Four Elms Fruit Farm
Sheltering in the quiet, patchwork countryside around Sidmouth nestles Four Elms Fruit Farm, a true labour of love.
Owned and run by Richard and Sue Smedley, numerous varieties of native apple, each with a proud and illustrious heritage, stretch happily over 75 acres of rich sandy Devon soil. The new Braeburn orchards have been cropping extremely well this year as have the other varieties which include Red Falstaff, Egremont Russet, Spartan and Jupiter.
Like many small producers, Four Elms have, with the exception of their local Waitrose at Sidmouth, turned their back on the supermarkets and invested in their own future. Turning the bountiful crop into such delicious apple juice has given the fruit farm stability and helps protect against future saturated markets. The flavour is intense enough in each blend that you can taste the individual varieties of apples that have been used.
And it's not just us who rate what is happening down there – Richard and Sue’s apple juice must now be some of the most accoladed in the country. The Cox/Bramley juice has just received a gold award from Taste of the West and also the trophy for ‘Best Blended Apple Juice’ at the 2010 National Fruit Show. (Russet also won the trophy for ‘Best Single Variety Juice’ and for ‘Best in Show).’ Come into the Jack and try some for yourself.
