Being a bit older than you i left school in 72 and in those days proper scrumpy could be bought from certain pubs. But they often wouldn't sell it to just anyone, or if they didn't know you they'd limit your consumption.In he early eighties i left school and my first job was on a local farm on a YTS. Youth Training Scheme. Remember those?
After about a month the farmer, Harry, says "if we get (i forget what) all finished tomorrow i'll bring in some home made cider."
Whatever it was was finished and as promised Harry produced a pop bottle full of what looked like urine.
Two mugs were produced and handing one to me he tells me that it'll put hair on my chest.
Well, not that day. All it did was reduce me to a grinning idiot incapable of stringing together words into a comprehensive sentence.
He decided it would be best if i just sat on the hay bales in the barn for a couple of hours until 5pm when it was suggested that i didn't mention this to my mom or the woman from the job shop who would come down once a week to check i hadn't been killed or decided to knock it on the head.
I've always been wary of ANY cider that hasn't got bubbles in it ever since...
Places around Bath were the ones we went to. Sadly the stuff they sell now looks and is a fainter version of the original.
Middle dottir got married in zumerzet, can't remember where now, Cannington? andyway she and husband had been at the college there so the pub we had the reception in was their local and again, he would only serve Scrumpy to those he knew!
Proper stuff that takes the enamel off your teeth, lovely!