100,000 cider drinkers clinging to a rock?

Friday 03 November 2017

As the working week draws to a close, islanders might be wondering what congratulatory beverage to reach for. A new survey argues, however, that cider could be Jersey’s top tipple.

According to Waitrose’s Annual Food and Drink Report, customers spend more on the golden beverage at the St Saviour store than any other Waitrose shop in the country.

That means beating off cider drinking competition from more than 300 branches of the major supermarket. 

Jersey was joined in its cider love by the Midlands – an area which saw the biggest growth in cider interest in comparison to anywhere else in the UK.

Pictured: Out of more than 300 branches of Waitrose, Jersey were the top spenders.

South Englanders were found to be the biggest fans of bag-in-a-box wine, while South West shoppers are most likely to buy wines on offer.

Londoners were particularly partial to gin and herb mixes. Meanwhile, Cambridge dwellers showed a fondness for port and sherry.

Scots mostly stuck with their local brew, but Glaswegians were reported to have a penchant for Tattinger Brut Reserve Champagne – the region’s top-selling wine. 

Pictured: Waitrose's analysis of how the nation drinks. (Waitrose)

The Jersey result may not come as too much of a surprise to islanders who celebrated the history of local scrumpy at the Faîs’sie d’Cidre just last month.

And it’s a long history indeed. So loved was the substance back in the 1800s that a local reverend was inspired to write a guide on how to make the perfect batch. It encompassed everything from the optimum distance apart to plant apple trees to how to fix screws on a cider press.

These days, islanders drink around 220 pints of beer and cider in a year, according to the Statistics Unit. They also spend around £2.40 a week on cider, beer and lager to bring home.

Households in Jersey spend on average £2.40 a week on beer, lager & cider to bring home #InternationalBeerDay

— Jersey Stats Unit (@JsyStats) August 4, 2017