Premier drink

The yokel image has gone. Once seen as the tipple for students and country bumpkins, cider is now the drink of the moment. Sales are on the increase and Strongbow cider is to become the sponsor of Leeds United football shirts - a sure sign that the drink is entering the premier league.

With Johnny Vaughan promoting it on TV and its sales fizzing, Strongbow has become the tenth biggest selling brand of alcohol in the UK.

Cider has traditionally been bought by younger drinkers but now research by brewers indicates that a grown-up market has developed.

George Thomas, of the National Association of Cider Makers, says "It's become very much the drink of the moment. It had an image which was rural and rustic and 'yokelish'. Over the last three years, we have rid it of that image and cider is now contemporary and is seen today as a fashionable drink."

Another attraction is that the tipple is believed to offer certain health benefits. Preliminary research seems to show that cider has high levels of healthy antioxidants.

Consumers are also being adventurous and trying traditional ciders, organic cider and cask cider.

Thomas says: "The nice thing about cider is its versatility - much greater than lager. Lager is just lager but cider is much like wine."

Paula Waters, from the Apple and Pear Product Liaison Executive (APPLE), which promotes traditional cider, says many producers are catching on to the fact that the drink can be marketed as a great British product, in the same way that breads and cheeses are.

Jane Curran, food editor of Sainsbury's magazine, says cider is a must-have for the kitchen.

"It's good for cooking and is certainly cheaper than cooking with wine. Anything that goes well with apples, such as pork, pheasant and chicken is delicious. We use it for poaching gammon before roasting it at Christmas."

Here are some cider recipes:

Pan-fried prawns

1 and 1/2lb unpeeled prawns

2oz butter

1 bunch spring onions

10 floz cider

2 tbsps lemon juice

salt and pepper

2 slices of toast

chopped parsley to garnish

Method: Shell the prawns and wash them thoroughly. Heat the butter in a frying pan, add the spring onions and prawns and fry for three minutes. Remove the onions and prawns and put them into four dishes. Add cider, lemon juice and seasoning to the pan. Bring to the boil and reduce by half, boiling for about three minutes. Spoon the thickened liquid over the prawns and serve with toast on each side of the dish.

Potato casserole

1/2 pint cider

2lb of potatoes

1 medium onion, peeled and chopped

4oz grated cheese

salt and pepper

Method: Peel the potatoes and cut them into thin slices. Arrange alternative layers of potatoes, onion and cheese, seasoning each layer. Pour over the cider and cover, cooking for 45 minutes at 200C/400F/gas mark 6 or until the potatoes are cooked. Sprinkle the top with the cheese and cook until golden brown.

Chairman's special

2 bottles cider

2 bottles dry white wine

thinly cut lemon peel

2 wine glasses sherry

2 wine glasses brandy

6oz raspberries

2 bananas

Method: Chill the cider and the wine. Place the lemon peel in a very large jug or bowl with the sherry for half an hour before use. Add the cider, wine and brandy with the raspberries and thinly sliced bananas and serve.