Meet the Apple Doctor
Brogdale will be holding the largest Apple Festival in the country on the 19th and 20th October.
Apples will be in abundance at the annual celebration which is to take place at Brogdale Farm, just outside Faversham, Kent. Literally hundreds of varieties will be on display and available to taste and buy over the weekend. It is a rare opportunity to find heritage varieties, exceptional flavours and explore the world’s largest collection of fruit.
Dr Joan Morgan also known as “the apple doctor” (author of The New Book of Apples) will be identifying apple and pear samples over the weekend and giving advice on all aspects of growing fruit with her team of experts.
Guided tours of the orchards on foot or by tractor trailer will offer a glance into a world of apples originating from around the globe. Mike Austen Brogdale Guide comments; “The most impressive surprise is often in the taste. The Knobby Russet for one, is most deformed but tastes like sweet crisp heaven in your mouth”. Apples that taste like pineapples and melons will amaze and delight, whilst childhood memories can be revisited with varieties such as the Orange Pippin.
The apple weekend will be packed with different activities for all ages including rural talks, cooking demonstrations, kid’s crafts, bouncy castle and face paints, live music and kite flying. Enjoy locally produced cider and ale from the bar and indulge in some of the food on offer including gourmet burgers, artisan pizza, crispy duck wraps or homemade curry.
An array of local produce will tickle the taste buds from home baked fruit cakes, to cobnuts, chilli sauces and preserves. Kentish craft stalls will offer ideas for Christmas gifts and woolly winter warmers.
The tradition of celebrating apples is certainly growing as “apple days” are becoming common place in the autumn. The annual festival is building each year to become an event for all the family.
The National Fruit Collection is renowned for its exceptional collection of apples exceeding 2,200 different varieties – a national treasure. Apples are Britain’s most popular fruit and have been native for over 1000 years; there is a long colourful history to be explored.
After discovering a favourite apple, visitors can even take home a tree grafting from the collection.
It is the perfect time and place to celebrate Britain’s humble fruit – the apple.
The National Fruit Collection is the largest collection of fruit in the world
Contact: Kimberly Campion
Tel: 01795 536250
Email: kimberly@brogdalecollections.co.uk
