For more than 200 years the Benedictine monks of Ampleforth Abbey have been growing apples in the Abbey Orchards. Primarily this was to feed the community and the school, but as the years went by and the trees developed the supply of apples started to overtake the demand.

Not to be wasteful, the monks tried their hand at cider production, which was a great way to increase the lifespan of the fruit. It turned out the monks weren’t that bad at making proper North Yorkshire Cider, so they decided to offer it to the public in order to generate revenue for the community.  

Sitting on the foothills of the North Yorkshire Moors, Ampleforth Abbey Orchards boasts over 80 different varieties of heritage apples, populating over 2,000 trees which span over seven acres.

Our award-winning artisan range of ciders and apple products are produced onsite in our cider mill which is nestled within the Ampleforth Abbey Orchards. Local layman Tim Saxby heads the operation along with Steve; amongst the team there are years of experience in the production of hand crafted cider.

Our beer is produced within the walls of Little Valley Brewery, down Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. Head Brewer Wim and Fr Wulstan are the masterminds behind the Abbey Dubbel’s revival. Using a well-kept recipe that was used by the Benedictine monks of years gone by, Ampleforth Abbey Beer is the only traditionally brewed Abbey Dubbel produced in the United Kingdom.

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We are very traditional in our approach to producing our award-winning beer and ciders and pride ourselves in the quality of our products.