Entries have opened for the UK's biggest and best cider competition, the British Cider Championships, which will this year be staged as part of the Bath and West Country Festival, near Shepton Mallet, on August 27 to 29.

Organisers are hoping for a record number of entries, as the best possible bounce-back from the Covid crisis, which has hit the cider industry hard.

In a normal year, the championships would be staged at the Royal Bath and West Show at the end of May and attract well over 500 entries from ciders and perries the length and breadth of the UK.

And although the Covid crisis has dictated a rather later setting for this year, organisers are hoping that the pent up demand among cider makers for the opportunity to test their products against the very best in the land will make for an even more competitive and comprehensive line-up than usual.

Judging will take place on Friday August 27 in the renowned Orchards and Cider Exhibition, which this year will be staged in the Sedgemoor Building at the Bath and West Showground to allow maximum space for exhibitors and visitors.

"The British Cider Championships at the Bath and West is always one of the highlights of the cider year, and we're determined that, to give the industry the lift it needs, this year's competition will be bigger and better than ever," said Anthony Gibson, chairman of Orchards and Cider.

"Because we weren't able to stage the championships last year, we've decided to open the classes to ciders made in each of the past two years, and we have also simplified the classes to make the judges' task a little easier.

"After the difficult time that everyone has been through, it would be a wonderful gesture of confidence in and support for the finest traditions of British cider-making if this year's entry was a record.

"To encourage the many new cider-makers who have appeared on the scene in the last few years, we will once again be running the Newcomers class, offering not only prizes but feedback from our expert judges."

Full details can be found on the British Cider Championships website. Enter online at: