Hallett Family

Food & Drink

The old barn, weathered and full of character is open to the elements but protected in front by a row of trees. Inside, shiny new equipment fills the space and looks more like what you’d expect to see in a high-end winery. It’s here we meet the Hallett family, relatively new to the cider game but already picking up taste awards for their traditional ciders.

Annie, Andy and their son Andrew live on a twenty-five-acre farm in Hafodyrynys, South Wales. It is here the apples are grown, harvested and then made into traditional Welsh cider. We take a walk around the orchards, which Andy explains are a little higher than the ideal. “Usually you’d have an orchard in the lowlands about four hundred feet; but we’re over one thousand feet here, so we’ve taken lots of advice from orchard specialists to make sure we get the best results possible.” Each year the orchards deliver a great yield and the unprecedented height could be one of the reasons for Hallets’ unique taste. It’s full cycle here, the family have planted the apple trees, looked after them, harvested them and then put them into a great product.