2026 Tasting Day

  

Tasting Day

Sunday 27th September 2026

2.30pm - 4.30pm

We're delighted to invite you to our annual Tasting Day. Come and join us to taste this year's crop, see how the trees are doing and join in with the children's treasure hunt. 

The trees are looking a little light this year after our bumper year in 2025, so we're inviting people to bring apples from their own trees to share this tasting day. Tasting cards will be available for you to make notes and compare varieties. 

Why not visit us via the Orchard Trail, which starts at St Peter's Churchyard? We welcome you to enjoy some time down at the Orchard and look forward to seeing you there. 

Spring 2026

Last month, our volunteers were hard ar work pruning all the apple and pear trees at the orchard. The winter pruning helps keep the trees healthy, encourages growth and maintains the tree to a manageable size. A huge thanks to all those involved! 

We also hosted our annual wassail in January. Despite the freezing temperatures and wet weather, we had a good turn out from the community. Our wassail masters once again led a fantastic ceremony together with the North Downs Drummers from the Limpsfield British Legion to the Orchard. Local photographer, Bob Matthews, kindly documented the event again this year. Our volunteers were assisted by Titsey Rotary, who also lent us a helping hand to marshal the procession to the Orchard. Our thanks to everyone involved in helping make this event happen. Here's hoping for a good crop ahead! 

Save the Date - Wassail Jan 2026

Round up of the tasting day 2025

Despite our tasting day being of the wettest so far, we were thrilled so many people came down to the Orchard to sample many of the varieties available at our tasting day. In stark contrast to last year when we had to call on the community to "bring your own", we had an abundance of apples. 

Our King tree laden with apples

There were games for the children, home baked cakes and tasting sheets to help visitors decide on their favourite apple variety. Thank you to everyone who volunteered, made donations and spent the afternoon with us. Here's hoping we have an equally successful year next year (and drier weather!) 

a soggy table with a selection of apples available for tasting

The variety of cake was superb and went down a treat!

Tasting table

2025 Tasting Day

 

King Tree laden with apples! 

Tasting Day

Sunday 14th September 2025

2.30pm - 4.30pm

We're delighted to invite you to our annual Tasting Day. Come and join us to taste this year's crop, see how the trees are doing and join in with the children's treasure hunt. 

If our King Tree is anything to go by, we should have plenty of fruit available for tasting this year.

Why not visit us via the Orchard Trail, which starts at St Peter's Churchyard? We welcome you to enjoy some time down at the Orchard and look forward to seeing you there. 

April 2025

What a difference a few weeks makes. Spring has definitely sprung and the Orchard is looking beautiful in the sun. If you've not visited the Orchard recently, now is a good time to see the early blossom on the trees. 

Early blossom

Our volunteers have busy as ever. Here's a summary of what they've been up to (or plan to in the very near future!)

• planted tiny wild hedge whips and wildflower plugs to help increase our biodiversity and encourage wildlife. 
• Establish mistletoe on a couple of our larger apple trees. Hessian strips used to bind the mistletoe to the bark of the trees and prevent the birds eating them. Clever! 

For those interested in the variety of hedge whips, here's a list of what was planted. 

• Cowslip
• Red Campion
• Field Scabious
• Wild Carrot
• Cuckoo flower
• Ragged Robin

Wild hedge whips

We would also like to introduce the newest member of the Orchard team....Juicy Wilson! Named after a much beloved teacher of James' children who retired after 30 years at the end of this term. The Wilson Juicy is also a variety of apple, although not currently one that grows in the Orchard. Our beloved Deer-dre Appleton had completed a long shift at the orchard and it was time for her to retire. Our thanks to James Reeve, who took the time to construct Deer-dre's replacement. 

Newest member of LCO: Juicy Wilson 

This blog post ends with the wonderful news that the Orchard was the scene of a marriage proposal! Congratulations to the newly engaged couple. It's so lovely to hear the ways in which the Orchard is visited and enjoyed by the public and members of our community. 

March 2025

Wassail 

It was fantastic to see so many members of our local community gather at the British Legion on 19 January to attend the Limpsfield Community Orchard’s annual Wassail. Wassail masters, James Reeves and Stephen Rapoport, kicked off the event by taking us on a journey through time, exploring the origins and evolution of the word “wassail”. It is believed to have started with the Vikings, the Old Norse “vess heill” meaning “be in good health”. It later evolved to mean the drink itself - a warm, spiced alcoholic drink - used in Twelfth night and Christmas Eve celebrations. 

Fast forward to 2025 and we’re gathered in the British Legion, sporting all sorts of bright and colourful torches, and noise makers. The rhythmic beats of the North Downs Drummers led attendees through the woodland to the Orchard, the path itself adorned with multicoloured glow sticks to mark the way. It’s not long before bonfire gets going and the carefully crafted woodpile is emitting the warmth and light. Our wassail masters continue with proceedings and it’s not long before we’re joining in song around the decorated King Tree with our cups of mulled cider and apple juice. 

North Downs Drummers

Wassail Masters and the North Downs Drummers

The sounds and sights of the wassail resemble an alarm clock of sorts, as we step into another year, emerging from the depths of winter just a few weeks after the winter solstice.

Bonfire

This event is put on for the community by the community and it’s thanks to many individuals and groups that we’re able to put on this free event. A big thank you goes out to our wonderful volunteers who work all year round to maintain the Orchard, wassail masters James Reeves and Stephen Rapoport, bonfire expert Ian Green, first aider Gary Rapson, photographer Bob Matthews and marshals from Titsey Rotary Club. 

Wishing you all a fruitful year!