Kokova Magazine

Cherries, the quintessentially English fruit, are to be celebrated at the peak of their season during a two-day festival at Brogdale, home of the National Fruit Collections.

Taking place on Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 July, the cherry festival honours this sweet and juicy fruit - with tasting sessions, cookery demonstrations and specialist gardening and horticulture talks.

Guided tours will also take place throughout the weekend. Keen gardeners and families can explore the orchards and learn about the more unusual and ancient varieties of cherry as well as find out about growing, farming and cooking the fruit, and hear some fascinating historical stories.

Showcasing around 50 of the 320 varieties of cherry currently grown on the site, visitors can take fruit home with them to enjoy as a healthy snack or to cook with in a delicious homemade jam, pie, tart or clafoutis.

Available to try will be English varieties such as Colney, with its dark red, firm sweet flesh, -excellent for bottling - and Kentish Red, a sour cherry with small bright red fruit and clear juice, delicious in pies and tarts. Polstead Black, a small dark fruit with a wonderful intense taste, is delicious for eating straight from the tree, while Roundel, once very popular with Kent growers, which has a fleshy dark red cherry with a good flavour is superb for jams. Other varieties from around the world will also be on offer.

Cherries are much loved by Brits but it can be difficult to find more than a small number of varieties in the shop. Our aim is to inspire and encourage people to grow and use this delicious fruit, especially the native heritage varieties.

Although the British cherry season may be short, it is packed with flavour and variety, and the festival showcases the largest selection of cherries from Britain and around the world.

Cherries were part of our prehistoric ancestor’s diet but it is the Romans who probably introduced some of the first cultivars to Britain. Cherries were popular in medieval times and many have survived since then thanks to Henry VIII who established cherry orchards here in Kent.

Sally Roger, marketing manager at Brogdale

On-site chef Scott Anderson will be hosting cookery demonstrations over the weekend, which will feature a variety of recipes using cherries and other local and seasonal produce.

There will also be plenty of entertainment for families too. Tractor trailer tours, gundog displays, face painting, a bouncy castle and a new play area are sure to be a hit with youngsters. A miniature railway, archery and horse-drawn tours will also be available over the weekend.

Other attractions include live music, hog roast, food court selling refreshments and local produce and crafts.

Further information on visiting Brogdale and its attractions is available at: - www.brogdalecollections.co.uk
Twitter
01795 536250.