Drove Orchards at Norfolk Diet Farmers Market - 8th October

Our Stall

St Edmunds Russet

Quinces... and Lady Henniker

Norfolk Beefing

From field to fork...

As well as our quite remarkable varieties of Apples... I am still in the thick of discovery, our Soft Fruits, Plums, Pears and Juices, we sometimes forget to mention the Market Garden.

Drove Orchards has a beautiful Market Garden, with beds, polytunnels and a lovely Victorian Greenhouse where at least eight varieties of tomatoes are grown.

At the moment we have in the gardens Sweetcorn, Uchiki Kuri Pumpkins, indoor and outdoor Tomatoes, two varieties of Cucumbers (one heritage), various sweet Peppers, Chillis, Runner Beans, Cabbages, Lettuces, Marrows, Artichokes... and more.

The veg is picked every weekday and moved a mere 100m to our Farm Shop, where you can get hold of some for yourself.  We also have this produce available at some of the markets we attend, shown above.

Drove Orchards Diary Dates - Autumn 2011

We step soon into the season of the Norfolk Food Festival, which coincides with our own Apple Season.  Events are happening all over the county, throughout the Autumn months.

For the freshest in just-picked local and heritage Apples, the best in just-pressed Juices, come and find us at the following events:


3rd September - Creake Abbey Farmers' Market - Creake Abbey, Norfolk Coast
3rd/4th September - North Norfolk Food and Drink Festival - Holkham Hall, Norfolk
10th September - Norfolk Food Fair - Castle Gardens, Norwich
24th September - Norfolk Diet Farmers' Market - The Forum, Norwich
1st October - Creake Abbey Farmers' Market - Creake Abbey, Norfolk Coast
8th October - Norfolk Diet Farmers' Market - The Forum, Norwich
21st - 22nd October - English Apple Festival, Portobello + Golborne Road Markets, London (TBC)
5th November - Creake Abbey Farmers' Market - Creake Abbey, Norfolk Coast (TBC)
12th November - Norfolk Diet Farmers' Market - The Forum, Norwich (TBC)

Or, for PYO and hopefully the chance of tastings at the orchards, come and visit us...
(The PYO information can be found on our website, the address of the orchards on this blog.)

Summer Farmers' Market

The famed Norfolk Diet Farmers Market takes place again this Saturday at The Forum, Norwich.  Drove Orchards will have our beautiful Apple Juices to taste as well as a wealth of produce from the Market Garden, come quick for Broad Beans, Artichokes, Currants of all colours....


Many of our favourite Norfolk foodies will have stalls too... for a tasty day out...

For more info, visit The Norfolk Diet website.

The Royal Norfolk Show - a foody extravaganza

Drove Orchards Apple Juices

Tasting

Snuggled between Breckland's Posh Pop - think: startling combinations such as Ginger and Chilli, or Sloe Lemonade, and the Old Fashioned Pudding Company, (Spotted Dick, Steak and Kidney Pudding) Drove Orchards was overjoyed to find ourselves in such highbrow epicurean company.

"Spotted Dick"

The Food Hall at the Royal Norfolk Show is also host to the following favourite local foodies... as well as many many more.  

Brays Cottage Perfect Pork Pies, and quite the most beautifully attired stand in the Food Hall.

Crush, nutty Norfolk Rapeseed Oil, Pesto and perhaps Hummus too...

Tim Kinnaird of Macarons and More beside a tower of his diaphanous Macarons... such tastebud explosions appear in lovely Breton-style Salted Butter Caramel and exotic Passion fruit and Chocolate

Cooling off with Breckland's ice-cold Ginger Beer with a Chilli kick... a fab bottle of pop!

...and other treats

...

For an alternative view on the Norfolk Show Food Hall, read Gary Dickenson's blogpost here: http://garydickenson.com/2011/07/the-not-norfolk-show/

Summer Events

The sprawl of Summer spreads before us... And, so that you can prepare for those plentiful Sunlit picnics with a bottle or two of juice, please find here a list of the various local events Drove Orchards will be attending:

(if you miss these, fear not, our Farm Shop is open Summer long...)

Also, look out for us this weekend, with Bray's Cottage Pork Pies at City of Ale Festival, Norwich and the sparkling Fairyland Fair, Holt Hall... 

Monday 30th May - Bank Holiday - Wells Fair, The Buttlands, Wells-next-Sea.
Saturday 4th June - Creake Abbey Market
Wednesday and Thursday 29th-30th June - The Royal Norfolk Show
Saturday 2nd July - Creake Abbey Market
Saturday 16th July - The Norfolk Diet Norwich Farmers' Market at The Forum, Norwich
Saturday 6th August - Creake Abbey Market

...then, believe it or not, providing the rains come, the apples will be swelling on the trees, as August slips into September, we'll be picking and squeezing next season's juices.

We much look forward to seeing you at these Summer Events!

Spring Farmer's Market, Norwich.

 

Tastebuds flaring as the Spring Farmer's Market at The Forum in Norwich nears. Organised by The Norfolk Diet it promises to be a resplendent celebration of local food.  (Besides Drove Orchards, there will be eminent Tim Kinnaird and his cakes, Bray's Cottage perfect pies, Crush foods... and many others)  An opportunity to taste many Norfolk foods, to meet the producers and simply to spend a day luxuriating in the myriad local flavours... that, and was there rumour of free Brays Cottage pies for any willing placard-carriers? 

Come and join us at the Millenium Plain, The Forum, Norwich, this Saturday 14th May from 9am-3pm.

Creake Abbey Farmers' Market

The warm weather had the throngs thirsting at Creake Abbey last weekend and our Apple Juices were a sell-out.  Last week's favourites: Bramley, Cox's Orange Pippin, and the timeless Apple and Quince Juice.

This photo of our pretty stall was taken by Sophie Goodenough (@sophiegoodas), 

Norfolk photographer and designer.