Dowding’s Apple Juice & Cider is run by Oliver Dowding, who was born into a farming family in the village, where he’s lived all his life and farms under organic standards. The orchards are part of a wider farm that’s been certified organic by the Soil Association for around 35 years.
Dowding’s Kingston Black Single Variety Apple Juice was awarded Taste of the West’s Champion Soft Drink in 2024. Kingston Black is an increasingly rare Somersetshire variety, first grown in orchards in and around the village/parish of Kingston St Mary, near Taunton, which remains one of the main cider-growing areas in the UK. Local people referred to it simply as ‘Black Taunton’ or ‘Black Apple’ due to its dark red-purple colour skin.
Although Kingston Black is considered ‘The King of Cider Apples’ and regarded as one of the best cider apples in the world, its numbers have declined in commercial orchards as it’s notoriously difficult to grow and the number of apples that this variety produces is often variable. This makes Kingston Blacks, particularly grown to the organic standards that we require, very difficult to find. Those that can be found are almost always used to produce cider because of its ability to produce a sufficiently balanced single variety cider without the need to be blended with other varieties. They haven’t yet come across any other commercial producers using Kingston Black apples for juice.
When Dowding’s Kingston Black Apple Juice was awarded Gold at the British Cider Championships in 2023, the demand increased, but they’d only been able to obtain enough apples to make 500 bottles of juice. This led to them increasing the size of the orchard by planting 90 Kingston Black trees, in addition to the existing 10.
Mindful that the new trees would take some years to yield much fruit, Dowding’s contacted the Chairman of Kingston St Mary Parish Council to ask if by any chance there were any trees growing in the village / parish. He subsequently wrote an article for the parish magazine – and bingo, two residents came forward to say that they had mature Kingston Black trees in their gardens! Dowding’s have since harvested these apples, which have been blended into the juices, along with apples from our own organic orchards and other local apples that wouldn’t otherwise be harvested. This is the blend that was awarded Champion Soft Drink by Taste of the West in 2024.
“We’d like to thank Taste of the West for championing businesses of all sizes and for KW Marketing for sponsoring our category. We’ve already met with The Grange at Oborne, who won Taste of the West’s Best Hotel in the South West Award, and are delighted to say that they are now stocking our drinks. This is testament to the networking opportunity that this award provides and for which we are grateful”. – Oliver Dowding and Jane O’Meara, Dowding’s.
A bit more about Dowding’s Apple Juice & Cider:
In addition to using apples from the farm, Dowding’s also use other local apples that wouldn’t otherwise be harvested. All the unwanted apples are managed to organic standards, but not always certified. Harvesting apples from other places not only addresses food waste, but all makes use of the many traditional and varied orchards that exist in an area often referred to as ‘apple & cider country’. This approach also involves others, such as schools and community projects.
Dowding’s organic orchards rely on owls for pest control. Owls are particularly good at keeping down the vole population, which are a real problem as they chew the roots of young apple trees, which then cause the trees to die. Dowding’s enjoy a close relationship with the team at Pitcombe Rock Falconry and are grateful to them for their help and advice.
In 2022 Dowding’s were accepted as registered hosts with an organisation called WWOOF, World Wide Opportunities On Organic Farms. They link volunteers (WWOOFers) with organic farmers and producers, to promote a cultural and educational exchange and to help build a global community, supporting ecological and farming sustainability. Whilst organic farmers and producers benefit from willing volunteers, WWOOF is invaluable in terms of the experience it offers to the next generation of organic farmers and producers.
Here is a link to how Dowding’s make their cider dowdings.co.uk/our-cider-production. Find out more about Dowding’s on their website: dowdings.co.uk; or contact oliver@dowdings.co.uk and jane@dowdings.co.uk.
Entries into the Taste of the West’s awards for 2025 are now open for all product, hospitality and retail categories. Visit the website to find out more.
