A husband-and-wife team in Bilpin are producing one of the best apple and pear ciders in the country and now they've beaten international competitors.
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Hillbilly Cider, owned by Shane and Tessa McLaughlin, won two medals at the International Cider Challenge in England last month with entrants from countries including Ireland, France, England, Canada, Japan and Spain.
The couple won a silver medal for their pear cider and the apple drink was awarded a bronze medal.
Mr McLaughlin said the international win was great news following their best-in-class award at last year's Australian Cider Awards for the pear cider and a silver medal for the apple cider.
"It adds an extra element to be awarded among the European ciders," he said.
"When you think they've been making cider for hundreds, if not thousands, of years."
He has more than 100 years of outback farming running through his veins and after planting a vineyard in Warren in NSW 15 years ago, he relocated to Bilpin in 2007.
"Shane dug a cellar under his house by hand and started experimenting with making ciders," said his wife, Tessa.
"That's when our 'hillbillification' process began," she said with a beaming smile.
In their 35-acre orchard in Bilpin they grow pink ladies, Granny Smiths and a variety of English and French cider apples.
They visit weekly farmers' markets at Marrickville, Castle Hill and Richmond with their cider — which includes a blend of locally produced pears and apples.
"We blend different apples to get the flavour profile right using English and French cider apples, local sharp varieties like Granny Smiths and sweet ones like the Julie apple," Mrs McLaughlin said.
"We don't add any sugar or artificial flavours."
Mr McLaughlin said that the addition of the Julie apple — propagated by neighbour Bill Shields, of the Shields Orchard, and named after his wife — differentiates his product from others on the market.
■ On average 3 apples go into one 330ml bottle of cider;
■ In the 12th century cider was more common than wine;
■ Cider is as high in anti-oxidants as red wine; and
■ In England in the Middle Ages cider was used as wages instead of currency for farm workers.
■ Creamy or cider-based sauces: This is cider’s natural territory and the most useful type of dish to consider rather than chicken, pork or salmon which can be prepared in so many different ways. Think of chicken casseroles or pies cooked with cider and sausages with cider (any dish cooked with onion and apples is an obvious partner, including fish.
■ Cheese: A great area to explore. Camembert and Camembert-style cheeses are the outstanding pairings but cheddar and other English cheeses such as Cheshire and semi-hard cheeses like Gruyère are good. Pick a drier, lighter cider with goats’ cheese and a slightly sweeter one with washed rind cheeses or mellow, creamy blue cheeses. Cooked dishes like cauliflower cheese work with cider.
■ Ham and other cold cuts: Hot or cold. Cider is a good partner for boiled or roast gammon and can be used in the cooking liquid and lovely with fat chunks of ham cut off the bone. It’s also good with other pork-based products like patés and terrines, (without too much garlic), pork pies and Scotch eggs.
* Pairing ideas courtesy of international food and wine writer Fiona Beckett.