Medd Afalau Cymreig
Apple Mead is a traditional fermented beverage made by blending local Welsh honey with fresh apple juice or crushed apples, then fermenting the mixture into a naturally sweet, slightly sharp, and aromatic drink. The final product combines the floral complexity of honey with the crisp acidity of native Welsh apples, producing a drink that sits between a mead and a cyder (a historical term for apple mead).
Ranging from still too lightly sparkling, and from semi-dry to sweet, this drink was traditionally homemade in rural communities and used both for celebration and seasonal preservation. Often produced during or just after apple harvest season, it reflects a practical and delicious use of two highly valued local ingredients: honey from local hives and apples from small Welsh orchards.
The tradition of fermenting honey and apples together dates back centuries in Wales. Mead (medd) is widely recognised in Welsh myth, history, and poetry, but lesser known is the historic practice of fermenting mead with apple juice, especially in regions where apple growing and cider making were also strong.
In areas like Monmouthshire, where orchards flourished, farmers and cottagers would use surplus or windfall apples, crush or press them, and add the juice to diluted honey to ferment. This created a seasonal, celebratory drink often served at harvest festivals, winter feasts and Christmas and weddings or special gatherings
Unlike cider or pure mead, Welsh Apple Mead (cyder) was rarely commercialised — it remained a home-based tradition, often with family-specific recipes passed down orally. It symbolises a time when seasonal, local ingredients formed the foundation of everyday life and celebration.
The ingredients are included raw Welsh honey (ideally from wildflower or heather sources), fresh apple juice or crushed apples (from native or heritage Welsh apple varieties), water (if needed, to adjust sugar concentration) and natural or cultured yeast.
Honey is mixed with freshly pressed apple juice (or with a blend of juice and water) The mixture is fermented in barrels, crocks, or glass demijohns, using wild or baker’s yeast, fermentation may last several weeks or months, often followed by a period of aging to develop flavour and the final product is bottled, stored in a cool cellar, and consumed during winter.
Historically, no commercial yeast or additives were used — wild yeasts from apples and air triggered fermentation. Some versions included spices or herbs like cinnamon, elderflower, or meadowsweet for added complexity.
The drink was made in small batches, often alongside cider and pure mead — part of a self-sufficient, sustainable rural food system.
Traditional Apple Mead is at serious risk of disappearing, due to, industrial food and drink culture, loss of home fermentation knowledge, decline of Welsh orchards, importation of non-native apples and honey and lack of public awareness.
Unless preserved and promoted, this unique blend of honey and apple heritage is in danger of being lost.
Promoting this drink would help revive traditional fermentation, reconnect communities to local orchards and hives, and encourage the return of home-based, sustainable practices.
It would also support the resurgence of small-scale Welsh honey producers and the protection of native apple varieties in partnership with orchard conservation efforts.
