Apples are big in Much Marcle! Harvestime is here…

Cider presses are gearing up for action in this corner of Herefordshire, and Big Apple venues are standing by to welcome visitors to the Marcle Ridge on  Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th October

The apple harvest will be in full swing – no matter which way you turn in Much Marcle, apples are everywhere!  Not to mention pears – perry pears of course. 

Nine familiar Big Apple venues, including Woodredding, Lyne Down, Pope’s Perry, Hellens, Gregg’s Pit and Awnells Farm, alongside regular attractions at Westons Cider, are waiting to welcome visitors to enjoy the orchards, see, hear and smell cider being made and taste many different varieties of apples, local ciders, perries and apple juices.  And don’t miss apple teas at the Memorial Hall! 

This year’s highlights include:

  • The ever popular ‘high-altitude’ tutored cider tastings on the Marcle Ridge
  • Giving a hand to press perry pears from the ancient avenue at Hellens Manor
  • Wheeling along with the Big Apple Bike Ride.
  • The National Fruit Show Education Team making their first visit, tickling taste buds with an apple challenge at Hellens.
  • Practical sessions on tool sharpening, the chance to buy refurbished garden tools and a talk from agronomist Matt Greep on apple pests and diseases – a ‘must’ for those who like to do things for themselves
  • Bill Laws sharing some of the pomological secrets behind his forthcoming book about the Herefordshire Pomona.
  • Tasty food offers and musical interludes including Uke Can’t Be Serious and Leominster Morris will be found in and around the orchards.

Apples on tree

Full details of venues and special events, and advance booking where required, can be found at https://www.bigapple.org.uk/harvestime/

The Big Apple is delighted to be working alongside others this year to place apples right at the heart of Herefordshire under the umbrella of Hereford AppleFest.

Go Gleaning with Sustainable Ledbury this October

Sustainable Ledbury has been involved in setting up a fruit gleaning project with Herefordshire Food Alliance.  The aim is to make use of fruit which is not harvested for various reasons.  There are two locations for the project, one Ledbury based and one Hereford based.  Details are as follows.

1st October – Ledbury picking day 11am – 3pm. Sites in and around Ledbury to be confirmed.

6th October – Hereford Picking day, Lower House Farm, Herefordshire Wildlife Trust reserve near Cock of Tupsley, HR1 1UT. 11am – 3pm

8th October – Ledbury preserving and community cooking day, preserving the harvest for Ledbury Food Bank at Pot and Page community hub, New Street 11am – 3pm

14th October – Hereford preserving and community cooking day at the Living Room, 10 Commercial Road, HR1 2BB 11am – 3pm

Lunch will be provided on each day.  Please bring your own mug for soup on the picking days as there won’t be kitchen facilities available! 

Red apples

Transport to venues:

Transport will be provided from Ledbury to go to the picking locations away from the town.

Lower House Farm Orchard, Hereford is accessible by public transport with the 420, 469 and 476 from Hereford bus station stopping at the Cock of Tupsley pub, a 10 minute walk from the orchard. There is also a car park for those coming by car. The Hereford community bus may be available for those without transport and to bring the apples back to the Living Room in the afternoon.

The preserving and cooking days are in central town or city locations and they encourage the use of public transport where possible.  However there are large car parks nearby if coming by car.

Please contact Ruth Pullan 07951 399176 or ruthpullan@hotmail.co.uk to register as a volunteer. The organisers need to know numbers so they can make arrangements for refreshments on each day and to have enough equipment available.

If you have spare fruit, particularly near Ledbury, then this could be picked on the 1st October if a large quantity, or you can  bring smaller amounts to Pot and Page on the 8th October.

These promise to be fun events which will also help the community. The produce from the Ledbury is destined to go to the Ledbury Food Bank. Thanks to a grant obtained by HFA, they have a new freezer.

If you know of anyone who might be interested, please share this information with them.

Apples again

Ledbury Celebration – 9th July – full programme now available

The Ledbury Celebration on Sunday 9th July celebrates the local food and drink of Herefordshire and its neighbouring counties with an added menu of music, poetry and our historic heritage.

Ledbury Celebration

This year’s event brings an outdoor market to historic St Katherine’s, Ledbury next to the 15th century Master’s House and just off the High Street. The event runs from 11am to 4pm with entertainment from midday.

Local produce will be on sale either to eat and drink “on the go” or to take home to savour in slower time.

Producers and street-food specialist this year include:

  • Afghan Pizzas
  • Great Bear Escapes
  • Happy Dumpling
  • Hilltop Farm
  • Kitchen Flowers
  • Kontext Koffee
  • Little Bento Box
  • Little Marcle Organic Produce
  • Miniyaki’s Japanese Street Food
  • Molton Bene Pizza
  • Mr Gyros
  • Myrtle’s Kitchen
  • Orchard Grove Preserves
  • Seb’s Cider
  • Skittery’s Apple Juice
  • Vincenta’s Empanadas
  • Wykeham Gardens

And we hope more!

In addition you will find:

  • Sustainable Ledbury – find out about avoiding food waste
  • Our own stand – ask us about local food
  • Our local Police Support Officer

Buy some food, find a seat and enjoy a special afternoon of entertainment

 Ledbury Poetry has lined up special “al fresco” poetic performances during the event featuring:

  • At 12.45pm – Young local poets take the stand. Encouraged by Ledbury Poetry’s Learning and Inspiration for Young People programme, they will challenge and delight.
  • At 1.45pm – Emma Clowsley presents poems exclusively written for the Ledbury Celebration. Emma is based in Ledbury. Her debut pamphlet “Don’t forget your Toothbrush” has just been published.
  • At 2.45pm – Chloê Jacquet Chloë is a multicultural, multifaceted, multi-slam winning poet based in Gloucestershire,  with a preference for straight talking and a penchant for rhymes and opinions

And

  • Through the afternoon – Beth Calverley, will be present with her magical Poetry Machine. This is your chance to experience poetry, created in response to your thoughts, feelings, ideas, and discoveries. Book your slot with Beth!

And a feast of musical entertainment…

  • At 12pm – Four Crying Out Loud – Ledbury’s own “fishermens” quartet (but far from the sea!) with shanties, sing-alongs and lively folk
  • At 1pm – George Montague, described as a “charismatic and talented pianist and songwriter… daft, charming, original” Worth hearing!
  • At 2pm – The Hey Yahs Trio with an acoustic set of harmony vocals and guitar covers – “music to lunch by
  • At 3pm – The Rohan five-piece will cover Traditional Folk, Blue Grass and contemporary in their unique way

And to end a special day…

  • At 3.40pm – Ledbury Border Morris will close the event with their unique blend of border county traditional dances

And you can visit Ledbury’s heritage sites – the Church, The Heritage Centre and the Town itself, or book in for a session of poetry at Ledbury Poetry Festival on the last day of the festival. – Programme at https://ledburypoetry.org.uk/home/whats-on/

Can you help us at this event?

We always need help to prepare the site for the event and to take things down when it ends. We also need help with stewarding during the event.  If you can help please ring Griff at 01531 633637 or email ledburycelebration@gmail.com.  You will be valued!

This event is organised by Ledbury Food Group in partnership with Ledbury Poetry and Ledbury Town Council.

     Ledbury Poetry    Ledbury Town Council Logo

Ledbury Poetry is supported by:

Arts Council England

 

Find out about growing Organic and notice of our AGM

We’ve invited local organic farmer John Davenport to tell us about his experiences as a food grower with 40 years’ experience, following our short AGM on Monday 22nd May at 6pm at the Burgage Hall, Church Lane, Ledbury.

John Davenport

“Why eat Green?  The benefits and challenges of growing organic”

You may know John as the man behind Little Marcle Organic Produce, farming near Ledbury and providing a weekly veg-box service to the local community.

John is an early adopter of sustainable ways of using technology – delivering his produce in a battery powered van and exploring non-carbon power supply options.

John will be happy to take questions after his talk.

Before John’s talk:-

AGM of Ledbury Food Group for the year 2022/23

Notice is given that this meeting will be held at 6pm on Monday 22nd May at the Burgage Hall, Church Lane, Ledbury.

(Nearest off street parking – St Katherine’s Car Park)

  1. Apologies
  2. Report from the Secretary
  3. Report from the Treasurer
  4. Approval of Accounts for the period to 31st March 2023
  5. Election of a Committee for the year 2023 to 2024
  6. Election of Officials for the year 2023 to 2024 – Chair, Secretary, Treasurer
  7. Any other business

Please advise me –

a) If you wish to stand for a committee member or official of Ledbury Food Group. Please note that Committee Members and Officials must be members of the Food Group 

b) If you have Any Other Business that you wish to raise at this meeting

Griff Holliday, Secretary – 01531 633637  

griffholliday@btinternet.com

4th May 2023

The Big Apple Blossomtime in Putley

The parishes of the Marcle Ridge’s seasonal celebration of orchards, apples, cider and perry takes place on Sunday 30th April and Monday 1st May.

There’s lots of “appley” things for you to join in and celebrate the rather late this year coming of Spring.

Putley Blossom

It’s a special opportunity to enjoy the lovely countryside and orchards of the Marcle Ridge in Herefordshire, where local orchards are famous both for their cider fruit and their dessert and culinary fruit.

The events take place over two days around Putley Parish Hall, where you will find an array of traditional ciders and perries from Herefordshire and surrounding counties, together with some of the makers for you to meet, and, on Sunday only, at Court Farm Aylton, where you can spend time in the cruck barn and amongst the apple trees.

Blossomtime is not just for cider enthusiasts. Enjoy a walk through the orchards around Putley and Aylton, with or without a guide, then refresh yourselves with excellent homemade food. Plan your day to include one or two of our special events, including some at alternative nearby locations.

The full programme is available at https://www.bigapple.org.uk/blossomtime-putley/.

Events centre – Putley Parish Hall – Putley Green – HR8 2QN – Car Parking.

 

Ledbury Celebration 2023 – A Date for your Diary

Ledbury Food Group with its partners Ledbury Poetry Festival and Ledbury  Town Council invite you to join us at this year’s Ledbury Celebration on Sunday 9th July.

This year’s event will again be held in the historic setting of St Katherine’s, Ledbury by our very special 15th century Master’s House – it worked well in 2022!  The event will include (subject to confirmation):

  • An outdoor food and drink market featuring the best of local produce and street food from the Three Counties for you to enjoy at the event or take home. We hope for as good a show as last time when 25 local vendors took part.
  • “Al fresco” poetic entertainment provided by Ledbury Poetry as part of their festival
  • Outdoor musical entertainment featuring local musicians
  • Several craft stalls

It’s the last day of Ledbury Poetry Festival so there’s lots going on, and the town’s heritage buildings will be open for a visit.

The event will run from 11am to 4pm with entertainment from 12 noon.

As in previous years the Ledbury Celebration will be a free public event thanks to grant funding by benefactors.

If you are a locally based food producer or local street-food vendor using local produce and are interested in a stall at the event please contact our organiser Emma Jackson at ledburycelebration@gmail.com.

Please contact us if you would like to help us setting up, stewarding or setting down after the event – Griff at 01531 633637.   Your help makes these events smooth-running and successful – even an hour or two helps.

More information about the food market, other attendees, performers and the performance schedule will be available on our website nearer the event.

Ledbury Poetry Ledbury Town Council Logo

Alice's market Garden Produce
Alice presents the produce of her Market Garden
Emma the poet
Emma the Poet tells of dangers lurking on the M48

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Happy New Year … And the Ledbury Big Breakfast 2023

Our popular event – the Ledbury Big Breakfast takes place this year on Friday 27th, Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th January.  

We ask local shops, cafes, hotels and other food outlets to come up with special breakfast offerings featuring locally produced food to brighten a winter’s day.

Breakfasts can be big or small, traditional or invented to be enjoyed in our local eating places or taken home for enjoyment.  Many outlets will provide vegan, vegetable and gluten free options – please check.

Full details of those taking part, their special offerings and which days these will be on sale will be available on this website  from mid-January.

These will include “old favourites” such as the Malthouse Cafe, Market House Café, Organic Café, Seven Stars, the Nest, Wallers and Gurneys butchers’ shops, Ceci Paolo, Pot and Page, Janey’s and the Scrumpy House at Weston’s Cider.  Ledbury Country Market will be open on Friday.

In the past things have been busy particularly on the Saturday – many venues will take reservations to make things easier.  Some are open on the Sunday.

Put a note in your diary to enjoy a scrumptious Ledbury breakfast!