Great year for apples is good news for Marston Edge Scrumpy makers
THE apple crop has come early this year – which means more cider more quickly, according to one local maker.
“It’s been a poor year for plums and pears but the apples have been absolutely tremendous,” says Mike Brain, who has an orchard of around 200 trees at Marston Edge, the residential park of lodge homes near Meon Vale that he runs with his wife Jeanette.
The couple began developing the site in 2016.
“When we moved in there in the corner of the orchard was a pile of rotten apples. I like to keep anything that’s worth keeping, so I decided to make cider the first year we were here. That was very successful and other local cider-makers in the area even said they preferred mine to theirs.”
A former police officer and town, county and district councillor, Mike says the cider-making is a hobby and not for profit.
“We give it to the residents of the park and friends. Any donation, which I don’t ask for, goes to a Parkinson’s disease charity,” explains 76-year-old Mike, who has the disease himself.
Surplus apples, meanwhile, go to local care homes and the Forest of Hearts charity, which runs green spaces for the community.
Last week, friends and residents stepped up to help with the apple-picking and juicing.
“We don’t normally make cider until the end of September or even into the first week of October. But the season has finished early so the apples were ready at the start of the month.”
One of the key helpers has been Mike’s grandson Harry, eight, who is continuing the family’s farming roots, and also lives at Marston Edge with his parents.
“Harry’s been helping with the apples, and he’s got 40 chickens that he breeds them himself as well, “ says Mike proudly. “We all come from farming backgrounds. My father was a dairy farmer. We had Church Farm in Shottery, where Shakespeare Hospice is.
“Harry has got sheep as well, it’s in the blood.”
The team have made around 100 gallons of cider in the last week.
“It’s quite a process,” explains Mike. “You have to cut the apples, shred and pulp them to extract the juice.
“When we started we used a small hand presses, which yielded about two litres from one press. But we invested in some German hydro equipment that works with water. So I get about four gallons from each press now.”
Once the cider is ready it’s bottled up with a ‘Marston Edge Scrumpy produced by the Brain family’ label.
“I know I’m blowing my own trumpet, but people rave over it,” says Mike. “I don’t know what the secret of making good cider is though. I make it the same every year: add sugar and champagne yeast to the apples and it comes out as a scrumpy cider when it’s ready around February.
“It’s very strong. It can be up to 10 per cent volume. It comes with a health warning,” jokes Mike.
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The apple crop has come early this year - which means more cider more quickly, according to one local cider-maker.
“It’s been a poor year for plums and pears but the apples have been absolutely tremendous,” says Mike Brain, who has an orchard of around 200 trees at Marston Edge, the residential park of lodge homes near Meon Vale that he runs with his wife Jeanette.
The couple began developing the site in 2016.
“When we moved in there in the corner of the orchard was a pile of rotten apples. I like to keep anything that's worth keeping, so I decided to make cider the first year we were here. That was very successful and other local cider-makers in the area even said they preferred mine to theirs.”
A former police officer and town, county and district councillor, Mike says the cider-making is a hobby and not for profit.
“We give it to the residents of the park and friends. Any donation, which I don't ask for, goes to a Parkinson's disease charity,” explains 76-year-old Mike, who has the disease himself.
Surplus apples, meanwhile, go to local care homes and the Forest of Hearts charity, which runs green spaces for the community.
Last week friends and residents stepped up to help with the apple-picking and juicing.
“We don't normally make cider until the end of September or even into the first week of October. But the season has finished early so the apples were ready at the start of the month.”
One of the key helpers has been Mike’s grandson Harry, eight, who is continuing the family’s farming roots, and also lives at Marston Edge with his parents.
“Harry’s been helping with the apples, and he’s got 40 chickens that he breeds them himself as well, “ says Mike proudly. “We all come from farming backgrounds. My father was a dairy farmer. We had Church Farm in Shottery, where Shakespeare Hospice is.
“Harry has got sheep as well, it’s in the blood.”
The team have made around 100 gallons of cider in the last week.
“It's quite a process,” explains Mike. “You have to cut the apples, shred and pulp them to extract the juice.
“When we started we used a small hand presses, which yielded about about two litres from one press. But we invested in some German hydro equipment that works with water. So I get about four gallons from each press now.”
Once the cider is ready it’s bottled up with a ‘Marston Edge Scrumpy produce4d by the Brain family’ label.
“I know I’m blowing my own trumpet, but people rave over it,” says Mike. “I don't know what the secret of making good cider is though. I make it the same every year: add sugar and champagne yeast to the apples and it comes out as a scrumpy cider when it’s ready around February. It's very strong. It can be up to 10 per cent volume.
“It comes with a health warning,” jokes Mike.
