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

I have had another interesting day today thanks to Jodie at Discover Local. I visited Mahorall Farm to discover how they make cider. We started with an interesting talk about the history of the farm and of cider, including the fermentation process. Next we headed out to the orchards, partly along a designated nature trail around the farm - this is downloadable from thier website. Fortunately the weather was dry and sunny and the views down the Teme Valley and beyond are breathtaking. Our walk took in an established comercial orchard and a recently planted orchard on the farm. Then it was back to the farm to learn the secrets of cider making! I was surprised to fnd it very similar to the process we use for our small amount - we must be doing something right. Finally we got to taste the finished product, ranging from dry still cider (scrumpy) to a very pleasant sparkling medium version - highly recommended!

After that we headed to Nash Village Hall where we enjoyed a tasty lunch prepared by Jane from The Courtyard in Ludlow, who then demonstrated the art of chutney making. Also served with lunch was Tickmore apple juice from Brimfield Common.

This afternoon the Band played at Tenbury Applefest - a celebration of all things apple! There was cider, apple pies, a hog roast with apple sauce and of course lots of apples. We are lucky enough to have Frank Matthews nearby - a well respected grower of all types of fruit trees. They have over 200 different varieties of apples and many were displayed in a huge marquee. I had guests stay with me recently visiting their apple tree that Matthews were trialling due to its tolerance of wet conditions. If successful it will be called Gressingham Lady so look out for it! 

Tomorrow is our annual apple pressing day! I must confess our cider from last year is not much good although Amy and Adrian have supposedly made a quality brew - I hope they bring a sample for us to try tomorrow!