Perry going down well with the stars, including Coldplay’s Chris Martin

Perry is enjoying a massive boost in the shops after becoming popular with cutting edge pop stars.

The drink has proved a hit with pop star Lily Allen at Glastonbury and has been demanded backstage by bands the Arctic Monkeys and The Killers. Other fans reportedly incude the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, super model Kate Moss and singers Joss Stone and Chris Martin of Coldplay.

Bill Ottaway of the Campaign for Real Ale, said he was not surprised to hear about the interest in perry, bearing in mind the increase in demand for cider recently. “They go hand in hand,” he said. “Perry can be quite rare because it does take a particular quality of pear to produce perry. It tends not to be as acidic as cider and it’s not as sharp.”

Tesco has reported a 300 plus per cent increase in perry sales this year from 100 cases a week to 3,000. Worcestershire and Herefordshire have always been home to some of the finest cider and perry orchards in the British Isles.

John Barker, proprietor of Barkers Cider and Perry, Greenstreet Farm, Hallow has six acres of mixed apple and pear orchards and has been making his own cider and perry for the last 11 years, including BURP which stands for Barker’s Upsi-daisy Real Perry and BBC which stands for Barker’s Best Cider (BBC).

He produces around 240 gallons of perry and 250 gallons of cider a year and supplies directly to local pubs, including the Fox in Monkwood Green and The Talbot in Knightwick and The Bell in Pensax.

Mr Barker admitted he was not aware perry had become so popular with the pop stars and had never heard of Lily Allen. “I’ve never heard of any of them,” he said. “I’m just a peasant and I produce traditional draught cider, cheap and cheerful. It’s down to Magners that it has become more popular. Mine is the old-fashioned stuff which is draught not bottled. It’s got more taste and more flavour. I’m quite proud to be a specialist.”

Source: http://www.worcesternews.co.uk/