Good weather should mean abundance at West Bradley

Neil with sons Arthur and Fergus

West Bradley Orchards, home of cider and apple juice makers The Orchard Pig, is again opening on each weekend in September for Pick Your Own.

West Bradley Orchards, owned by Edward and Sally Clifton-Brown, one of the few orchards left in Somerset producing dessert fruit. The public is welcome to come on any of the weekends in September to pick apples and pears before the full harvest starts.

This year brings a brand new event - Apple Scrumping Day - on Sunday 12 September. 

Neil Macdonald of The Orchard Pig said:'For the first time we are going to be making juice for people from the fruit they pick.  It’s a great way to store the goodness of freshly picked apples and pears, and you can see exactly what goes into the bottle.'

'It takes one kilo of apples to make one bottle of juice - and when you consider that two Bramleys can weigh a kilo it won’t take long to pick the fruit!'

'You can choose the apples that go into your juice - either a single variety or a blend of different varieties.  For a small charge we will juice the fruit for you, (or you can do it yourself), bottle it, pasteurise it quickly so it keeps, and you can even have your own personal label!'

There are fifteen varieties of apple to pick at West Bradley.  These include Cox, Bramley, Kidd’s Orange, Charles Ross, Jonagold, Russet, as well as four different varieties of pears.  Some of the first apples to mature are the delicious Worcester Pearmains with their strawberry-like flavours. They are highly sought after and will be ready in time for the first weekend in September.

After a very dry spring and summer the recent rains have been extremely welcome.

Said Neil: 'The dry sunny weather has given the fruit lots of flavour and sweetness and now the rains are coming at exactly the right moment to swell the fruit and make it really juicy.'

The orchards will be open 10.00 - 17.00, Friday to Sunday on each weekend in September.  Free entrance and parking.  Bags and containers provided.

West Bradley Orchards, West Bradley, BA6 8LT are 2 miles off the A361 between Shepton Mallet and Glastonbury. Tel: 01458 850 227

Now you can keep right up to date with events at West Bradley by logging on to their blog -  http://www.orchardgroundforce.blogspot.com

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