Cherries on display from The National Fruit Collection
Live music, craft and produce stalls
Family entertainment including rural craft, a cherry trail and a teddy bear parachute
Walking and tractor trailer tours of The National Fruit Collection
A full day of fruit talks and cooking demonstrations
The Cherry Fair at Brogdale, Faversham takes place on Sunday 17th July to celebrate the hundreds of varieties being preserved in the National Fruit Collection.
Brogdale’s Cherry Fair features a display of different named cherries from over 325 varieties in the National Fruit Collection. The opportunity to experience such a vast expanse of cherries takes place just once a year. The National Fruit Collection at Brogdale holds just two trees of each of these unique and rare cherries. The cherry we know today has been developed over many centuries, mainly from two wild species, one sweet and the other acid. The cherry display will take visitors through the history of Kent’s rise to becoming the principal cherry-growing region of England.
Brogdale cherries will be on sale for visitors to taste the little fruit bursting with big flavour. Local food and craft stalls will offer a range of goodies. Visitors can browse a selection of local producers selling preserves, fudge, cobnuts, cherry wine, liqueur and more. Mum’s Bakery offer homemade triple chocolate brownies for visitors along with a summer cherry Pimm’s. Live music at the fair includes the funky sounds of regulars Jumbo Gumbo and smooth jazz with the Carter Burton Jazz Band.
A series of free talks offer advice on gardening and growing cherries. Visitors can watch bees in a live hive and find out about keeping bees at talks by The Canterbury Beekeepers. Cookery demonstrations include Canterbury Baking School making bread. Walking and tractor trailer tours of the orchards will be running all day. For a different view of the National Fruit Collection little ones can take a ride on the miniature railway.
Cherry pie eating competitions and Spitacular return for this year’s Cherry Fair. Visitors can take on the Spitacular challenge and try to break the Brogdale record 53ft cherry pip spit! Activities for the whole family include free games, falconry displays, and archery. Little festival goers can get stuck in with free rural children’s crafts including willow cherry wands, a Cherry Trail and feeding animals. Visitors can enjoy the relaxing pastime of kite flying with the Kent Kite Flyers and children can send teddy on an adventure of its own flying in the Teddy Bear’s Parachute. Throughout the day families can bring a pop bottle to decorate and launch in to the skies as a cherry rocket!
Kimberly Campion, Operations Manager for Brogdale Collections comments: “Each year we grow involvement for all ages to encourage a greater connection and interest with our fruit heritage. Whilst we offer an expert level of information and advice for horticulturalists, it’s great that little ones get involved too, learning about and tasting the different varieties of cherries and having fun with the competitions such as the longest cherry pip spit”.
Brogdale has unlimited free parking, a picnic area, disabled toilets a marketplace of local shops, garden centre and micro-brewery. Tickets can be purchased on the gate at £8 an adult, £4 a child or purchased online at a discount. Visit brogdalecollections.org/brogdale-cherry-fair
