Over more than 200 years of making real premium craft cider, six generations of the Sheppy family have weathered the ups and downs of combining farming with cider-making by embracing change and opportunity.

As part of British Cider Week - a new initiative led by the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM) which is a campaign designed to encourage consumers to explore the diversity of ciders produced in the UK - David Sheppy is inviting guests to join him on a guided tour and tasting on the cider farm.

During the tour you will visit to our orchards, before showing you one of our vat houses, and then our press house.  Your tour will finish off with a fully tutored tasting of a selection of Sheppy's award winning Somerset ciders chosen by David. The evening will continue with a ploughman's style meal where you will join David and Louisa Sheppy, ending the evening with a Q&A session asking David questions about his time in the cider business.

By visiting us in Spring, the orchards are beginning to bud and bloom. This can be a beautiful time to catch the orchards with freshness in the air. Although we cannot promise the weather conditions during your visit - we will do our best to cater the tour to the overall preference of the group. For example, if the weather is not as bright as we had hoped we may lead you to a different point in our orchards.

Things you need to know:

Clothing recommendations - As your visit includes a short trip to the orchards, you need to consider how well equipped you and your guests are. We always recommend coming prepared, please ensure you are dressed (including your footwear) for all weathers.

Duration of the tour - On average our tours last for 1.5 hours, this includes a full 30-minute tasting. The meal and Q&A session will be an additional 1.5 - 2 hours. The length of the tour may vary depending on how interested your group is in different elements of the tour. Your guide will be more than happy to answer as many questions as they can - if there is anything they are not sure about they will do their best to find out for you before your visit is over! Our tours can be adapted for special circumstances, if you have any problems with accessibility please do let us know at the time of booking, this way we can ensure we include as much as possible for everyone.

Where to meet - Please arrive at Sheppy's approximately 10 minutes before your tour is due to begin. Once you have arrived, please report to the shop staff who will sign you in and direct you to the meeting point. Our guides are all the enthusiastic type and your guide will be almost as excited as you are about your visit and will be looking to gather you up for your tour a few minutes before the tour is due to start.

Meal includes -  Sheppy’s Ploughman’s (GF, V, VG available) 
Sheppy’s cider, mustard and brown sugar-cured ham, Barber’s Cheddar cheese, served with half a pork pie, apple, celery, homemade coleslaw, pickles, Sheppy’s award-winning Gold Medal chutney, mixed leaf salad and crusty bread and butter.

FAQs

1. Are there any age requirements? This tour is designed for adults only. If you or one of your guests is lucky enough to look under 25, they will be asked to show valid ID before the tour begins.

2. How do I get to you? There are a number of ways to get to Sheppy's. If you are drinking we advise using a taxi service; Taunton and Wellington are just a short drive from us. We also have bus number 22 which stops right outside running every half an hour between Taunton and Wellington.

3. Do you have any parking facilities? We have parking free of charge on site in our 2 car parks. Our main car park is located near our production yard and we have a smaller car park with disabled spaces located at the front of our main building.

4. What is the refund policy? We are unable to refund any guided tours once they are booked.