Quince Juice in Fine Food Digest Magazine

Our famed Quince Juice features in March's Fine Food Digest magazine... Get hold of a bottle of the fine stuff at this weekend's Creake Abbey Studios Farmers Market.  Saturday, 9:30am-1pm.

Drove @ Creake Abbey Studios

We are shaking out our awning, polishing our apples in preparation for our return to the Norfolk Market scene... with the sniff of Spring in the air come and see us this weekend at lovely Creake Abbey Studios Market 9:30 am - 1pm, Saturday April 2nd.

Can't wait...

Drove Orchards @ Stallholder.net

Drove Orchards has got the hammer and nails out and constructed a stall at the vibrant virtual marketplace Stallholder.net.  Our little stall is complete with all our lovely products, a list of the markets we attend, some stunning pictures of the orchards and loads of comprehensive information about how to get hold of our juice... not to mention a green and white striped awning… simply another excuse to hang out @ Drove Orchards online.

If you are a small-scale producer why not join us @ this gorgeous virtual market by designing your own stall…

Good News, Good Produce.

As the promise of Apple Blossom soon to coat the trees helps us eke out these last grey days of February, the Farm Shop reopens and Vintage Home & Garden has a stunning new look... the good news is only topped by Drove Orchards' entry in the Good Produce Guide 2011.

We'll hopefully be stocking the indispensable foody guide in the Farm Shop, and if you haven't tried our Juice yet, pop over... Those restaurants and delis yet to get their hands on the stuff, worry not, get in touch now and I'll be out delivering Samples and Tasting Notes come March...

A Wassail Toast

The Wassail Cup is emptied, the Musicians and the Wassail Butler bid their farewells, the Orchards are illuminated in the glow of the bonfire's dying embers...

I have returned from a Wassail at Ragman's Lane Orchards in Gloucestershire.  A Wassail, literally "Be thou whole and healthy", is a celebration to awaken the orchards and invoke a bountiful harvest for the year to come.  In its name I propose a traditional Wassail Toast to the trees of Drove Orchards and all other orchards around the country.

Here's to thee, old Apple Tree,
Whence thou mayest bend,
And whence thou mayest blow,
And whence thou mayest bear apples enough.
Hats full, caps full, bushel-sacks full
And a little heap under the stairs.

WASSAIL!

Tasting Notes 2010-2011

As our tasting notes are nearly culminated, our juices are certainly all squeezed.... I thought to celebrate, I would share them with you all on the blog... enjoy! (Next step - come taste for yourselves...)

 

Discovery

Run Dry!

Cox Howgate Wonder

Sharp, but mellow juice, robust,with apple-blossom on the nose.  DRY

Norfolk Royal & Worcester Pearmain

This blend of Norfolk Royal's dryness with Worcester's sweetness and zest produces a mellow, refreshing juice.  MEDIUM DRY

Worcester Pearmain Peasgood Nonsuch

An early cooker, Peasgood is used to freshen up salads.  Cut here with the Worcester it gives a sparky taste of summer on the palate.  MEDIUM DRY

Katie Peasgood

Fresh; initially sweet, then the drier Peasgood comes though to give a sharp finish.  MEDIUM DRY

Bramley

Not yet tasted!

Bramley Howgate

Not yet tasted!

Bramley Cox

Queen Cox gives this juice a full-bodied sweetness, cut through by the sharp kick of Bramley apple. MEDIUM DRY

Greensleeves

Refreshing juice, with a hint of dryness. MEDIUM

Elstar

A sharp juice with attitude; the upfront depth of taste as distinct as that of biting into the Elstar apple.  MEDIUM

Cox Orange Pippin

Just like taking a bite into a Cox: crunch, flavour, body, bite!  MEDIUM

D’Arcy Spice

A mellow juice, with echoes of lime and apple blossom and a hint of spice.  MEDIUM

Autumn Blend

The blend of Bramley, Jona Red, Cox Orange Pippin, Russet and Crown Gold gives a mellow, well-rounded juice, resonating with the nutty flavour of Russet.  MEDIUM

Blenheim Orange

The mature palate won’t fail to recognise the musky flavour to this juice made from an old-fashioned English apple.  MEDIUM SWEET

Crown Gold

A slightly sweet juice brimming with Crown Gold freshness; and a citrus bite at the finish.  MEDIUM SWEET

Red Pippin

A sharp juice with citrus notes.  MEDIUM SWEET

Tree Ripened Cox

A well-rounded, sweet juice, ideal for youngsters.  SWEET

Egremont Russet

Oh so sweet!  This juice is 100% Russet and has the lovely nutty taste of the apple itself.  SWEET

Concorde Pear Juice

A light smooth juice; using Concorde avoids the cloying sweetness of some pear juices.  SWEET

Quince

A flamboyant and fragrant juice, brimming with the exotic scents of the Quince.  Refreshing, at once sweet and slightly dry – a sensational juice!  MEDIUM DRY

Slow Food

Drove Orchards is now a member of SLOW FOOD UK. 

Slow Food is an international grassroots movement, which originated in Italy over twenty years ago.  The movement champions the understanding of food, on both ethical and environmental levels.  It believes in sourcing food conscientiously, fairly supporting producers and eating sustainably. 

Edging the marshlands of the Norfolk Coast, Drove Orchards is a small, rural apple orchards, now over fifty years old.  We supply local restaurants, markets and customers, and are an active part of the local food community.

This Autumn, a bite into one of our just-picked Elstar, or melon-scented Spartan was enough to convince anyone of the importance of fresh, locally-grown food.  Likewise, we have squeezed twenty different varieties of apple juice on site in our orchards this year.  Besides bringing ancient English varieties such as Blenheim Orange and the East-Anglian D’Arcy Spice back into common parlance, we have also made a Quince and Apple Juice, with flavours so exotic you’d hardly think it was made in Norfolk, and a Concorde Pear juice that rivals the continental versions. 

We look forward to further exploring the possibilities of this marshy bit of Norfolk coast, and to taking on an active role in this movement, and thank you for supporting us and it.

www.slowfood.org.uk