Stream Farm

We are very pleased to be bottling the first apple crop from Stream Farm in the Quantock Hills, Somerset.  The juice is a blend of Red Windsor, Bramley, Red Devil, Egremont Russet and Red Falstaff. 

Stream Farm is an 250 acre organic farm with an interesting vision - its owners have started several farming businesses on their land with the intention of handing each one on once it is profitable to farmers who see things as they do. 

Henrietta and James bought Stream Farm lock, stock and barrel in 2002. It had a small herd of 28 Dexter Cattle and a small flock of 26 Hampshire Down sheep. They have increased the herd to 200 and the flock to about 300. 

They sell their award winning produce online and at Food Festivals and Farmers’ Markets. Thus far they sell organic beef, chicken, lamb, pork, mutton, and stream fed, line caught trout.  For more information see the website at www.streamfarm.co.uk

If you have apples that you would like pressed and bottled do get in touch with us.

Appropriate clothing

We have lots of schools visiting our orchard (see School visits tab) and we always remind them to wear the right clothes for the outdoors, and particularly the right footwear.

We were delighted to see that Wells Cathedral School took us very seriously!

Apple Scrumping Day 2

It was a beautiful sunny day and we had an overflowing car park by 11.00 in the morning.  Everyone worked flat out all day chopping and squishing and pressing to turn the apples people picked in the orchard into juice to take home.  Huge thanks are due to Camilla and Amanda from Vigo who brought along one of their fruit presses and a big yellow muncher cruncher to chop up the fruit.  
Anyone who has more fruit than they can eat should certainly think about turning it into juice and a small Vigo press would really come in handy.  See www.vigopresses.co.uk or telephone 01404 892101.
We had such a lot of fun and the general public worked hard too, lots of dads and kids taking turns at the presses.  Thanks to Jasmine for the bacon butties, and to Fergus (not quite 7) who was her right hand man.

We're definitely up for it again next year.

Apple Scrumping Day

We’re doing something new on Sunday 12 September.  We’ll be offering to turn the apples people pick at the PYO into juice, bottle it and even give the bottles personalised labels.


Vigo, who provide us with equipment, are coming along to help and bringing some extra kit.  We’ll be chopping up the apples, pressing them for juice and pasteurising the bottles so the juice keeps.  So much easier than storing the apples for winter in the attic, and so much more fun to be able to offer your guests your own juice!


People can even make up their own blends from the fruit in the orchard - we have fifteen different kinds of apple to choose from and four different varieties of pear.


The sun is supposed to shine, and we’ll have a barbeque for hungry customers.


We look forward to seeing you all - West Bradley Orchards, 10.00 - 5.00 Sunday 12 September.

First PYO weekend of 2010 a success

Lots of people came to West Bradley for the first weekend this year of Pick Your Own.  The weather stayed sunny - more or less - and the fruit is looking really good.  People were filling wheelbarrows with apples and pears.  Many were intending to store the fruit until needed, and some said that their eyes were just bigger than their brains!  It is wonderful to see a whole orchard bursting with ripe fruit, each one a beauty.


Pick Your Own will continue on each weekend throughout September. All apples and pears are £1.10 per kilo. 


The harvest begins next week with our own pickers coming in during the week, and then it's absolutely full-on until Christmas.

Pick Your Own at West Bradley

Neil, Arthur & Fergus Macdonald - Juicemasters!

West Bradley Orchards is opening on each weekend in September for Pick Your Own.


West Bradley Orchards is 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. All apples and pears are £1.10 per kilo.


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.


APPLE SCRUMPING DAY


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

Neil Macdonald of Orchard Ground Force, which manages the orchards, 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!”


Neil’s young children, Arthur and Fergus, are masters of the technique of making juice, but it is simple enough for even adults to get the hang of it!


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


Said Neil Macdonald “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 
2 miles off the A361 between Shepton Mallet and Glastonbury
Tel: 01458 850 227

Gold at The Great Taste Awards

Neil Macdonald & Andrew Quinlan

The Orchard Pig was delighted to receive three Golds at the Great Taste Awards 2010.  Its Medium Sparkling Cider, Apple Juice and Ginger and Sparkling Jonagold Apple Juice were all declared winners in this year’s Awards.

Andrew Quinlan said “ It’s the first time we have won three Golds in one year and we’re absolutely thrilled. The Fine Food Awards are a real benchmark of quality, because each product is tasted by several judges, and Gold Stars are only awarded when everyone is in agreement, so we are honoured to have made the grade once more.”

Neil Macdonald said “It always comes down to the quality of the raw ingredients and we’re improving on that year by year in our orchards.  Our techniques and understanding are getting much better too so its great to see that someone thinks we’re doing it right!”