THE unpredictable weather was kind to Carhampton Community Orchard last Saturday (October 14) for its annual ‘apple day’.

And although some trees did less well than usual due to the changeable spring and summer, there were 10 varieties of the orchard’s traditional apples on sale, as well as freshly-pressed apple juice.

This year’s event spanned three sites, with apple sales and juicing in the orchard, home-made cakes, produce, and lunches and apple-related displays and sale items in the village hall, and the heritage centre open for visitors to enjoy its current exhibition on Blue Anchor and tourism, as well as sitting down to afternoon tea.

Carhampton Orchard celebrated its 25th anniversary as a community orchard and registered charity this year, but this was actually Carhampton’s 32nd ‘apple day’.

The first one was held in 1992, while a campaign to save the orchard from building development was still ongoing.

Many of the orchard’s founder-members and earliest supporters are still closely involved with its maintenance and the calendar of annual events.

However, founder-member and much-loved wassail singer Gordon Holt died recently.

He will be missed but his legacy will live on in the orchard’s ‘oasis of serenity amid the bustle of daily life’, with its 35 varieties of apple trees, many of which he planted, as well as the mixed hedge he helped to create as a haven for local wildlife.

Several of the orchard’s apple varieties will be available throughout the season from Toucan Wholefoods, in Minehead, with some of the later-cropping varieties keeping until Christmas and beyond.

Looking ahead to Christmas, the orchard’s next event will be the Christmas Lights turn-on, which takes place on Thursday, November 30, from 5.30 pm. 

More information about any orchard event can be obtained by emailing [email protected] or calling 01643 821756.