Farm Shop
Open 9-5
Mon-Thu & Sat
9-6 Fri
10-4 Sundays
Closed Bank Holidays

PYO season usually Mid June to end July

Beehive Lane
Galleywood
Chelmsford Essex UK
CM2 8LX

01245 353021

info@eapples.co.uk

 

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Monday 29th June

Thanks to everyone who has been picking over the last few days, the beautiful weather has seen record numbers of pickers in the field. Inevitably ripe fruit stocks are low this Monday morning and the crops could do with a few days to recover. Fruit can still be found and we are open from 9 to 6 as usual. Strawberry and raspberry stocks should build up again over the next few days but cherries are finished. We still have some gooseberries and red and blackcurrants.

previous message:

Saturday 27th June

please note from Saturday 27th June hours will change to 9 to 6 everyday

After 3 days of cherry picking I am afraid that there is very little fruit left to pick.

We have strawberries, red and blackcurrants & gooseberries

raspberries seem slow to get going this year and are still only present in small quantities.

 

Previous message:

Wednesday 24th June

PYO cherries start today!

The crop is not big this year so don't delay. There is a range of varieties some slightly earlier to ripen some slightly later (as long as they are left on the tree long enough to be alllowed to ripen!)

but they won't last long. Price is £3.95/kg

We also have red and black currants as well as strawberries, raspberries and gooseberries at the moment.

A reminder about opening times:

Open from 9-7 everyday but please note from Saturday 27th June hours will change to 9 to 6 everyday

NB availability can change at short notice so check latest news often.

Important!

Have you joined our email list?

Are you reading this and wondering why you haven't received any emails?

We have discovered that one or two people have had the emails directed straight to their junk email folder by over zealous spam filters. A new message will be sent today, Wednesday 17th, if you don't receive it check your junk mail folder. If it is there you should be able to mark it as "not junk" or add it to your "from a safe sender" list depending on the system you use. Also adding our email address to your contacts list should help. The address to add is info@eapples.co.uk

Crop reports for Monday 22nd June:

Strawberries: as usual on a Monday following a busy weekend supplies of ripe strawberries are at a temporary low. Some can be found and there are plenty more to ripen.

Gooseberries: still plenty to pick

Blackcurrants: just starting - lots to pick right now

Raspberries: just starting but numbers of ripe fruit very low at the moment, should improve over this week

Redcurrants: colouring now.

Prices:

strawberries & raspberries £3.10 per kg

gooseberries & currants £2.10 per kg

26th May Springwatch

I am sure nature lovers among you will have watched the first episode of Springwatch on the BBC last night. Our own version continues and I can report that the swallows eggs have hatched and you can now see live pictures of the chicks being fed on the TV screen on the terrace beside the shop.

We are relieved to see wagtail fledglings around the yard as a few weeks ago an adult wagtail became a road casualty and we were concerned that it was "one of ours"

14th May 2009

This week we took a group of interested Lathcoats customers on a tour of some of our suppliers. Firsly we went to Manor Farm in Cratfield to see Lottie Barbour. Lottie and her partner James showed us the cattle they raise to produce the delicious Cratfield Beef. Then we moved a few miles up the road to Lane Farm where we were shown round by Ian and Sue Whitehead and saw the care and attention that goes into the preparation of the wide range of superb Lane Farm Country Foods products - the Suffolk salami was very popular! Finally, on our way back to Lathcoats, we called in on Jane Hadley at Home Farm. We were all amazed at the amount of work that goes into the preparation of her wonderful hand made icecream.

Thanks to our three hosts for making us so welcome. See more pictures of the tour in the Gallery

12th May 2009

Strawberry Season starts

Picked fruit from our own glasshouse is available in the shop now. Pick Your Own fruit should be available from around mid-June. To be kept up to date on PYO news check this page regularly or join our email list. Join our email list - click here for details

Swallows return

Bird lovers will be interested to hear that our swallows have returned for the summer. For the last couple of weeks they have been swooping round the yard checking out last year's nest sites and we are pleased that one pair has again chosen the nest covered by our camera. Visitors to the shop can now see the live pictures on the TV screen on the terrace beside the shop. Today, 6th May, the nest contains 5 eggs.

Asparagus season in full swing

It's May and we have our own asparagus and that of Thorogoods, another Essex grower, in the farm shop now.

Click on the link below to see facts about asparagus and for some serving suggestions.

Asparagus facts

New Season Rhubarb

Rhubarb is our first local crop of the new season. Most of our rhubarb comes from a grower near Colchester.

Click on the link below to see facts about rhubarb and for some serving suggestions.

Rhubarb facts