Notes

Fantastic moments at @brukunderbank what a pleasure.

Long ago I said Stockport had something special going on and people laughed at me. But look at it now.

It's possibly no exaggeration to say it's the best dining and nightlife destination outside of London in the UK.

Portrait courtesy of @flazzle 🍏🍏 Cidres courtesy of @_cyprienlireux

@_cyprienlireux looking fantastic at Wineboy Stockport

@_cyprienlireux beautiful bottles ❤️❤️

The wheels are in motion now.

The ball is rolling and it's not gonna stop. It's only gonna speed up until it's very big indeed.

And at the rate we're shifting this, France isn't gonna have any cider left.

And England isn't gonna have any teeth 🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷

The road to success is long and winding, paved with trials and tribulations, and for us, includes a brief stop in Paris.

Where we bump into our graphic designer which is quite special…

We later visit @lacidrerie_paris - a cidre specialist on the Canal Saint-Martin. All roads lead back to the canal.

Here, Dutchman speaks to me at the bar.

"I'm glad I found this place," he says, "since I have really been wanting try French cider!".

Wow, I say, how interesting…

We journey to Rennes, the beating heart of the natural cider scene in France. We arrive early, before breakfast, and already there are men enjoying oysters with white wine.

We join the oyster men on their little terrace, and take un café in the early morning sun, avec une galette complète from the market (a buckwheat pancake, fried with ham, egg, and cheese).

It's nice. Time stands still. The steaming cheese our only reminder of the world's forward motion.

And the voices around us are French.

We feel reborn. Like children once more, slowly grasping language; recognizing words, tones, and expressions, but never quite knowing what the adults are saying.

A time before trouble, a time without stress.

Ahead lies our future - and the future of natural cider. A salon dedicated to those at the forefront of the movement.

A movement founded on a new gastronomic understanding of the apple, an appreciation of the pure juice. And a feeling that history isn't over yet.

Thank you @salonciderpunk and all the amazing producers in attendance!

Step 1. The little apples undergo a remarkable journey. Picked, scrubbed, pulverized and pressed. And left to think about all the things they've done. Every sunset they've ever seen, every sheep that trudged beneath them. The tender hand of the picker. The bitter taste of the soil. They remember it all. Even in the crushed amniotic juice stage, the apples remember.

Photos taken at the beautiful @apothicaire.cidrerie.

There are some things in life you can't quantify. The value of a smile for instance.

It's these moments that matter. 'Cider moments' we call them.