London, for all its size and caliber, does surprisingly poorly by its cider drinkers. Thankfully there are people pushing to improve this. Take Felix Nash, founder of The Fine Cider Company, who recently reopened the London Cider House in the city’s legendary food-and-drink mecca, Borough Market.
The London Cider House offers a wide range of ciders and perries by the glass—either on tap or from one of the many bottles that line its walls. This project is a collaboration between Nash and cider stalwart Tom Oliver, of Oliver’s Cider and Perry, along with Ted Dwane, cider maker and member of the band Mumford and Sons, and the family behind New Forest Cider.
Nash spent a lot of hands-on time getting the revamped venue into shape, he tells me, and has created a welcoming space that can feel like a sanctuary when the rest of the market is overrun by the hungry hordes. Its backlit shelves glow with bottle upon bottle from the likes of Wilding Cider, Little Pomona, Gregg’s Pit, and Starvecrow, drawing curious onlookers in for a taste. “It will be the place to come […] where people can have that revelation of how good cider can be,” Nash says.
I visited on a sunny Saturday lunchtime in early June and saw a steady stream of curious drinkers, some with their favorites already in mind, others totally new to cider and ready to explore. I watched the staff ask questions—Do you like sweet or dry? Still or sparkling?—and guide them towards drinks to suit their palate.
I enjoyed tasting Find & Foster’s elegant keeves, plus its new line of dry and still ciders, which you can identify from their straight-sided wine-style bottles. You’ll also find Tom Oliver’s superb ciders and perries on offer, including some that may be harder to get ahold of elsewhere.
A word to the wise, however: Make sure you visit by mid-afternoon, as the market imposes an early closing time of 5 p.m., or 3 p.m. on Sundays. Nash hopes these hours will be extended in the future—there are so many new cider drinkers to usher into the fold.
