How Gabe’s Cooking up a storm on the local cider scene

We’ve seen the great gin resurgence, cut our teeth in craft beer expertise, and even declared ourselves wine aficionados, thanks to the relatively new wave of drinks dabbling and alcohol education that’s swept the globe in recent times.

But there’s one beverage that’s remained relatively low key throughout all of this - that which comes from the humble apple.

However whilst for some of us, cider is a liquid refreshment we might associate with our student days, or something indulged in by an elderly uncle, the reality is, it’s on the cusp of a wave of revolution.

From raspberry and pomegranate, to strawberry, elderflower and lime, we’ve already seen the introduction of a variety of new flavours which have certainly added spice and appeal to the drink.

But according to global cider expert Gabe Cook, popularly known across the nation as The Ciderologist, this is only the beginning of it. “Other drinks, beer, spirits and natural wines, are all having their moments, but cider is just going through the early stages of its renaissance. It’s different to what it was five years ago.”

The Gloucestershire born man, famed for his work on the likes of C4’s Sunday Brunch and ITV’s This Morning, is set to be an ambassador at the Armagh Food and Cider Weekend at the end of this month.

He’s excited about it, having only ever visited the Province once before on a day trip, a fact he describes as “shameful”.

Currently enjoying a few days’ break in the Orkneys, the 37-year-old, who got his ‘big break’, so to speak, three years ago, is certainly the real deal when it comes to being genuinely passionate about his drink of choice.

And it’s a passion that doesn’t purely devolve from the taste factor - Gabe grew up in one of England’s most quintessential rural landscapes and villages - Dymock, which is steeped in a tradition and rich heritage of cider making, beautifully bucolic and picturesque. “My mum grew up on a farm in the village surrounded by orchards, and I spent a lot of time with my granny when I was a young boy,” says the 37-year-old, who, in 2018, published his first book, Ciderology. She used to take me across the fields, telling me all about the local wildlife.”

As he grew up, Gave developed a natural taste for cider, but his fascination and interest in it grew as he gained knowledge of just how bedded its production was in his local community.

“It was this realisation that this was a drink that was made from where I was from, and they used apples from the trees all around me. I kind of liked that.” Having studied Geography at university in Leeds, Gabe knew he wanted a career connected with the outdoors, but he wasn’t totally clear on how to carve out that niche.

“I thought I wanted to do conservation or woodland work; I wasn’t really sure so I went on a lovely long backpacking trip around the world. It just so happened that when I returned, a guy at one of the small cider farms needed someone to help him at harvest time, and so for that period, I literally lived in a shed in the garden helping make cider. People would visit, and I would sell the cider. I really enjoyed advocating and championing this amazing drink and its heritage.” Gabe went on to work as communications manager for Heineken - “acting like a link between the local community and the cider making sites, and generally promoting the brand - before setting off for New Zealand to live and work for a spell.

“I made a bit of cider and a bit of wine, and I loved all that, but it had got to the point where I really wanted to have a crack at being a ciderologist, which was something I had thought about for years,” he says.

“So I came back to the UK and knew it was time to start building up the profile of the Ciderologist. I got a job with the National Association of Cider Makers, and on the side I was working on the Ciderologist, it was my place to write a blog than anything really at that point. Then, I got an email from Sunday Brunch, saying that they did a drinks session every week, and had already had beers, wines, spirits, tea, coffee, cocktails, but had never had anyone on who was interested in cider, and would I fancy it? I was fairly petrified, obviously, but I did it, and that bit of exposure helped. I then appeared on Countryfile.” As is the way with the world of TV, one thing led to another for Gabe, and in April 2017, he “lost the fear of failure”, and felt ready to take the step to making the Ciderologist a full time career.

And so far, it’s been an amazing journey.

“I don’t have any set aspirations per se, other than trying to continue doing this, “he says, as our chat turns to future ambitions. I’m under no illusions that being a freelance drinks person is never something that is going to be super stable, let alone with cider, which doesn’t get the levels of attention that other drinks get, and also especially during the Covid crisis, which obviously is a challenging time.” But challenges, risks, and the possibility of missing that target aren’t things that scare Gabe Cook anymore. “That’s the one thing I’ve come to learn - that failure is OK, and actually is quite an important part of development in your life. When I got to that stage a few years ago, I just thought to myself, I’m going to try this and if it doesn’t work, so what? At least I gave it a go.”