A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to a cider and pizza event at The Stable, in Birmingham. It’s only been open since November, and prides itself on using local produce for its pizzas and pies, and local cider suppliers.
We were greeted with a glass of Devon Red cider, which was very much appreciated on the hottest day of the year so far, and sat chatting and admiring the interior – think exposed brickwork, long wooden benches and neon signs!
The event started with a chat and introduction to cider production by Allen from Hogan’s Cider, before we moved on to the fun bit – tasting them! I’m not usually a fan of cider, apart from the fizzy fruity ones (which apparently aren’t ‘real’ ciders!). There were plenty to try, from proper scrumpy style ones to a very strong cider brandy and finally, some fruity tasting ones. I wasn’t a fan of a few of them – they are a very acquired taste – but it was nice to try them and find out just how many different ones there are!
We also had a bit of fun with a blind taste testing. For £7.50 you can buy one of the cider tasting boards that gives you the chance to try five different ciders. They’re changed around daily, so you never know what you’re going to get. I absolutely loved the mango cider, which proved a huge hit with everyone. Zara from Mojo Blogs and I ended up going to buy a pint of it, we liked it that much!
After all that cider, it was definitely time for food. They let us into the open front kitchen to create our very own pizzas. We had the choice of making one off the menu, or getting creative and making our own. The bases were ready for us to add our toppings to – I think I threw pretty much everything available on top of mine! There was goats cheese, spinach, peppers, onions, mushrooms, chicken, more cheese, chill, a bit more cheese, ham, and then finished off with a bit more cheese. Getting into the oven was much, much harder than in looks. I gave up and let the bloke in the kitchen do mine! It only took four minutes to cook, and not much longer to demolish. I made a pretty good pizza, even if I say so myself!
The Stable is situated on John Bright Street, just behind New Street Station, and is a lovely place to go if you want good food, good drink and a lovely atmosphere!
*Big thanks to Emma at Fashion Mommy and Zara at Mojo Blogs for letting me use some of their photos for this post!
