Prince of Wales and Hop & Vine are top cider pubs

The Prince of Wales in Foxfield, Cumbria and the Hop & Vine in Hull are the top pubs in Britain for real cider and perry.

The two pubs were voted joint winners of the Campaign for Real Ale's (CAMRA) competition as part of its Cider Month celebrations in October.

The Hop & Vine has served 63 and the Prince of Wales 50 different ciders and perries in the past year.

"We had some very good entries this year but it was impossible to separate the two winners," said organiser Sarah Newson. "The Prince of Wales and the Hop & Vine are doing a fantastic job raising the profile of real cider and perry and offering consumers a fine choice at the bar.

"Both are very worthy winners of the national award."

CAMRA also announced that 550 pubs had joined its scheme to promote real cider since it launched last year.

Pubs tell CAMA which real ciders they have served over the past year and if accredited they get a window sticker saying "Real Cider is Sold Here" and a listing on CAMRA's website.

"With almost 40 pubs closing every month, pubs need to look at a variety of different ways to differentiate themselves from the others in the area," said Andrea Briers, CAMRA's cider and perry campaigning chair.

"Real cider and perry has been growing in popularity at CAMRA beer festivals in recent years and we now have a huge demand for these drinks. Offering consumers a range of real cider and perry could, like what real ale has done for a large number of pubs in the past, drive more trade into pubs in these tough economic times."  

To get involved in the CAMRA scheme, visit

• www.camra.org.uk/ciderstickers.​