Countryfile films Autumn special at The Co-operative’s Tillington Fruit Farm
The BBCs John Craven enjoyed a day of mellow fruitfulness as he joined apple pickers at The Co-operative Groups Tillington Fruit Farm in Herefordshire, to film an Autumn Special for Countryfile.
The popular TV presenter spent the day getting to grips with harvesting on the farms apple orchard, for the special edition of the programme that will be broadcast on BBC 1 on October 31st at 6.30pm.
The team have become firm friends and stay in motor homes on the site over a two-month period. John stayed in his own motor home overnight, ready for his seven a.m. start at the orchard the next day.
William Barnett has managed The Co-operative Farms Tillington Estate since 1992 and explains why the Tillington apple pickers are such an asset to the business: The apple harvest is a big operation here at Tillington as we harvest 3500 tonnes of cider apples, 500 tonnes of juicing apples and 3000 tonnes of dessert apples each year. We need to be able to trust the apple pickers to get on with the job with minimal supervision.
He added: The older, seasoned apple pickers are reliable, hard-working and have a really good picking technique, honed through years of practice. This means that we reduce the number of apples lost through them becoming bruised or falling on the floor.
But, according to John Craven, the apple-picking process isnt as easy as it looks. After his day on the farm he said: I’m aching all over but I’ve had a wonderful day. When I eat an apple sometime in the winter, I’ll think of all of you who’ve picked it. It’s been a great day.”
The Co-operative Farms owns 550 acres of the Tillington estate and the oldest part of Tillington fruit farms is the Marden farm, which was purchased in 1909.
The farm produces apples for premium Co-operative own-brand products such as its Tillington Hills Cider and the Truly Irresistible English Cox juice. The juice is made from apples from Cox plantations that were planted in 1936, and is pressed at nearby Pixley Berries in Ledbury.
In 2008, The Co-operative bought a collection of 1,000 heritage apple trees that they saved from being lost from commercial production. The Tillington 1,000 Heritage Apple Juice was created from this blend of apples and is sold in Co-operative stores.
Pears and cherries are also grown at The Tillington Fruit Farm and bees are kept on site for honey and pollinating the fruit trees.
The farm also plays host to The Co-operatives From Farm to Fork project, a unique outdoor learning experience for primary school children.
About The Co-operative Group
The Co-operative Group stands apart from other major retailers in the UK as a business, which is owned, not by a small group of shareholders, but by more than five million consumers.
With core interests in food, financial services, travel, pharmacy, funerals and farms, it has an annual turnover of 15 billion, employs 120,000 staff and operates over 5,000 retail trading outlets serving more than 20 million customers per week.
Following the acquisition of the Somerfield supermarket chain in March 2009, The Co-operative Food is the fifth largest food retailer. The Co-operative Financial Services is one of the largest and most diversified financial mutual businesses, operating The Co-operative Bank, The Co-operative Insurance and Britannia.
The Co-operative is the UKs number one provider of funeral services, the third largest retail pharmacy chain, a leading travel retailer, supplying the travel needs of more than three million people annually, and is the UKs largest farmer.
Among its other businesses are The Co-operative Motor Group, The Co-operative Electrical Shop and The Co-operative Legal Services.