Small Orchard, Big Heart: The Story of Dinnington Cider
Posted November 12, 2025In the quiet village of Dinnington, Ben and Gilly Jaffe craft small-batch cider with heart and heritage. From rescued pear trees to rows of Crimson King and Foxwhelp, their orchard proves you don’t need generations behind you, just patience, care, and a love for Somerset’s soil.
The Rhythm of the Press
On a late autumn morning, the barn at Dinnington Cider is alive with the sound of hard work. The air smells of apples and sweet pomace; the press groans, birds dart through open doors, and Ben and Gilly Jaffe move with calm precision.
Their small orchard is buzzing with purpose, the older generation lending a hand, young WWOOFers from Germany stacking crates, everyone sticky with juice and smiling.
It’s a scene that feels timeless, a small Somerset team making something extraordinary from the land around them.
Small Batch, Big Soul
Dinnington Cider isn’t made in a factory or by a faceless brand. It’s made right here, in a tucked-away orchard that’s as much a part of the family as the people themselves.
Ben and Gilly know every tree by name, although a helpful map is used to jog Ben’s memory! Crimson King, Foxwhelp, Somerset Redstreak, Hangy Down, and the rescued pears that once faced the flames at Scott’s Nursery in Merriott. Each one has a story, and each one adds its voice to the blend.
Their cider is slow and deliberate, a labour of love, patience, and deep respect for the land and apple. It’s small batch in the truest sense of the word: pressed by hand, fermented naturally, bottled with care. Every drop reflects not just the fruit, but the people behind it and its history and heritage.
A New Generation of Cider Makers
What makes Dinnington Cider special isn’t just the flavour, it’s the belief that you don’t need to inherit an orchard to make great cider.
Ben and Gilly Jaffe prove that anyone with curiosity, care, and a patch of land (or even borrowed trees) can join Somerset’s cider story. Their orchard is quietly nurturing the next generation of cider makers, people who see cider not as a product, but as a way to connect with place, heritage, and nature itself.
Theirs is a small operation, but its mark on Somerset’s cider scene is unmistakable. In 2025, their keeved cider was awarded Best in Class and Reserve Champion at the British Cider Championships at the Bath & West Show, a recognition that honours not just their cider, but the spirit behind it.
Tradition, Cherished and Renewed
At Dinnington, nothing is rushed. The process is slow and methodical, apples handpicked, washed, and pressed with that heavy, peaceful rhythm that fills the air. It’s a sound that feels both ancient and hopeful.
The Jaffes’ approach blends old knowledge with new care, keeping Somerset’s cider traditions alive, not by preserving them in amber, but by living them, season after season.
And as the golden liquid runs from the press and the light shifts through the open barn doors, you can’t help but feel it: this is what cider should be. Not mass-produced or over-polished, but honest, grounded, and full of heart.
Visit, Taste, and Be Inspired
If you’d like to taste what love, patience, and Somerset soil can create, you can find Dinnington Cider at www.dinningtonciderpress.co.uk and in person at the Hinton St George Village Shop www.ourshophinton.org
Better still, visit their orchard on pressing day (but always ask before visiting) listen to the machinery hum, feel the air heavy with apple scent, and see for yourself how a small orchard can nurture not only fruit, but future cider makers too.
Because in Somerset, you don’t need generations behind you, just the courage to start, the patience to learn, and the heart to keep pressing.