Seasonal Treats

We adore anything seasonal so were thrilled to find these Seasonal Guide tea towels from designer Stuart Gardiner, now available from the Drove Orchards farm shop.

Choose from 4 designs:

'Seasonal GuideTo Fruit & Vegetables Of Great Britain', Seasonal Guide To British Garden Flowers',

'Seasonal Guide To British Wild Foods' - a foraging guide to 70 edible wild fruits, herbs, flowers, leaves, nuts, seaweeds and fungi of the British Isles and finally .... 'Seasonal Guide To British Seafood' - an illustrated guide to 47 species of fish & seafood which includes a sustainability rating for each fish.

These fantastic tea towels are just £10 each, measure 76cm x 48cm  and made of 100% unbleached organic cotton. Designed, made and printed in the UK.

Contact our Farm Shop for further details 01485 525652

Toffee Apples

Look out for Drove’s very own Toffee Apples… Shanie has toffeed our favourite Cox’s Orange Pippin in a revival of the authentic toffee apple – a true eulogy to Halloween…  Pics to follow!

(available in Drove Farm Shop, at Creake Market and London Farmers' Markets...)

Fakenham Races 22nd October

On Friday the Drove Orchards truck was to be seen trundling ‘midst the tweeds at the Fakenham Races.  A chilly morn’ fast dissipated to bathe racegoers and Drove apples alike in glorious autumnal sunshine.  Racegoers were quick to assail the bounty spread before them, elbowing in to snatch up bags and choose their apples, at “eight for a pound”, a bargain. It seems the English love for the apple is awakening from a long, drowsy sleep: many were interested to discuss the varieties, others to sing about the long-lost apples of their childhood.  Punters were quick to pick their favourites, the plummy Spartan, a near indecent pink-white fragrant flesh beneath its purple skin, the nutty Russet, “you can near taste the tree it grew on”, marvelled Sarah, our prestigious neighbour in the Picnic barn, of Brays Cottage (yummy) Pork Pies.  We look forward to the next Races on 16^th November to spark up our mulled apple juice and wintry apple cake… BYO slug of whisky and the races will be a very jolly affair – forget not the hip flasks – until then!

Beautiful Brasicas

The first cold snap of the season has brought forward our crop of brasicas this week.  First to be picked were incredible curly kale and swiss chard, followed by cabbages, onions and for the first time this week SPROUTS!  Delicious in warm salads and with meats, sprouts are the nations favourite for a reason; they are so versatile, delicious when lightly cooked and above all, cheap.

 You can find a selection of our seasonal produce at our Farm Shop and at our London and Norfolk market stalls alongside such new, seasonal delights as warm spiced apple juice, homemade toffee apples, apple cake and new season pear juice.  Our Farm Shop in Thornham is choc-a-block with delicious apples of all varieties, pears and quinces (which are flying out for those eager to get quince jelly and sauces ready for Christmas) pumpkins and squashes as well as the usual local breads, free range eggs, and assorted yummy produce.

If you know of a cafe, deli, pub or restaurant that would like to sell our delicious juices please let us know via the website, or you can contact Olivia via our Farm Shop on 01485 525652 who will be delighted to help.

New London Market for Drove Orchards

We are delighted to have added another London market to our portfolio BROADWAY, E8.
 
Barrow boys have been welcoming shoppers to Broadway Market in Hackney since the 1890s, and we are thrilled to showcase Drove Orchards produce amongst such long established food heroes such as Fred Cooke who started selling jellied eels on Broadway Market in 1900.

Fred Cooke opened the restaurant 'Cooke' to feed the crowds thronging the street’s first market, it was a bawdy, drunken, vibrant street, the heart of an East London community that was to survive social turmoil and the bombs of two world wars.

Broadway Market is now described as the most successful community market in London and Fred Cooke’s grandson, Bob, is introducing a new generation to pie, mash, liquor - and jellied eels.

See the Broadway Market website for further information here: www.broadwaymarket.co.uk

Come and see us on Saturdays from 9am - 5pm

Drove Orchards in the media ....

A recent visitior to Drove Orchards this month was Clare Gogerty, Editor In Chief of coast magazine who visited the Seahenge sculpture in the orchards and made her choice of apples from our 'mix and match' option where customers are encouraged to 'Try Before You Buy'.

Clare later commented on her visit via Twitter:
"very much enjoyed the apple pick n mix @droveorchards this wkend. Great way of sampling different varieties"  We sent Clare home with six varieties of our apple juice too, which she declared "brimming with flavour".

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Drove Orchards Producer Andrew Jamieson spoke to the EDP newspaper regarding bumper UK apple crops compared to French production during September:

"The cold, early start to the year delayed production however, the warm periods through June and July  has created a superb apple.  Main varieties like Cox are blinders, our russets are going to be amazing.  We've just picked our first lot, but I'm going to keep them for a while to let the sugar build up a bit more before we squash them (for Drove Orchards Juices).

" People who eat a fresh English apple straight from the orchard this year are going to go 'oh my goodness - what have we been missing'.

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We attended the very first food and drink festival at Holkham Estate in September, alongside other Norfolk poducers.  The festival showcased the very best in Norfolk food and drink and was attended by Lord Coke of Holkham Estate who took time to call by the Drove Orchards stall which was bursting with our plums, apples and juices.  The Lynn News featured the event and spoke to Lord Coke about the event who said  "It's wonderful.  I think people are increasingly interested in what they eat and here we have our own food heroes who are totally committed to what they produce".

We couldn't agree more ...

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