apples

picked to perfection

We have been growing apples for eating and pressing at our fruit farm in Tillington, Herefordshire, since 1946. The warm temperatures and the slopes of the glacial and alluvial hills of Herefordshire make it an ideal location for fruit growing.

The farm manager, William Barnett, has been growing apples for over 30 years. His expertise won him Top Fruit Grower of the Year at the prestigious Horticulture Week magazine’s Grower of the Year awards in 2010.

Tillington Estate dessert apples

Autumn is the British apple season. Each day from October, William’s team pick the apples which have reached their peak to ensure we get the best flavour. The variety of red apple in our dessert apple bag will change throughout the season, which means you always get the finest apple available at the time. In selected stores in autumn.

Tillington 1,000 pressed apple juice

Our scrumptious apple juice uses over 1000 varieties of rare and endangered British apple varieites, including “Isaac Newton’s Tree”. This apple is identical to the variety said to have inspired Sir Isaac Newton to discover gravity, when he watched an apple falling from a tree in the garden of his home.

Many of the 1,000 varieties were threatened with extinction until The Co-operative Farms bought one of three identical orchards in 2008. We now grow and harvest the apples on our fruit farm in Tillington, Herefordshire.

The other orchards were purchased by the Prince of Wales and a private Scottish collector, but our collection is the only one being put to a commercial use. Other rare varieties grown at Tillington, and included in the Tillington 1000 apple juice, are Great Expectations, Fairie Queen, Northern Spy, Forty Shilling, Duck’s Bill and Bloody Ploughman.

This limited juice, which is part of the Truly Irresistible premium range, is very popular so we hope to produce a lot more after this year's harvest. For more information on any of our rare varieties please go to ‘search NFC’ at www.nationalfruitcollection.org.uk.

British Cox pressed apple juice

Our pressed apple juice is made using 100% Cox’s Orange Pippin apples, hand picked from our fruit farm at Tillington.

Harvest begins in October and the apples are selected for their crisp, sweet flavour, which creates a great fresh tasting juice.

The Co-operative Farms edition is available in 1litre bottles in larger Co-operative Food stores for around 6 months of the year. When supply runs out a standard Truly Irresistible British Cox pressed apple juice is available, made using Cox apples sourced by other approved growers.

Find out more about Tillington fruit farm