A PEMBROKESHIRE cider producer has been recognised with an award after just two years in business.

The Pembrokeshire Cider Co recently won the silver award at the recent Welsh Perry and Cider Championships 2018.

The company is run by a group of Pembroke business owners: Chris Scourfield who runs the Castle Inn, Jon Ryan of Wisebuys and Dave Halsted who owns Halsted's DIY.

"We feel over the moon, ecstatic, whatever names you want to call it," Mr Halsted said.

"It is really an award we are so happy with. The feeling is fantastic and the cider makers take it very seriously.

"The three of us, and our partners - because we got them all involved in this - we're over the moon with this award because it's given us a massive lift.

"We're getting customers calling us because they've seen it."

The company started selling apple juice in 2016, releasing its first bottle of cider in the summer of 2017.

Mr Halsted said: "This adventure started when my brother passed away and I inherited about two acres of land. I thought to myself 'I will plant 50 trees'.

"So I planted 50 trees as an orchard and I was going to do it as a hobby."

Over time he wanted to turn it into a business, so he asked Mr Scourfield and Mr Ryan to get involved.

To produce the cider and juice Mr Halsted knocked down unused buildings behind his shop and purpose built a cider brewery.

The company's goal now, Mr Halsted said, was to become more self-sufficient.

"Our eventual aim is to be self-sufficient of apples," he said.

"I've planted 350 trees personally, but we'll need more."

Mr Halsted said that they try and reuse everything as much as possible, with the leftover pulp from the pressed apples sent to Pembroke School to be used for pig feed.

He said that they will be returning to the awards next year and he is confident they can do even better than this year.

"We'll win gold next year, that's our challenge," he said.