Drink Up Thee Cider

In our continuing efforts to immerse ourselves in the county’s culture, we sallied forth westwards, Alan Stone’s “Somerset Cider Handbook” in hand. Like some of the product itself, the image of cider has been a bit rough over the years. A yokel dozing in a hayrick, half-emptied flagon of “scrumpy” by his side… that sort of thing. But I’m delighted to say that the West Country’s answer to wine is undergoing something of a renaissance and, in addition to the Big Boys churning the stuff out by the tankerful, there are a number of small-scale makers akin to the micro-breweries of the beer business.

So much better than its name suggests...

This revival hasn’t necessarily led to universally available top quality stuff – there is still cider out there that is so sweet it will rot your teeth and some so acidic it will rip the enamel off any teeth you may have left… But thanks to Lilley’s Cider Barn in Frome I’ve been sampling a variety of the local product and have found one that really hits the spot. Sadly it has a ridiculous name, but you can’t judge a book by its cover, so Janet’s Jungle Juice from West Croft Farm near Highbridge gets my vote. It's fruity and dry, refreshing and satisfying –  that seems to me to be the perfect combination.

So we went to meet John Harris, the producer of aforementioned Juice, and taste some at source. John is a quiet, friendly man who led us into his barn and gave us tasters of both the latest JJJ and his West Croft Dry (also recommended). He told us that (unlike some producers) he adds no sweeteners to his cider, nor does he blend them after pressing – the blending is all done in the selection of the apples. He also, encouragingly, is cutting down on the use of sulphites, the whiff of which is often the first olfactory encounter one has with a cider.

We shall definitely return to John’s farm at the bottom of Brent Knoll, but we will not rush back to Rich’s. I’d enjoyed a glass of their output at The Cornerhouse in Frome, so thought it was also worth a visit as it’s not too far from West Croft. But it’s a million miles away in terms of “the experience”. This is the cider farm as coach party destination: large car park, restaurant and a shop full of touristy knick-knacks. No tastings were on offer and the single member of staff we encountered was not particularly helpful – despite their ciders being split into “Scrumpy” (ie on draught, still and, assumedly, unpasteurised) and “Farmhouse” (pre-bottled, slightly sparkling and pasteurised), the assistant labelled them the same. Their dry scrumpy is pleasant enough, but not a patch on what John Harris is managing to produce on what I am sure is a fraction of Rich’s turnover. When it comes to cider making, small would appear to be beautiful.

PS It's a pleasure to be able to report that Frome With A View has just played host to its 1000th viewer. Now, apart from the occasional poster (whose comments are always much appreciated) I do, of course, have absolutely no idea who all these people are. I'm sure most of them have only ended up on this page because "Frome" is Lithuanian for "Porn" or some such. But, whoever and wherever you are, you are very, very welcome. Do leave a comment. If only to say how disappointed you are by the absence of naked women (or men)...

Brenton v Brenton v The Dempseys

The Frome Drama Club's Festival offering is a late-night one-acter at The Cornerhouse: David Tristram's "Brenton v Brenton".  It's great fun - nothing more, nothing less.  Plundering American soaps, cartoons, "Kramer v Kramer" and even "The Importance of Being Earnest", it's an OTT parody of the American advertising business of the 1980s: Mad Men, twenty years on, and with condom jokes.  Subtle, it ain't, but the production captures the tone perfectly.  The cracking pace lapses only once in a curious sequence where, ironically we fast forward several months. Otherwise the gags come thick and fast (not always hilarious, but consistently smile-worthy) and on Monday night the company battled personfully against the noise of the band that was playing on the ground floor.  And it was to their credit that we believed this was clearly all part of the show, and The Dempseys had simply been hired to provide some Chicago club-next-door atmosphere. Recommended.

Less successful was the Fashion Show.  This must be one of the most inclusive events of the Festival in terms of the breadth of the audience, so it was a shame that those who attended this (and perhaps nothing else?) experienced something that was so uneven.  The models were great - all amateurs, all ages, all shapes and sizes and all very happy in their (sometimes well displayed) skin.  The design work of Frome College was most imaginative, particularly the comic strip skirts.   And the opening dance number (from 'Chicago') was great - sexy and skilfully done.  But technically the evening was rather a mess and the presenters did not appear to be entirely in control of proceedings - though to be fair, one of them (whose name I did not catch) was a last minute stand-in.  It all looked dreadfully under-rehearsed. A shame.

And the rain, it raineth every day?

Thoughts on the first weekend of the Frome Festival.

Swan Lake, Frome Feast-style. No need to add water.

It rained, it poured, it bucketed down. The Frome, brown and foamy, raced through the town. The drain cover outside the Archangel could not contain the torrent below. The acts at the Festival Feast moved into the shelter of the Cheese & Grain, but the food stalls stayed outside and the hardy punters queued in the monsoon for Kenyan curries, Mexican burritos and pasta alla Fromiata. Numbers were inevitably down on last year (when the sun shone), but Fromies were not to be denied and a good time seemed to be had by all, despite the lack of Gulf Stream meaning our parade was most definitely rained on.

Then to The Cornerhouse to catch some Gipsy Jazz, but the place was so packed that you could neither see nor hear the band. The Rich’s (on draught) made up for it though.

To the Green Fair at the C&G where a copy of The Somerset Cider Handbook was acquired and will aid and abet my research into the most benevolent sacrifice any apple can make.

Visual arts highlights –

‘Facebook Frome’: Hans Borgonjon’s ‘life masks’ of Frome folk, gathered over the last few months and now on show at the stunning Silk Mill. They inevitably remind you of death masks, but these are Momento (Momenti?) Vitae. They are intriguing, absorbing and ever so slightly creepy.  And it’s good fun to try and spot familiar faces. Next door is The Tool Shed, a new gallery space in this former industrial complex. Beatrice Haines’ ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’ is a wide screen representation of a cactus – extraordinarily detailed and both inviting and intimidating; Mark Kasarick’s ‘To Aphrodite’ also manages to be unsettling and attractive – roses and (real) nails make unlikely bedfellows.

Also highly recommended – Ellen Tovey’s startling portraits on show in Lower Keyford, Amy Yates’ semi-abstracted Frome townscapes which can be seen at The Limes and Clive Walley's video installation in Michael Bennett's studio above the museum - a meditation on art and nature, serene and thoughtful.

The afternoon after the night before. But there's a banner!

  

Oh, and further to my post about banners… I’ve spotted three. But the Half Marathon has upstaged the Festival and nabbed pole position…

An Embarrassment of Riches

Fromians and regular readers of this blog will be well aware of the town's remarkable cultural life. But sometimes you can have too much of a good thing. Last night, for example, there was Savoy Brown at the Cheese & Grain, Frome Choral Society at the Wesleyan Church, comedy with Nick Revell (amongst others) at The Cornerhouse and (I quote) "Suzy Quatro's Sax Player" at The Archangel. And there may have been more going on that I'm unaware of.

Hats off to events co-ordination!
(Frome Folk Fest 2012 at the Cheese & Grain)

Are all these events competing for the same audience? Would each have benefitted from being on a different night? There are some Saturdays when very little is on offer, so wouldn't some sort of entertainment co-ordinator be a good idea in order to avoid this kind of overload? There was talk of the C & G taking on the role of central box office for the town's venues - maybe they could keep a "clash diary" too?


PS Thank you for your comment below, "Dream Job". (Blogger is misbehaving and won't let me reply directly). I take your point, but I have incontrovertible evidence, m'lud. May I refer you to OS Explorer Map 142...?