THE monks of Ampleforth Abbey have been blessed with a bumper crop of apples this year as they prepare for one of their biggest harvests to date.

Ampleforth Abbey Orchard is one of the largest commercial orchard in the North of England and the apples are still picked by hand.

The apples are used to produce the multi award-winning Ampleforth Abbey Cider, which is pressed, fermented and bottled in the onsite Cider Mill.

In the orchard the 2,000 trees comprise of more than 40 varieties of apple, with some ready at different times of the year, meaning the yield spans over several months.

Tim Saxby, newly-appointed orchard manager, will oversee the harvest where the monks, estate staff and pupils from Ampleforth College are expecting to pick up to 45 tonnes of apples - triple last year’s crop.

The apples are also used to produce Ampleforth Apple Liqueur, Cider Brandy and a pressed apple juice, which was launched in the spring.

Tim said that having so many different types of apple means a lot of effort is required to care for the needs of each variety.

"A different approach to pruning is required for each variety of tree to ensure they are well maintained and reach their fruit bearing potential," he said.

"Some of the apples are still too small to pick, however our Beauty of Bath variety were ready last week as they crop very early, so we have picked, pressed and bottled them already – the result is a delicious apple juice with a rich golden colour."

As with all of Ampleforth’s enterprises, the core values of the Rule of St Benedict lie at the heart of its apple juice and cider production, supporting the work of the Abbey and investing in its future as the largest and most forward-looking Benedictine community in the UK.