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UP THE (BRITISH) APPLES AND PEARS It’s a good apple harvest this year, say growers, slightly down on early expectations in some parts of the country, mainly due to lack of rainfall. Cox’s Orange Pippin – which some reckon is the finest apple on the planet - have a lovely red blush thanks to the sunshine in September. Taste is fantastic! They’re at farmers’ markets and farm shops now. Other varieties in season now include Crispin (Oct-Feb), Egremont Russet (Sept-Nov), Gala (Oct-Jan), Golden Delicious (yes, they do grow in the UK. Why buy French when you can buy English? Season: Oct-Feb), Idared (Oct-March), Jonagold (Oct-March), Jonathan (Oct-Jan), Jupiter (Oct-Jan), Kidd’s Orange (Oct-Jan), Lord Lambourne (Sept-Nov), Spartan (Oct-Feb). Pears are just beginning to ripen; Beurre du Comice is first to arrive, lovely, honeyed, juicy – a luscious, curvy pear, followed by Conference - elongated, sweet, juicy but more restrained than Comice. Concorde is a cross between the two – firmer than Comice and with more flavour than Conference – and it’s around from now until after Christmas. If you like Williams, you’ve just missed the English season but they’ll be back next September. Some farms will allow PYO in the orchard, a real treat as not many of us now have the space for apple trees in the garden. Here’s a short list of FARMS that grow their own apples (and often pears and plums too), and those that offer pick-your-own fruit. There are more farms but some have already closed for PYO when their early apples were gone. Use our interactive map to check out Pick Your Own farms near you, or take a look at our list of farms offering PYO Apples below:
Valley Arch PYO, Station Road, Southfleet, Kent DA13 9LJ (PYO) Perry Court Farm, Bilting, Ashford, Kent TN25 4ES (PYO and farm shop) The Hop Shop, Castle Farm, Shoreham, Sevenoaks, Kent TN14 7UB Grange Farm, Grundisburgh Road, Haskerton, Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 6HW (PYO) Graces Fruit Farm, Causeway End, Thaxted Road, Wimbish, Saffron Walden, Essex CB10 2XP (PYO and farm shop) Lathcoats Farm, Beehive Lane, Galleywood, Chelmsford, Essex CM2 8LX (PYO & farm shop) Spencer’s, Wickham Fruit Farm, Wickham St Paul, Halstead, Essex CO9 2PX Maynards PYO, Cross Lane, Ticehurst, East Sussex (PYO) Kent & Sussex Apple Juice & Cider Centre Blackmoor Fruit Farm, Blackmoor Estate, Liss, Hampshire GU33 6BS Q Gardens, Milton Hill, Steventon, Abingdon, Oxfordshire OX13 6AB (PYO and farm shop) Peterley Manor Farm, Prestwood Lane, Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire HP16 0HH (PYO & Farm shop) Hayles Fruit Farm, Winchcombe, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL54 5PB (PYO and farm shop) Clive’s Fruit Farm, Upper Hook Road, Upton-upon-Severn, Worcestershire WR8 0SA (PYO and farm shop, apple juice and cider makers) Court Farm, Tillington, Hereford HR4 8LG (PYO) Bells Farm Shop, Chadwick Bank, Worcester Road, Stourport-on-Severn, Worcestershire DY13 9RQ (PYO and farm shop) Broomfields, Holt Heath, Worcerster WR6 6NF Wayside Farm Shop, Pitchers Hill, Wickhamford, Evesham, Worcestershire WR11 7RT Green Acres, Wood Lane, North Wheatley, Nr Retford, Nottinghamshire DN22 9BG (PYO and farm shop) Wester Hardmuir, Auldearn, Nairn, Perthshire IV12 5QG |
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