ONE of the county’s award-winning cider makers will be appearing on BBC2’s Great British Railway Journeys tomorrow.

Denis Gwatkin, who is based at Moorhampton Park Farm in Abbey Dore, was visited by Michael Portillo during the cidermaking season last September.

The pair picked apples and used Mr Gwatkin’s Victorian apple scratter and press to produce juice to ferment into cider.

The farm and cider house visit will be shown from 6.30pm and will feature a train journey from Swansea to Hereford, using the Bradshaw’s Railway Guidebook.

Mr Gwatkin said the former politician was keen to be involved in all aspects of cider making, from shaking the apples off the tree using the traditional panking pole, to collecting the apples and using a restored Victorian scratter and press.

He added: “Afterwards, of course, we retired to the cider house for a refreshing cup or two of my award-winning cider, which he said that he enjoyed very much.”

Cider has been made at Moorhampton Park Farm for generations, with the orchards clearly marked on the 1833 map, a few years before Bradshaw began publishing his guides.

Mr Gwatkin has been producing cider commercially now for almost a quarter of century and has won numerous awards from the Campaign for Real Ale.