Do I have enough apples?

The minimum amount is 2 full “bags for life” (which is enough for about 10 – 12 bottles). In the past, we have done contract pressing for other businesses and, so far, no amount is too large for us! However, we are not pressing for commercial customers this year due to the number of apples we want to get through for our domestic customers. Sometimes we have surplus of our own apples so it may be possible to blend your apples with some of ours to make the desired quantity. Please ask us for more information and availability.

How much juice will my apples turn into?

It really depends on the apples, some are naturally juicier than others, and our rack and cloth press is very efficient. One full trug of apples (roughly equivalent to a 20kg feed sack) could provide enough apple juice to fill about fourteen 750ml bottles. Let us know if you need to put a cap on the number of bottles you want produced.

What sort of apples?

We press cooking, dessert, or cider apples – it’s your choice. Whilst you wouldn’t want to eat a cooking apple, they often provide a crisp, palatable juice, whereas a dessert apple will make sweeter juice. Whilst cider apples on their own might not be preferable, they work well in a blend, which is what most people do, as they use whatever apples they have.

What condition should the apples be in?

The basic rule of thumb is to bring apples that look good enough to eat. Bruised or muddy apples, ones that have been left to the slugs will not produce nice juice, and we will reject a delivery of apples if we think they aren’t good enough. We always say pick off and not pick up, as windfalls can turn bad quickly – although you can use them to make apple crumble!

I’ve got enough apples to try making cider. What should I do?

We can certainly press the apples for you, and we are now running cider-making for beginners classes! If you want to look into it further, Andrew Lea’s website is a good place to start.

I’m ready to press my apples. What is the process?

When your apples are nearly ready, you can use our booking page to book a dropping off time slot, where we will ask you for your details and how many apples you have. This time slot is for you to come and drop your apples off, along with empty boxes for the bottles to be returned to you in (you can ask at supermarkets for empty wine boxes to be left for you instead of being flattened). When you deliver your apples (you can find directions here) we will let you know when we expect to press them and will contact you once they are all pressed, pasteurised, and boxed up ready for collection!

How do I pay?

Invoices are issued with the bottles, and prompt payment is always appreciated. BACS is preferred but card, cash, and cheques are all fine. Full details will be on your invoice.

I have some bottles from last year that I’d like to re-use – what should I do?

Please check with us first as the bottles must fit our equipment. The bottles must be the 750ml green mineral bottles with the sloping shoulders. These bottles can be re-used if, once empty, they are rinsed and washed in warm soapy water. The metal ring from the cap should also be cut off (use wire-cutters). If you intend to store them for a while before pressing, leave them to dry and then loosely put a cap on to stop debris from going in before you store them. Regardless of whether the bottles have been stored for a year or freshly washed, they need to be sterilised just before the next harvest. You can sterilise bottles in something like Milton’s, and all you need to do is follow the manufacturer’s instructions. We then give the bottles a quick rinse with water before filling with fresh juice.