The Big Apple Harvestime weekend is our own unique harvest festival.
Happening in and around Much Marcle, the weekend celebrities our local orchards, apples and cider. And all waiting for you to explore on the Daffodil Line.
Founded in 1989, the Big Apple was the brainchild of Jackie Denman. 1989 was “British Year of Food and Farming”- but Jackie didn’t feel it was very representative of the agriculture she saw all around her in Herefordshire. “It seemed to be all about Weetabix!” Jackie told us.
Jackie got together with friends and neighbours from around the Marcle Ridge to set up something that celebrated our local crops of apples and pears, to eat and cook, and for cider and perry making.
Little did Jackie know that the Big Apple would still be going more than 30 years later, with three generations of the one family having been involved with organising the festivities. The Big Apple has gone from strength to strength and the number of cider and perry makers involved grows every year.
Until this year Harvestime was only accessible by car – a bit of a drawback when you’re going on a cider-tasting trip! This year, the Daffodil Line takes you to Much Marcle all weekend – and a tractor and trailer provides a shuttle service between six of the venues.
Venues range from Much Marcle Memorial Hall and St Bartholomew’s Church, Westons and Hellens (final open weekend this year!) to small artisan makers and growers like Greggs Pit, Avenue Cottage, Lyne Down Organics and Awnells Farm, which aren’t usually open to visitors.
There is a huge amount to see and do. Plenty of opportunities to taste apples, cider and perry and meet the makers – naturally. But also lots of local food to try, picnic sites with fabulous views, ancient orchards to explore, Morris dancing, a honey show, the chance to help press the perry pears at Hellens, cider mill tours at Westons and a Ukulele band.
A weekend spent wandering through the Herefordshire countryside, sipping cider and enjoying the autumn sunshine sounds pretty idyllic to us – we’ll see you there!
Find full details of this year’s venues and events on the website: bigapple.org.uk.
