FAQs
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions about juicing & pressing
WHAT SHOULD I BRING MY APPLES IN?
Apples can be brought in clean trugs / buckets / bags / crates / boxes or any other container. Upon delivery, the apples are decanted in to our crates & your containers return home with you.
DO I NEED TO BOOK?
To help us to manage the flow of fruit deliveries, we have introduced a booking system for dropping off your fruit. Please use the online calendar here to book your drop off. You can bring your apples at any time on your booked day between 9am–6pm. No bookings are required for collections.
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PRESSED APPLE PULP?
The majority of the apple pulp is fed to our sheep & some is also fed to local cattle.
HOW MANY APPLES DO I NEED TO MAKE A BOTTLE OF JUICE?
It varies on variety but as a guide, on average 1.3kg apples makes 1 x 750ml bottle of juice.
DO YOU OFFER CIDER MAKING?
We can press your apples (without pasteurising the juice) in to your own fermentation vessel for you to take away & ferment at home. The cost of this per litre is much less than the pasteurised & bottled juice.
IS THERE A MINIMUM QUANTITY OR CHARGE?
No, we price per bottle – £1.95/plain bottle and £2.20/labelled bottle – of finished juice regardless of quantity. Smaller quantities are pressed with apples of a similar ilk. On these occasions, apples are weighed & juice aportioned accordingly.
CAN I RETURN MY BOTTLES?
We can no longer take back or re-use used bottles – please recycle them in the usual way.
WHAT PAYMENT METHODS DO YOU ACCEPT?
Cash, cheque, card or bank transfer. Pay on collection of your juice.
HOW LONG DOES THE JUICE KEEP FOR & HOW SHOULD IT BE STORED?
Unopened, our juice will keep for at least a year. It can be stored in any cool, dry place; garages, sheds, barns or cellars are all suitable. Once opened, refrigerate & consume within 3 days.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Questions about apples and fruit
WHAT SORT OF APPLES CAN I USE?
Any variety of apples – including cookers – can be pressed for juice. The taste will always reflect the taste of the fruit, therefore a very sweet apple will produce a very sweet juice and likewise a tarter apple will produce a fruitier, more refreshing juice.
HOW CAN I TELL IF MY APPLES ARE RIPE?
Ripe apples pick easily with a gentle twist or have begun to fall from the tree. A ripe apple normally has brown pips when sliced in half.
CAN I USE WINDFALLS?
Yes, provided they are clean & in good condition – no rot/mould or garden debris such as grass clippings.
CAN YOU IDENTIFY MY APPLES?
The are over 2000 varieties of apples in the national collection, so we can't promise we will know them, but we'll give it a go!
WHAT OTHER FRUITS CAN BE PRESSED?
We press pears alongside apples, & we are open to suggestions. Any fruit with a stone cannot be pressed. Fruits can be blended – for example, pears & cooking apples make a delicious juice.
DO I NEED TO WASH MY APPLES BEFOREHAND?
Before your apples are pressed they are washed in a water bath. If your apples are fairly clean – picked straight from the tree or windfalls picked up from clean grass – they will not require any additional washing before you bring them.
DO I NEED TO CUT OUT THE BAD BITS?
You do not need to cut out any bruises or superficial marks on the surface of your apples before you bring them as these will be cut out on our sorting table. Please try not to include any rotten fruit with your delivery – these apples will be removed.
DO I NEED TO CORE MY APPLES?
It is not necessary to peel or core your apples.
