Hereford AppleFest set for final weekend of celebrations

The festival has been running for two weeks, and is dedicated to all things about the fruit

The festival finishes on Sunday
Author: Elliot BurrowPublished 12th Oct 2024

An Apple festival in Herefordshire is set to come to a close this weekend in the county.

Running for two weeks, Hereford AppleFest first started in 2021, and is dedicated to all things focused around the fruit.

Ali Capper runs an apple farm on the Herefordshire-Worcestershire border, which has a history dating back 200 years.

She says it's always exciting this time of year through the harvesting season.

"We send somewhere between 10 to 12 million eating apples off our farm into grocery retailers every year," she said.

"The reason why apples are so important or relevant to the area for though is because there's really good soil here.

"We're in a lovely microclimate in Herefordshire and Worcestershire and it does mean that as the rain comes through from Wales, we get enough, but not too much, and that combined with brilliant soil is just what the apple needs.

"You can't grow apples though unless you've got really good pollinating insects, and you really need to look after those pollinators all the way through the growing year, so we put things like wildflowers through our orchard alleyways."

The festival finishes on Sunday 13 October.

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