Halloween Dog Show Sunday 28th October in aid of The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding

The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding's annual Halloween Dog Show is on Sunday 28th October so we thought we'd share some photographs from previous shows just in case you need some inspiration for the Halloween Fancy Dress contest:

 The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding's Fun Dog Show starts at 10am here at

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Wisbech

PE140RN

There are classes to suit everybody and spectators are always welcome. Refreshments available from the tea room which is open 10-4.

Here's the schedule:

1.puppy split pedigree/ x
2.veteran " as above
3.Heinz 57 best mongrel judged by organisers
4.Best Rescue 
5.Open terrier 
6.Hound judged by Kerrie Picolo Kaymark
7.Best Bull breeds 
8.companion
9.Best utility
10.Best Toy
11.Best Pastoral.
12.Working woofers
13.Movement
14 Condition
15.Handsome Dog
16.Prettiest Bitch
17.Dog the organisers would most like to take home. Judged by organisers.
18.Open class in aid of Buckenham House RDA.
19.Handlers 
20.Best Brace Family of dogs judged by the organisers
21 Fancy Dress judged by the organisers.

All classes except 18 . £1.50 pay in the ring .

Rosettes to 6th place 

Awards best puppy best veteran Reserve in show and best in show 
Judge Victoria Watkinson from Upwell ringcraft.championship judged by Victoria.

Apple Day

Today, 21st October is Apple Day.

Apple Day was launched in 1990 by Common Ground. The aspiration was to create a calendar custom, an autumn holiday. From the start, Apple Day was intended to be both a celebration and a demonstration of the variety we are in danger of losing, not simply in apples, but in the richness and diversity of landscape, ecology and culture too. It has also played a part in raising awareness in the provenance and traceability of food.

Here's some information about the very first Apple Day taken from the Common Ground Website 

"The first Apple Day celebrations, in the old Apple Market in London’s Covent Garden, brought fruit to the market after 16 years’ absence. Forty stalls were taken. Fruit growers and nurseries producing and selling a wide variety of apples and trees rubbed shoulders with juice-and cider-makers, as well as writers and illustrators with their apple books.

Representatives of the WI came laden with chutneys, jellies and pies. Mallorees School from North London demonstrated its orchard classroom, while the Hertfordshire & Middlesex Wildlife Trust explained how it manages its orchard for wildlife. Marks & Spencer helped to start a trend by offering tastings of some of the 12 ‘old varieties’ they had on sale that autumn. Organic growers were cheek by jowl with beekeepers, amidst demonstrations of traditional and modern juice presses, a calvados still and a cider bar run by the Campaign for Real Ale. Experts such as Joan Morgan identified apples and offered advice, while apple jugglers and magicians entertained the thousands of visitors – far more than we had expected – who came on the day.

For two weeks before Apple Day, in a marquee on the Piazza, Common Ground exhibited the photographs of West Country Orchards we had commissioned from James Ravilious alongside a display of more than 100 different apple varieties. People were amazed at the diversity of shapes, sizes and colours. 

We also offered lunchtime tastings of some of the varieties on show, and many people bemoaned the lack of such choice on supermarket shelves.

We will never know just how many people came to that first celebration – it was certainly thousands and even now we meet people who effuse about it as a memorable event. Many wanted it to be repeated, but our intention was to spread the idea far and wide, encouraging people to celebrate Apple Day for themselves in their own city, village, parish, allotment or garden orchard.

And so the tradition of Apple Day began. Over the next few years, the number of events being organised around the country grew from more than 60 in 1991 to 300 by 1997 and over 600 in 1999, some attracting thousands of people. 

Apple Day has played a part in raising awareness not only of the importance of orchards to our landscape and culture, but also in the provenance and traceability of food. It has been one impetus behind the developing network of farmers’ markets and is helping people everywhere to discover they are not alone in valuing the links between food and the land, between natural resource use and the impact we have on nature."

Here are just a few of the apples you'll find for sale in our farm shop today all grown on site : 

Lord Derby "an excellent culinary apple".

Grenadier originated in the mid-19th century makes great apple sauce.

Bramley apples rosy & ripe.

Happy Apple Day!

Opening Hours 10am-4pm daily

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Begdale 

Elm

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

Telephone: 07527 046184

Website: theorchardtearoom.co.uk Twitter: @OrchardTeaRoom Facebook: The Orchard Tea Room

Decorate your home for Christmas ~ Wreath Making Workshop

Learn how to make traditional Christmas Wreaths and support The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding 

Christmas Wreath Making Workshop & Luncheon 

Saturday November 10th

The Orchard Tea Room, Redmoor Lane, Wisbech, Cambs, PE140RN

You'll learn how to make a traditional mixed foliage wreath / or table decoration using locally grown firs, holly, combined with cones etc. £20 per person including refreshments and lunch. Everything is provided all you need to bring along is your enthusiasm and warm clothing. 

This course is for all abilities and once you've learned the wreath making techniques you'll be able to apply them to all sorts of wreathes throughout the year. 

For full details and to book please contact Mel, your fully qualified florist tutor for the day by text on 0771 7553 778 or email Ettabear58@gmail.com or via The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding FB page

Pickled Apples

Have you ever eaten pickled apples? No neither had we until a customer brought us a jar to try, they're very good, especially with cheese or pork.

Here's our customer's recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

700 grams apples ( approx 7 - 10 dessert apples depending on size) peeled, cored & quartered 
500 ml cider vinegar
120 grams white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp fennel seeds
3 cloves
1/2 tsp of black peppercorns
1 star anise

METHOD:

Dissolve the salt and sugar in the cider vinegar by warming in a saucepan.

Add the spices and simmer gently for about 15 minutes.

Pack the prepared apples into a preserving jar then pour the spicy vinegar over them filling the jar to the top.

Seal the jar.

You can serve the pickled apples within a few hours if you like but the longer you leave them the more intense the flavour, if the jar is sealed properly they should be okay (unopened) for months. Once open refrigerate and use within a few days.

October at The Orchard

It's going to be a great October here at The Orchard Tea Room

 & Farm shop.

The farm shop has had a bit of a change around, as well as fabulous locally grown veg, 

home made jams & local honey, 

we now have a selection of

super gifts ~ they'd make wonderful Christmas presents.

Talking of Christmas presents our October Art in The Orchard artists Moira Johnson 

and Sally Anne Goodale

have some really lovely original art for sale at incredibly cheap prices, for around the £35 mark you can buy a painting that would literally cost hundreds of pounds in a "posh" gallery. Do come and take a look for yourself, they're exhibiting until the end of October.

It's apple time here at The Orchard and you'll find a selection of our own apples for sale in the farm shop plus we have our ever popular "bird apples" for just £1 a net.

They're not just for birds, our trees haven't been sprayed for 5 years now so although not certified organic the apples are pretty much well organic so they're wonderful for all sorts of creatures, humans included! Great for cider,juice etc

Autumn and the fungi start popping up amongst our old trees

spotting them makes for an interesting walk, especially with the children. Farm shop and tea room customers are welcome to take a walk in the orchard during opening hours. The going can be a bit rough with fallen apples and even the occasional rabbit hole so it's not suitable for pushchairs etc and of course walkers do so at there own risk. 

Sunday 28th October sees the return of The Sunshine Centre for Therapeutic Riding 's annual Halloween Dog Show. Always a great favourite we love to watch the Halloween Fancy Dress Competition. 

Dog show details can be found here 

Opening Hours 10am-4pm daily

The Orchard Tea Room & Farm Shop

Redmoor Lane

Begdale 

Elm

Wisbech

Cambs

PE14 0RN

Telephone: 07527 046184

Website: theorchardtearoom.co.uk Twitter: @OrchardTeaRoom Facebook: The Orchard Tea Room