Apple cider vinegar seems to be having a moment. People on social media report drinking it to lose weight and improve their health – although not everyone agrees about its purported benefits.
But what about the less acidic, tastier, alcoholic version of apple juice? Cider too has become fashionable again in recent years, thanks mostly to expensive marketing campaigns and extensive PR.
Yet there is a slower, softer side to cider making and drinking, which is worth seeking out – not just for the taste, but for its social and environmental impact.
My research shows that traditional full-juice craft cider – made from the whole juice of fresh pressed apples rather than concentrates – is a product which epitomises the idea of a “circular economy”, a way of producing things that restores and regenerate resources.
Circular economies – whether they are in fashion, furniture or food – bring ecological, social, and economicadvantages throughout the production chain. …