Real cider and perry are long-established traditional drinks, which, in certain parts of the country, were supplied as part of the payment for farm labour up until 1887.

Traditional cider and perry are completely natural products, rather than most of the cold, fizzy commercial products we are used to seeing which are far from the real thing. Real cider and perry is produced naturally from apples (cider) and pears (perry) and is not normally carbonated or pasteurised. The harvesting of the fruit normally happens around now (October), although this can vary dependent on the weather throughout the growing season.

Real cider was traditionally produced from cider apples which are different from eating or cooking varieties in that they have high levels of tannin, which lead to a very bitter taste. There are many varieties of cider apple which have different characteristics and vary in levels of tannin and acid. They tended to grow in the Three Counties (Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire) as well as the West Country, especially Devon and Somerset. Cider is also made in many parts of the country with producers using eating or cooking apples instead, which leads to a different taste profile. Similarly, perry pears are different to desert versions as they are smaller in size and high in tannin which tends to give an astringent taste rather than bitterness found in cider apples. They tend to dominate in the Three Counties, which is where the majority of real perry is produced.

The basics of traditional cider and perry production have remained the same for centuries – simply pick, wash, mill and press the fruit, place into a suitable container (in many cases oak barrels in the older days), allow to ferment and enjoy, although a number of producers do use separate yeast rather than the one which naturally occurs on the skin of the fruit. Either way, production uses virtually no energy at all from picking of the fruit to the product being ready for sale, making it very environmentally friendly.

Many of these natural ciders and perries tend to be dry as they have largely fully fermented using the natural sugar within the fruit. Some of them are sweetened by the addition of fresh apple juice, sugar or other sweeteners, but perry tends to be naturally less dry than cider. There are many producers of cider and perry who are using the traditional process – albeit in some cases with more modern equipment – which still creates the traditional product.

The popularity of real cider and perry is rising as more people discover how mellow and aromatic the flavours of naturally produced cider and perry can be. A glass of real cider or perry represents a taste of generations of production dating back hundreds of years.

Ian Packham is vice chairman (cider) of CAMRA's Real Ale, Cider and Perry Campaigns Committee.