could this be the end of local cider?

By Isabel Ramirez isabel@southwarknews.co.uk

A BerMONdSey cidery, known for its scheme of exchanging people’s waste apples for cider, is urging people to “go local first” when they’re out, following a surge in the price of apples - and everything else.

Elliot Allison, general manager at Hawkes Cidery and Taproom in Bermondsey, said rising costs are having big consequences for local alcohol sales.

For example, last January the price of apples rose to £1.22 per kilo: “You’d need about one kilo of apples to make one pint of cider, so a single pint would cost about £1.22 to make,” Elliot explained.

And that’s before other costs such as electricity, maintenance, and staff. In 2019, it was about 75p according to government data.

“From a production point of view, that all goes to our overhead costs so we’ve had to put in a price increase to our customers - which means our margins are lower so effectively we’ve lost profit.

Hawkes sells various ciders ranging from £6.45 to £6.95 per can. Elliot said from what he’s seen in the pubs that stock them, Hawkes has gone up by 20-30 pence per pint.

“No one wants to serve a pint for £7 - but it’s becoming harder and harder with costs,” he said.

Since the price went up so much, he said they’ve started buying a season’s worth rather than wholesale to keep costs down.

Asked why apples had gone up in price Elliot explained: “The fruit and veg trade was built on migrant workers. There are jobs that British people don’t want to do. So after Brexit, this trade took a knock so prices went up. Then there’s the cost of fuel - for the amount of weight apples are you’re paying a lot to transport them around.”

Elliot explained that due to the inevitable price increases they’ve had to make, bars that stock Hawkes cider currently may be tempted to swap it for a cheaper alternative.

However, he warns that may cost them in the long run: “What’s important for traders to understand is that this may only be a shortterm win for them. As consumers become pickier with how they spend their money, they want the best every time, and failing to offer the brands that people will pay a premium for on their one night out of the week is going to cost operators in the long run,” he said.

Adding that when people do go out, supporting their local businesses is important so the money stays in the community. “Go local first!” he urged.

“Whether it’s the pint you buy or the meal you have, supporting those local, independent businesses will benefit not only the business but also the community, as all money stays in local circulation.”

Despite the difficulties they are facing, their donation scheme - where they collect people’s ‘waste’ apples in exchange for cider, started in 2015 and is still going on. “We still want to highlight this initiative. That isn’t going to stop,” Elliot said.

And cider isn’t the only beverage taking a

Local firefighters save stricken waterbird using 32-metre super ladder

By Herbie Russell herbie@southwarknews.co.uk

hit this year. A local company that produces mead - an alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey, yeast and water - is also facing similar problems.

Tom Gosnell, founder of Gosnell’s - based in Peckham with their taproom in Bermondsey - said: “Like everything, the price of honey has gone up, but it’s all the other things that are crazily expensive now. The price of labels has gone up by 3 times and carbon dioxide for production has surged.

Like Hawkes, they too are taking a loss in profit. Tom also points to the significant increase in the London Living Wage - which last went up by eight per cent - as another reason for the losses.

“These losses have meant we haven’t expanded as much as we’d like to,” he said.

“We’re now choosing to hire fewer, more senior people who are slightly better paid, because the staffing just isn’t there.”

He added that they are currently looking for sales staff (to work at the Peckham site) and bar staff (to work in Bermondsey.) Anyone interested can get in touch by emailing them contact@gosnells.co.uk

FireF ighT er S h Ave used a 32-metre super-ladder to rescue a waterbird that got trapped in a Southwark park tree.

The coot’s wing got ensnared in a plane tree by the Ada Salter Garden on Friday, February 17, but was saved by firefighters from the Dockhead and Greenwich stations at 1.49pm.

The bird, recognisable as a coot by its white beak and black body, fully recovered and was released into the park’s lake shortly after.

Wildlife enthusiast Andy Miller, who often cares for the Canada Water swans, said: “The coot was about 20 metres above the ground. She had been there for several hours, struggling to free herself, when she was spotted by Di Stedman, a local wildlife photographer.”

Di Stedman, who feared the bird had been hanging since 8.30am, called London Wildlife Protection who then contacted London Fire Brigade.

Firefighters soon arrived but realised their ladder couldn’t reach the stricken bird, so had to retrieve a new one from Greenwich.

The 32-metre aerial landing platform (ALP), normally used for extinguishing fires in tower blocks, was just long enough to reach the bird.

“The coot’s wing wasn’t broken, and after a bit of rest, she was released back onto the lake in Southwark Park,” Andy said.

Coots are commonplace across the British Isles and tend to be found in freshwater lakes, reservoirs and rivers.

A London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: “Firefighters were called to a report of a bird trapped in tree branches on Southwark Park Road on Friday.

“Crews worked with partners to free the bird from the tree, with the help of a 32-metre turntable ladder. The bird was left in the care of a wildlife protection officer.

“The Brigade was called at 1310 and the incident was over for firefighters by 1349. Crews from Dockhead and Greenwich fire stations attended the scene.”