Orchards, Trees & Orchard Produce

Somerset (inc. Bristol & Bath)

Somerset and cider share the same breath - over 156 varieties of apple are recorded as having a connection with the county. Yet over 50% of Somerset's orchards have gone in the last 50 years, so that now they only cover 0.4%. Glastonbury was called Avalon, 'The Isle of Apples' by Iron Age people. The Glastonbury orchard below was photographed by James Ravilious.

"Most varieties of cider apple remain fairly local in their distribution, some living and dying quite unknown beyond a farm or village"
Copas, 'The Somerset Pomona'.

Most of the orchards are of cider apple trees - comprising tall, well - spaced trees with are usually undergrazed with sheep or cattle.

Cider apples have special qualities. They are broken down into groups such as 'sharps' which are apples of high acidity and low tannin.

A typical example is the variety Frederick which produces a deep red cider. Other groups are 'bitter sharp' with varieties such as the famous Kingston Black and Stoke Red. 'Bitter sweet' apples are high in tannin -Yarlington Mill, Dabinet and Hangdown are good examples. 'Sweet apples' include Court Royal and Sweet Coppin. These can be blended to give the desired taste, though there is an increasing tendency for single variety ciders now.

Events: Taunton Racecourse holds the Apple Stakes race - each race is named after an apple variety. Contact John Hills on +44(0)1823 337172 for information about this years's race.

Make your money on Laxton's Fortune ...

Folk South West created a Mummers Play, The Somerset Apple Play for Apple Day at the Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton in 1993. The characters were based on different apple varieties. Contact Eddie Upton, +44(0)1460 55311.

Somerset Apple Project - Schools, Villages & Orchards has involved over 120 children from five schools on the Somerset Levels and Moors: Butleigh Primary, Brent Knoll Primary, Creech St Michael Primary, Kingsbury Episcopi Primary and Hugh Sexey Middle School. The children have visited local orchards during the different seasons, and with the help of James Crowden and Kate Lynch have written poetry and drawn pictures of the orchards to illustrate their work. "It is a vital part of every child's education to get out into the countryside and observe the diversity of nature and the natural productivity that arises from agriculture and horticulture". read more on the project's website

Man-made Eden: Historic Orchards of Somerset and Gloucestershire - a new book by James Russell explores history of orchards in teh counties. Why is Glastonbury known as Avalon, the Isle of Apples? What made Redstreak Cyder the most popular drink of the seventeenth century? Who was Dr Ashmead, cultivator of the connoisseur’s favourite apple, Ashmead’s Kernel? How did a Somerset vicar come to make cider for Queen Victoria? This rich, wide-ranging book takes a long historic look at changing fashions and fortunes – asking why thirteenth-century monks and Edwardian landowners planted orchards, and why post-war governments paid farmers to destroy them. The author looks at the current work that has raosed awareness of the importance of traditional orchards, and asks: what can we do to make our orchards as profitable as they were in centuries past? James Russell has written for the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian, Countryman Magazine, BBC History Magazine, British Heritage, Somerset Life, the Bristol and Bath Magazines, Venue and many other publications. Man-made Eden: Historic Orchards of Somerset and Gloucestershire by James Russell, Recliffe Press Ltd, October 2007. Hardback £15. ISBN 978-1-904537-75-5

Apple Day Events
Where to Get Help
Orchards and Community Orchards to visit
Where to buy apples and orchard produce
Dishes to look out for
Where to buy fruit trees
Some Somerset Fruit