Tiny Welly Boot Vineyard

Tiny Welly Boot Vineyard & The Alcoholery at Willow Farm: A Somerset Cider and Spirits Destination

Tucked into the gentle Somerset countryside between the villages of Farmborough and Timsbury, roughly ten miles south of Bath, Willow Farm is a 30-acre working farm that has quietly become one of the most distinctive small producers of cider, gin, rum and liqueur in the West Country. The farm trades under two names: The Alcoholery for the wider farm enterprise of food, drink and hospitality, and Tiny Welly Boot Vineyard for the vineyard that gives the brand its name. Both are run from the same address on Flatts Lane in Kingwell, BA2 0HJ, and both are worth getting to know if you care about provenance, seasonality and proper, hand-made Somerset produce.

A working farm with a vineyard at its heart

The vineyard is named after two of the owners' Jack Russell terriers, Wellington and Boot, and the rows of vines are tucked in next to a working cider orchard, growing gardens and the farm's kitchen and shop. Although the farm no longer sells its wines commercially - the grapes are now pressed and distilled into a small range of wine-based spirits - the vineyard remains central to the identity of the business. It anchors an estate that grows fruit and vegetables to organic principles, raises pedigree Oxford Sandy and Black pigs, keeps bees, and runs a planting programme that adds new trees to the orchard every year. The estate's flagship boar, Bertie, took the Reserve Champion title for the Oxford Sandy and Black category at the Royal Norfolk Show in 2014, and is still available for breeding hire from the farm.

Willow Farm is also a Caravan and Motorhome Club Certified Location (CL), with two grass pitches and five hard-standing pitches on a flat, sheltered field bordered by mature hedging. From 1 May 2026 the on-site toilets, shower and licensed kitchen are open, and dogs are welcome, with countryside walks directly from the site. The farm's location just off the A39 makes it a popular stop for touring the historic cities of Bath, Bristol and Wells or for day trips to the Bristol Channel resorts of Weston-super-Mare, Clevedon and Burnham-on-Sea. Pitches are £20.00 per night including 10 kW of electricity (any excess charged by meter), or £16.00 per night without EHU, advance booking required via the Stay With Us page.

The Alcoholery: where cider, gin, rum and food come together

The Alcoholery is the public face of the farm. A converted farm building houses a kitchen serving breakfasts and lunches from Wednesday to Sunday, a farm shop stocked with local produce, and a licensed tasting bar. Outside, the working vineyard and orchards stretch away to the horizon, and the pigs graze contentedly a few hundred yards from the front door. The philosophy is uncomplicated: make the most of what the farm grows, distil or ferment it carefully, and sell it either in the shop or direct to customers online. Everything is locally sourced, most of it from the farm itself, with neighbouring farms supplying only when something extra is needed.

Opening hours

• Kitchen: Wednesday - Saturday 8.00am - 4.00pm (last food orders 3.00pm); Sunday 9.00am - 3.00pm (last food orders 2.00pm).
• Shop: Wednesday - Saturday 8.00am - 5.00pm; Sunday 10.00am - 3.00pm.
• Tastings: Wednesday - Saturday 10.00am - 3.00pm; Sunday 10.00am - 2.00pm.
• Closed: Monday and Tuesday.

The cider range

Somerset is proper cider country, and Willow Farm takes the designation seriously. The cider is made exclusively from local apples and pears, often grown within a few hundred yards of the press, and the range is built around a core of traditional farmhouse ciders, with several more adventurous modern twists in rotation. Almost every bottle retails at £4.50, making the range both approachable and excellent value.

Signature and farmhouse ciders

• Pokey Olde Tackle (£4.50) - the farm's signature cider, made annually from three cider apple varieties grown in the orchard at a sensible 6.5%. Dry, balanced, classic.
• Pokey Olde Pear (POP) (£4.50) - a mellow 6.5% perry made from real pears rather than apple concentrate flavoured with pear.
• Spiced Pokey Olde Pear (Spiced POP) (£4.50) - the top-selling perry with a warming spice blend, originally created for mulling at Christmas and now sold all year round, 6.5%.
• POT Black (£4.50) - a black version of Pokey Olde Tackle with a short stout hint that gives way to the reassuring 6.5% cider finish.
• Tripple (£4.50) - a dry 5% session cider made from two cider apple varieties, triple fermented. Surprisingly easy to drink after a few.
• 1975 (£4.50) - a 5% mixed-apple cider made to taste like proper Somerset cider used to. One of the team's personal favourites.
• Crab POT (£4.50) - a cracking 6.5% cider made from crab apples. Try blending POT, Crab POT and TART for a nostalgic cider lolly moment.
• TART (£4.50) - a dry, crisp and tart 6.5% cider made from cooking apples. Great on its own or as a blending base.
• RESCUE (£4.50) - a sweet, light 4.5% cider made from eating apples rescued from the bio-digesters.

Fruit-led and seasonal ciders

• Strawberry Tart (£4.50) - a crisp, fruity 5% strawberry cider that can be turned into a sparkling cider. A bargain alternative to fizz for parties; barrel prices available on request.
• Rhubarb Tart (£4.50) - lots of real rhubarb combined with Bramley apples make this 6.5% number a firm favourite, especially over crushed ice.
• Summer (£4.50) - a 5% apple and peach cider designed for ice and a splash of fizz.
• Spring (£4.50) - a 3.5% apple and elderflower tonic-style cider, superb with crushed ice and a dash of gin.
• Bramble (£4.50) - a 3.5% curry cider made from apples and blackberries picked from the farm's hedges. Brilliant with spicy food.

Elderflower cider

Alongside the bottled range the farm makes a 3.5% Elderflower cider that is a long-standing favourite of regular customers and appears throughout the season.

The gin and spirits range

The Alcoholery is licensed to distil on site, and the spirits list is built around a single base gin, Oozels Original, from which a colourful family of flavoured and seasonal gins is derived. Every bottle is small-batch and most are triple-distilled.

The Oozels gin family

• Oozels Original Gin (£25.00) - a classic Dutch-style gin distilled with the absolute minimum of botanicals. The base from which all the others start.
• Oozels Pink Rose Gin (£25.00) - a Taste of the West award winner. Distilled with rose hips and infused with organic British rose petals for its delicate pink hue and floral character.
• Oozles Nettle Gin (£25.00) - a slightly zingy nettle gin. A small dash of ice-cold water releases its floral notes.
• Oozles Spiced Gin (Prince of Persia) (£25.00) - the original gin further distilled each time with four separate botanicals. Buy, taste, then try to guess them.
• Oozels Apple Gin (£25.00) - original gin combined with Pokey Olde Tackle cider. A must for fans of both.
• Oozels Lime Gin (£25.00) - original gin distilled with two types of lime. Bright, zesty and refreshing.
• Oozels Marzipan Gin (£25.00) - the Christmas bestseller. Original gin with marzipan; as the team puts it, "must be going in the pudding".
• Oozels Sloe Gin (£15.00) - nine years in the making, with ripe wild sloes and a touch of sugar. Deep, rich and beautifully balanced.

The apple gins

• Applewood Apple Gin (£38.00) - nine months in applewood gives this gin a light, mellow character with a delicate apple note. A drop of fizzy water (no tonic) releases all its flavour, just as you would treat a whisky.
• Oaked Apple Gin (£25.00) - released in July 2025, this lightly oaked gin is smooth, well-rounded and benefits from a lump of ice. No tonic.
• Toffee Apple Gin (£15.00) - six months on oak for a rich toffee-apple twist. Ice and a splash of sparkling water; definitely no tonic.

The rums

• Spiced Rum with Apple (£28.00) - proper rum re-distilled with spices and the farm's own Pokey Olde Tackle cider. A house favourite.
• Shergar (£28.00) - the distillery's own original red rum, with its spirited little sister, Shergar 200ml (£15.00), available in a smaller format.
• Salted Caramel Rum 200ml (£15.00) - an indulgent flavoured rum.
• Chocolate Orange Rum 200ml (£15.00) - a Christmas favourite with chocolate-orange notes.
• Espresso Rum 200ml (£15.00) - a coffee-rich small-format rum.

The liqueurs and wine-based spirits

• Naked (£30.00) and Naked 200ml (£20.00) - a triple-distilled, un-oaked wine-based spirit made from the farm's own wine. Complex, smooth and excellent as a gift.
• OAKED Spirit of Wine (£28.00) - the oaked sibling of Naked, aged in oak for three years and triple-distilled.
• Mead (£20.00) - a return after a long absence caused by a shortage of quality Somerset honey.
• Blackporte (£28.00) - a heavyweight port-style wine made from the farm's own blackcurrants through a seven-to-ten-year process. Best drunk in a locked room.
• White Mist (£15.00) - a delicate harmony of re-distilled Irish whiskey and white chocolate.
• Apple Mist (£15.00) - distilled wine combined with Pokey Olde Tackle cider.
• Summer Mist (£15.00) - a peach spirit liqueur.
• Liqueur Pink Mist (£15.00) - a pink fruit liqueur.
• Brambdy (£15.00) - the farm's take on bramble, a blackberry liqueur.

The farm kitchen

Visitors can eat at the on-site Alcoholery Kitchen from Wednesday to Sunday. Breakfasts and lunches are made using the farm's own sausages and bacon where possible, alongside carefully sourced local produce. Highlights from the current menu include:

• Full English - £15.00, with back bacon, streaky smoked bacon, breakfast pork sausage, mushroom, tomato, hash brown, baked beans, your choice of egg and sourdough toast (add egg, hash brown or black pudding for £1.50 each).
• Vegan Full English - £13.00, with aubergine bacon, vegan sausage, tofu egg and sourdough toast.
• Breakfast Baps - £4.50, bacon or sausage, with add-ons for £1.50.
• Granola Bowl - £8.00, with homemade white chocolate granola, yoghurt, mixed berries and maple syrup.
• Soup - £6.50, homemade with a fresh bread roll.
• Beef Burger - £15.00, homemade patty, brioche bun, salad garnish and chips (GF on request).
• Sausage Roll - £10.00, sage and caramelised red onion with salad and chips.
• Ham, Egg & Chips - £14.00, honey-mustard glazed ham, fried egg, chips and pineapple.
• Ploughman's - £16.00, strong cheddar with balsamic onions, piccalilli, French stick, Isle of Wight tomato, cucumber and farmhouse butter.
• Alcoholery Cider Battered Onion Rings - £4.00.
• Chips - £3.00, or £4.00 with cheese.

All bookings for the kitchen are taken on 01761 472838.

Experiences and tastings

Most visitors come for the day, not just to eat but to learn how cider is made and to taste the range. The Alcoholery runs three signature tasting and making experiences, each designed to show a different side of the business. All three are 18+.

Tiny Welly Boot Cider Tasting Experience

The most accessible of the three. Guests sample six of the farm's handcrafted ciders, including Strawberry, White Chocolate, Elderflower, Spiced Pokey Olde Pear and Pokey Old Tackle, with a brief background on how each is made and a short tour of the farm. A charcuterie or cheese board can be added for an extra charge. Available all year round from May 2026, Wednesday to Sunday 10am - 3pm, at £14.50 per person; vouchers are available online and walk-ins are welcome. Full details are on the Cider Tasting page. A lunch-included version of the same experience runs on selected dates from March to December, 11am - 2pm, at £50 for two.

Tiny Welly Boot Cider Making Experience

The full day. Guests arrive at 9.30am to see the cider being made, from pressing the fruit to bottling the finished product, and finish with a tasting flight and a hearty farmhouse lunch. The course covers small-batch craft methods and what happens to the waste from the process, and includes modern twists on traditional cider such as elderflower or white chocolate flavours. The day runs 9.30am - 2.00pm at £60 for two (£30 per person). 2026 dates confirmed at the time of writing include Saturday 22 August, Friday 4 September, Saturday 19 September, Friday 2 October, Saturday 17 October and Friday 23 October. Private groups of eight or more can be arranged by emailing info@alcoholery.co.uk. See the Cider Making page for the current calendar.

Tiny Welly Boot Gin & Rum Tasting Experience

A walk-in tasting journey through the Oozels gin range and the distillery's rums. Tasters start with Oozels Original Gin, move to the award-winning Pink Rose, then on to the Spiced or Nettle Gin, before exploring Original Red Rum, Shergar, Salted Caramel, Chocolate Orange and the ever-popular Spiced Rum with Apple. Available Wednesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm and Sundays 10am - 2pm, no booking required, at £30 per person. Groups of six or more should call ahead on 01761 472838. Details on the Gin & Rum page.

Willow Farm Sausage-Making Experience

The other side of the business. Guests arrive at 9.30am to make 100% pure meat bangers and faggots using pork from the farm's own Oxford Sandy and Black pigs, then sample their own work for lunch alongside a cider tasting and farm tour. Runs 9.30am - 1.00pm at £50 per person. 2026 dates currently scheduled include Friday 28 August, Friday 25 September, Saturday 24 October and Friday 20 November. Block bookings for birthdays, stag or hen dos are welcome. Full details on the Willow Farm Experience page.

Events and seasonal dinners

The Alcoholery hosts occasional ticketed events alongside its regular experiences. The standout is the Six Courses, Six Ciders dinner, a specially curated tasting menu in which each course is paired with one of the farm's ciders - Tart, 1975, Rescue and Pokey Olde Tackle all feature - and guests are welcomed with a champagne flute of sparkling Strawberry cider. The most recent seating took place on Saturday 4 July at Flatts Lane (BA2 0HJ) at £85 per head. Keep an eye on the Experiences page for the next announcement.

Special summer openings, such as the recent Cocktails and Canapés day at the start of the school holidays (10am - 7pm at Flatts Lane, BA2 0HJ), are advertised from time to time. Gift Vouchers for any of the experiences can be purchased through the Experiences page and sent by email at short notice.

Visit and plan your trip

Willow Farm sits between Farmborough and Timsbury, just off the A39, ten miles south of Bath and roughly fifteen miles from both Bristol and Wells. The post code for sat-navs is BA2 0HJ. Parking is available on site for visitors to the shop, kitchen and experiences. For any group bookings, school visits or special occasions the team can be reached on info@alcoholery.co.uk or by calling 01761 472838 (also 07353 066312). Camping enquiries should go to tgs@crossway-stables.co.uk. The farm's location can be viewed on a Google Map. Visitors are advised to arrange non-camping visits by appointment because the team is often out working on the farm.

Shop online

If you cannot get to the farm in person, the full range of Tiny Welly Boot ciders, Oozels gins, spirits, liqueurs and rums - plus a £20 Tiny Welly Boot polo shirt - is available from the Alcoholery online shop. Orders are processed within two working days and delivered within the following 48 hours to mainland GB; local pick-up is available either from the farm itself or from the cheese stall at Rocky Mountain Nursery near Wells every Thursday and Saturday. You must be over 18 to purchase alcohol and the team asks customers to include the recipient's email and contact number with every order so that couriers can deliver successfully. Delivery details are set out on the Further Information page.

Whether you arrive for a flight of ciders at the bar, a full day in the cider shed, a multi-course pairing dinner, a weekend in a caravan pitch with the pigs as neighbours, or simply a box of Strawberry Tart and Pokey Olde Tackle delivered to your door, Willow Farm offers a genuine taste of contemporary Somerset: small-batch, hand-made, locally grown and rooted in the soil a few yards from where it is produced.