Hoar Cross Cider

According to the Met Office, this summer is looking to rank among the UK’s warmest summers on record, where June and July have delivered consistently above-average temperatures. We have witnessed this in Staffordshire and at the orchard.

The warm summer also followed a dry spring (the driest spring in more than 100 years!). And this spring our region has been especially dry. Our region has only had 58% of the seasonal rainfall.

However, we have had more than average sunshine and the apples are already turning a lovely red. It looks like the harvest will be early this year.

This year we have been out watering the trees manually! Hopefully this is enough to save the crop and to make sure we have sweet and juicy fruit. Like all growers and farmers, we are watching the weather forecasts, eagerly awaiting rain (but not too much …………………..) So, fingers crossed!

With a warm and dry spring, and no sign of late frosts, the blossom this year has been spectacular.

As always, our thanks go to our little helps! who successfully pollinated so many flowers. We are looking forward to a bumper crop in 2025!

Thank you Wirksworth for your warm welcome back to this wonderful Farmer’s Market. We managed to catch up with some of our “regular” customers, and welcomed some new customers to our lovely artisan English Cider Brandy. We look forward to seeing you again on Saturday 7th December in Wirksworth.

Make sure you have your supplies for Christmas! See you then.

It was great to be welcomed back to our first Maker’s Market on Saturday at Uttoxeter. We had some “spooky!” treats for the kids, and were pleased to see some customers from last year returning to find us and top up ready for the season. Also it is always wonderful to see new customers sample the English Cider Brandy, and be pleasantly surprised by our quality product.

We are looking forward to repeat this next Saturday at Wirksworth and at the following venues and dates. Don’t leave it too late. This is our forth year of selling, and we have sold out in the previous years!!

Well it is not going to be a repeat of last year’s bumper harvest! The cold and wet spring had an impact on pollinators, so fruit production has been slow and limited. We have some apples, and with the warm sunny August, we have seen the fruit expanding nicely. We are hoping for a good sugar content!

We are delighted to be working in partnership with Jordan and his team from West Midlands Distillery, who craft a range of Multi Award Winning Spirits and Liqueurs including: Rum, Gin, Vodka and Whisky (2024)…………..and now Cider Brandy!

Recently we took our cider from last year (2023) down to the West Midlands and it has been distilled into our Cider Brandy, using a copper Al-Ambiq still. The spirit is now maturing and ageing in oak barrels and should be ready for sale in 2025.

We were excited to see the process, and these craftsmen at work.

Thank you to our customers – old and new! We are delighted to hear that you like our Cider Brandy, and have supported us again this year. We have been at Uttoxeter Maker’s Markets in October and November, and have ventured to Lichfield for the “Christmas Light Switch on”.

You will be able to find us at the Wirksworth Artisan Farmers Market on Saturday 2nd December. This is a new market for us, and a venture across the border in to Derbyshire!

And if we have any stock left, you will be able to find us at the last Maker’s Market in Uttoxeter on 16th December. Come and get your Christmas presents for family or friends, or even something for yourself. Remember “you are worth it!”

What a bumper year!

This year’s crop has been overwhelming. All tree varieties have had an abundance of fruit. The wet summer has meant we did not loose much fruit in “June drop”, and what we have has been a good size and juicy. The slight criticism is that the sugar content of the juice extracted is slightly down. We have attributed this to reduced sunlight in the summer/autumn ( ie because it rained so much!)

Here are some pictures of our 2023 crop, and the first batch of fruit collected. All hand picked. This lot is 390kg. This was batch 1 of 4!

This year was our first attempt at Summer Pruning. Taking out new growth in the summer increases the light available to developing fruit, leading to improved colour, sugar content, and greater size.

Opening up the canopy also improves air circulation and deters pests and disease which thrives in sheltered conditions. It also reduces the amount of water the tree needs, hopefully directing water taken up by the roots into the fruit rather than surplus vegetative growth.

Only the tips of the new growth were removed. This will encourage the production of sideshoots and the formation of short fruiting spurs, leading to greater yield next year.

‘June drop’ will often occur to remove small and redundant apples. However, where the bunch of apples extended to about 7 apples, and they all appeared securely attached, a sharp pair of secateurs was used to remove 2-3 small apples. This will allow the remaining fruit to expand. Its all about quality not quantity!