The worldwide fame of Southwell’s Bramley Apple keeps on spreading.
With Japan among its many fans, the latest nation to honour Britain’s favourite cooking apple is Northern Ireland.
Back in 1884, a family called Nicholson bought 60 young Bramley Apple trees grown in Southwell by Henry Merryweather to plant in Northern Ireland.
Now, Henry’s great-grandson, Roger Merryweather, has been invited to plant a tree at Armagh in Northern Ireland.
“Those 60 trees were to start the major growth of Bramley Apples in Northern Ireland,” says Colonel Roger Merryweather, who is Chairman of Southwell’s annual Bramley Apple Festival, which takes place this year on Saturday, 26th October.
“The young tree that I planted at this commemoration event was grown by Nottingham Trent University with material taken from the original Bramley Apple Tree in Church Street, Southwell.
“The whole event was filmed by the BBC. The film highlighted how many orchards there are in Armagh and that many of these orchards contain Bramleys.”
Bramley Apple Day takes place on Saturday, 26th October, when there will be events throughout the town as well as the Festival of Food and Drink at Southwell Minster and activities at the National Trust’s Southwell Workhouse.
There will be more than 30 food and drink stands in the Minster, as well as live cookery demonstrations, back this year and co-ordinated by Teresa Bovey.
Following a revival last year, the Bramley Apple Pie Baking Competition is back again at the Library, with classes for children and adults.
The Library also offers children’s crafts throughout the day, culminating in the crowning of The Bramley Apple King, Queen, Prince, and Princess.
New this year at The Workhouse are performances from the pauper’s pop-up choir. There will be apple printing and the longest apple peel competition.
The shop window competition returns to the town centre, where there will be apple products and produce on sale, as well as apple-themed refreshments in local cafes, pubs, and restaurants.
The original Bramley Apple Tree will be open for viewing between 11am and 3pm.
“This will be a great day for the town, and we would like to thank all our sponsors and the many volunteers who make this event such a success each year,” says Roger Merryweather.
