'˜Perfect' weather means it will be a vintage cider season

Experts say trees have been groaning with fruit this year thanks to a hot summer, cold winter and damp end to the growing season.

It means a thriving harvest to make cider, cider brandy and other apple products.

Thatchers Cider Farm, which owns 500 acres of orchard in Somerset, grows more than thirty different varieties of apples.

"This year has provided practically perfect conditions for growing apples," said boss Martin Thatcher.

"The quality of the fruit is vital to producing the tastiest cider."

The fourth generation cider maker says the wet August weather - though a pain for humans - was just what the apples needed to swell.

"This is just how we like it, and we're expecting a crop of exceptional quality this year with our preferred balance of tannin, sweetness and acidity."

Gold, the company's best-selling cider, is a specific blend of apples, such as Dabinett and Tremlett's bitter.

Technological advances combined with years of know-how mean this year's harvest is set to produce a very fruitful batch of delicious cider.