Tucked away on the Christmas Steps just up the road from Bristol’s Colston Hall and a short stroll from the harbour lies a hidden gem.  As we were at the Bristol Folk Festival we felt it only fitting that we should visit the Bristol Cider shop, as folk and cider are surely a match made in heaven.  Or is that just me?  Anyway, thanks to Bristol’s tourist information centre on the harbourside we found out about the cider shop and headed off.

The last cider outlet we had visited was Middle Farm in Sussex, which has a vast array of casks of cider.  Bristol’s offering was more modest, occupying a tiny shop unit.  However the range on offer was excellent, and all locally sourced (all ciders are from a 50 mile radius of Bristol apparently).  While the selection was good, what really impressed was the service.  We were offered tasters to suit our palates, and bought some draught Black Dragon (in a screw cap bottle, more sturdy than the milk bottles from Middle Farm, but it didn’t pour very well).  We then asked for some pointers for a couple of bottled ciders, and received some excellent tips and suggestions.  While we were paying the tasters kept coming, which was a nice touch, rather than the “got your money now no more” approach that some establishments might veer towards.  Overall well worth the trip, if we’re back in Bristol we are sure to drop in for supplies.