Apple Fest at The Foxlowe, Leek

The Foxlowe Arts Centre in Leek has been holding its annual Apple Fest for a number of years now.

So, as I go food shopping in Leek most Saturdays and visit the Foxlowe fairly regularly (not least to have a mooch among the local art in the excellent Fox & Crow Gallery), I can’t quite believe that I’d never been to Apple Fest until this year.

Mind you, even if you’ve never been to the Foxlowe, you’d have no problem finding the function room where it was held on 12 October this year. Only a few steps into the beautiful grade II listed building, and the sweet but fresh aroma of apples made the nostrils tingle.

Apple Fests

Apple Fests, or Apple Days, are held across Britain (plus Canada and the USA) during the apple harvest which takes place as Summer turns to Autumn. With such abundance, this is also the time for cider-making as well as turning apples into chutneys and jams.

Looking at the small number of homegrown apples usually available in supermarkets, it’s hard to believe that Britain once led the world in the number of varieties it grew.

But, at Apple Fests like the one held at The Foxlowe, we get to sample some of those traditional varieties and to celebrate the wonderful, versatile apple.

Foxlowe Apple Fest

At Apple Fest there were apples to taste and buy from the Foxlowe’s own garden as well as from the National Fruit Collection in Kent.

I think I must have tried all the different varieties and finally chose three.

First off is Blue Pearmain, introduced to Britain in the nineteenth century and so called as they’re said to have a blueish bloom.

Second was Saltcote Pippin. A little research tells me that this apple, previously favoured for its long keeping qualities, fell from popularity due to increased imports from Australia and South Africa – meaning those qualities were no longer valued.

The ‘Wykin Pippins’ looked a bit like mini versions of the Golden Delicious apples which, along with Granny Smiths, were just about the only apples I saw growing up in the 1970s and early 80s.

Thankfully, these taste nothing like those.

I do wonder though if the card should say ‘Wyken’ rather than ‘Wykin’? I know Wykin as a hamlet in Leicestershire, near where I grew up, but another bit of research tells me that the Warwickshire originating apple is the Wyken Pippin.

But I’m not about to argue with the experts, only having learned the word pomology today.

Anyway, I bought two each of these three varieties and I’m looking forward to savouring them, maybe with a bit of cheese and homemade chutney.

The Old Saw Mill

Of course one of the traditional ways of preserving the apple harvest is by making cider.

At Apple Fest there was cider for sale, produced by The Old Saw Mill in Congleton. This is a not for profit organisation, managed by volunteers, whose mission is to be ‘a community hub to unite everyone and alleviate social isolation’.

Among their many projects, including a cafe which I must visit, is making cider, apple juice and vinegar from unwanted apples donated by local people.

Besides preventing those apples from going to waste, the funds raised by selling these products goes back into The Old Saw Mill’s community projects.

APPLE JUICING

Community is at the heart of Apple Fests and one of the major activities is the juicing of apples.

The Foxlowe invited people to bring along their own apples to be juiced and have a go with a traditional screw press and a modern electric mill.

Little cups of freshly pressed juice were passed around for visitors to taste.

OTHER APPLE ACTIVITIES

There was a table spread with a dozen or more different apple varieties for visitors to have a go at tasting and identifying.

I had a go at ‘guess the number of crab apples in a jar’. But I’m not expecting a call back any time soon to say I’ve won. I’m pretty rubbish at that sort of thing.

But what I do know about is baked goodies.

And at Apple Fest there were tempting apple-based cakes as well as jams and chutneys. These were all made by Foxlowe supporters, with the proceeds going to support the largely volunteer-run arts centre.

The hunk of apple and cider cake I had, eaten out in the Foxlowe garden, was tremendous. Not too sweet, but full of rich apple flavour.

I’d love for whoever made this to get in touch and let me have the recipe. I’m dying to make it and share the recipe on here.

Although it took me a while to finally get to Apple Fest, I think I’m going to become a regular at this free, annual event.