Apple of My Eye

Cider and cycling prove to be the perfect pair for a relaxing Brittany break, discovers Michael Cranmer

- Michael Cranmer

A chum of mine, René, is a Breton nut. Not the shelled kind, but the sort who is passionate about all things to do with his native region. The language (very much alive and still spoken and taught), the music, dance, costumes, food, and, of course, drink.

Last year’s passion was to make cider, and not being a man to do anything the easy way, he wanted to use an authentic crusher and press which he eventually tracked and renovated. Apples were gathered and processed, but somehow along the way things went ‘pips up’. The brew was okay, but all who tasted it agreed something wasn’t quite right: “a hint of hessian”, “too honeyed” and so on. So René reviewed his method, researched and delved into the chemistry involved (quite a lot, as it happens) and chain ganged a bunch of friends into helping, my wife and I included.

The email read: “Bring your bikes when you come, we’ll be cycling along the Nantes-Brest canal.” How did that work? He’d already said we’d be picking up most of the contents of an orchard. We’d never get that lot in our bike panniers. The cycling was to be but a delightful diversion though, with two trailers to tote the apples and bikes where required.

Introductions between us Brits and the other 12 Bretons were made, bikes loaded up and we headed for central Brittany; first stop, a farm in Landeleau to see how it was done.

Meeting the producers

Jacky Dorval, the