FORMER Chancellor George Osborne was thrilled to learn that a Somerset cider company shipped its goods to China when he visited in 2015.

The politician-turned-podcaster popped into Sheppy's near Taunton on March 26 to see how measures he announced in his Budget would benefit cider-makers.

He also met with the company's owners before officially opening the Cider House tea room and touring the orchard and production line.

His budget included a 2 per cent cut on lower strength cider, which saved consumers around one pence per litre.

Mr Osborne told the County Gazette the move was just one step in a much bigger scheme to “connect up the South West”.

He said: “I think the South West has been a bit neglected under previous governments and we’ve made a real focus in order to connect up the South West.

“I think investment comes alongside a longer-term economic plan where we back traditional industries, like cider making, and some of the newer technologies like the green technologies of the future.”

Somerset County Gazette: George Osborne on the production line at Sheppy's.George Osborne on the production line at Sheppy's. (Image: Archive)

Mr Osborne also expressed his enthusiasm to learn Somerset cider-makers were exporting internationally.

“The really exciting thing actually about Sheppy’s is that they’re exporting to China,” he said.

“So we’ve got Somerset cider being sold on the other side of the world – you know, I didn’t expect that when I came here.

“It shows we are connecting to other parts of our world, the growing economies of this world.

“It’s not just the big banks in the city of London doing that, it’s the cider-makers here in Taunton and it’s really exciting.”

Somerset County Gazette: Mr Osborne with members of the team at Sheppy's.Mr Osborne with members of the team at Sheppy's. (Image: Archive)

David Sheppy, managing director and sixth generation cider-maker at Sheppy's Cider, said the cut in cider duty would “help us to continue to grow our cider business by investing further in our brand, production facilities, staffing and orcharding”.

His family business, which is nestled between Taunton and Wellington, has been crafting award-winning craft ciders for more than 200 years.

Sheppy's grows, harvests, presses and bottles its ciders from its farm. It also runs the House of Cider café and restaurant.

Mr Osborne had visited Taunton in January with then-Prime Minister (now Foreign Secretary) David Cameron to take part in a mechanical workshop class at Somerset College.

He remained in post as Chancellor until July 2016, when Theresa May became Prime Minister, and stepped down as a backbench MP in April 2017.

Mr Osborne then served as Editor of the Evening Standard before launching a podcast, called Political Currency, with ex-Shadow Chancellor Ed Balls.