SCRUMPY fans from West Dorset have pipped the French at their own game – beating the pride of Normandy’s cidermakers to take first prize at a prestigious festival.

They did it with a typical Gallic-style ‘champagne’ brew, making defeat even harder to swallow for their hosts in Sainte-Helene-Bondeville.

Nick Poole from West Milton Cider Club took their ‘secret weapon’ across the Channel at the weekend and stunned the opposition when it was judged the top tipple in its class.

For years the club’s sorties to France have ended in defeat with their traditional English barrel cider not at all to the continental palate.

So Mr Poole decided to give the French a taste of their own medicine – and produce a bottled-conditioned sweeter sparkling brew not unlike Normandy’s own famous ‘cider bouche’.

And it proved a real success, winning the club a handsome silver trophy.

Builder Mr Poole said: “I couldn’t believe it. The contest is the biggest in that region and it is quite a challenge to take cider to the French and win a prize with it.

“Cider is made all over Normandy and they are very proud of their traditions and I think it was a bit of a shock to have an Englishman win the class for dry cider, which would be classed as medium here.

“They are not so keen on the English traditional type cider which they find much too dry.

“So we made one in a champagne style, leaving the sediment in the bottom of the bottle. I have been experimenting with this type of French cider for the past couple of years and learning more about the craft and what they do on my trips over there.

“It involves making natural sweeter ciders without adding sugar. We use open barrels initially to slow the fermentation right down and then bottling it while it is much younger and still sweet.

“It continues to ferment ion the bottle, when drunk it about 5 per cent abv.”

Mr Poole is so delighted with his new cider he’s thinking of selling it commercially next year when he has brewed enough stock.

“It would be interesting to see if there is a market for this type of cider here,” he said.