Broome Park Farm, Farmhouse Bed & Breakfast Accommodation Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire

Sunday was Cider making day. We gathered with friends in the shed to pulp the apples ready for fermentation. We had collected a selection of apples - traditional cider apples, eaters and cookers which were all washed before pulping. Washed apples are fed into the scratter and forced through with wooden plungers. The pulp is then pressed to remove the juice. This year we used 2 presses and this speeded up the process, we had always been waiting for the press before.

The pressed juice can then be drunk, frozen (to be drunk by guests later in the year!) or turned into cider. Cidermaking is a bit of a black art and we are continually experimenting! The general concensus is leave well alone and hope for the best! Last year this philosophy resulted in a quite palatable brew - and there is always mulled cider for that which even die hard friends won’t drink!!

We are all planning to meet up in the Spring to compare the end result - could be an interesting afternoon!!

We finally finished combining yesterday - all is safely gathered in. It has been a difficult harvest this year - constant rain and then breakdowns leading to long days when the weather has been dry. The next task is to prepare the fields for next years crops and get them planted before the winter - more late nights!