A UNIQUE Herefordshire cider mill is celebrating a milestone anniversary.

Over a decade ago, in 2011, Fair Oak Farm's 17th-century derelict cider mill was brought back into service with the help of Fair Oak Cider's elderly neighbours, local carpenter Chris Robinson, some careful detective work, and several strokes of luck.

But despite the mill at Bacton in Herefordshire being put back into working order, what it needed was horsepower, and that came in the form of young gypsy cob stallion Pye, owned by Wendy Lloyd, in 2014.

The first horse in the mill in only 100 years, Pye impressed with his willingness to enter and work in the dark and confined space

"It was only when Pye started work that we realized this was now the only horse-drawn mill in the country," said Fair Oak Cider's Hilary Engel.

"Our good friend, the late Sam Williams, was thrilled to see Pye working the mill, and together with Lindsay Lloyd taught us all kinds of cidermaking skills. It was so fortunate that we restored the mill in their lifetimes, as otherwise their knowledge would have been lost.

"We’ve had a number of setbacks over these ten years, like the time in 2016 when poor Pye got spooked. We learned then that if the horse doesn’t want to do the job there is nothing you can do to persuade him. But we also learned that Pye was not the only horse in the world who could work the mill."

In 2017, Tommy, another of Wendy Lloyd's horses, joined the team. A little taller than Pye, he just fits under the low beams.

The cider made with the help of the two horses is sold through local shops, garden centres, and shows, while the farm claims its sparkling cider, carbonated by Westons, is Herefordshire's answer to Prosecco.

It also offers cider brandy, distilled in Ludlow Distillery's wood-fired still. 

The farm now holds annual open weekends and invited local primary schools to watch the award-winning company's cider being made.

"The children love it, as they so rarely get to see a working horse," Ms Engel said.

"The school families help us with harvesting. We’re fortunate that several Golden Valley orchard owners are happy to give us their cider apples, as they have no use for them: so we put together teams to pick them.