​Pulp Cider, made by Celtic Marches in Bishop’s Frome, kindly sent me samples of their Halloween-inspired caramelised apple cider, which I thoroughly enjoyed. The buttery, toffee-like beverage scored a high mark with me and among my household, sealing the deal with its quality apple flavour with a modern twist. I was delighted to hear that the company had embarked on creating a Valentine’s special and was keen to sample a taste of the love-inspired drink that promised to deliver some sparkling moments. The raspberry and white peach cider was designed by the team to deliver a bright apple flavour, while “bushing” tones of raspberry hit the tongue. The increasingly-popular flavour profile of white peach was added to give drinkers a “welcome softness” to their drink. The producers said that one sip will leave drinkers “smitten” with a raspberry rendezvous. After rounding my week of annual leave off with cracking the perfectly pink-filled bottle open, I was immediately met with a flowery smell, the kind one might expect from a rose bush (though perhaps not as strong, and probably for the best). The smell was not artificial in the slightest, something which I welcomed, as in my opinion, no one wants to be drinking a cider that can be likened to a bottle of their most expensive perfume. I can certainly confirm the notes of “blushing raspberry” described by the producers, and found these danced on the tongue, but bubbled away just in time to receive the bold white peach flavour, which I found carried back through into a more traditional strong apple note. Although designed as a bottle for lovers to share, I can easily see these flavours being repurposed for a refreshing summer drink, perhaps one to be consumed on a warm evening outdoors. I’m certainly impressed with the past two limited edition drinks that they’ve distributed, and I’ll be keeping an eager eye out in case of a summer or even Christmas release. The producers recommend consuming the cider after devouring some chocolate-covered strawberries or a white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake. Although some may be worried about sickliness, I didn’t find this a problem whatsoever, and found my palette to be relatively cleansed shortly after consuming it, and was not in need of any water to wash it down. Read more: I found it similar to a fresh berry drink, and it was obvious to me that this was well-produced, with no harsh chemicals involved in the flavour profiles. The team at the 200-acre farm, which is one of the UK’s largest self-sustaining single estate cider producers, produce “no-nonsense” cider, steering clear of artificial flavours and not using concentrate. Depending on the season, the farm presses five to eight tonnes an hour, producing between 650 and 780 litres. Although I was kindly gifted a couple of bottles of the limited edition drink, they can be purchased from £2.79 online, with cases also available.