Blossom everywhere in the apple orchards, with growers like Somerset's Julian Temperley declaring it to be one of the most spectacular shows they can remember.

Of course, there's a long way between blossom and harvest, and whether or not there's a correspondingly bountiful apple crop will depend on mainly weather-related factors – including whether there are enough bees around.

However, the cidermakers would still seem to have some work to do in some areas of the supermarket sector – or perhaps the supermarkets need to educate their staff. One reader informs me of a recent visit to Morrison's in Bridgwater, where he inquired why so little Somerset cider was available.

He was told that cider is not a local product in Somerset, and in any case he should be drinking ciders from Ireland, France, Germany and Belgium – since they were better products than anything produced in this country.