders just won’t cope as well here, but a higher-alcohol, probably vintage cider should power through.

Susy Atkins

Try:

Stronger cheeses, of course, like mature Cheddars or a chunk of Parmesan, red meats like beef or lamb, dishes with medium-hot chilli pepper and other Indian spices (try lamb rogan josh or dopiaza), roast chicken with garlic and hearty savoury bakes like lasagne and meat pies.

« Back to Cider & Food