Applefest 2025
Make sure you’ve marked the 4 October AppleFest in your calendar now, and plan to join us for a fun-packed afternoon at Betchworth Village Hall from 1.00 to 4.00pm
Whether in Buckland or Betchworth, local apple trees look set to produce a bumper crop this year. So make space in your freezer for several litres of delicious juice – whether pressed from your own apples or from excess fruit donated by others. Then come and enjoy the fourth year of this communal initiative – there’s lots going on…
We’ll be running all our usual Apple Pressing, Juice Sales and Kids’ Activities, with delicious freshly pressed juice, cakes, tea and coffees on offer all afternoon. Plus, you’ll find a host of other attractions alongside the ‘Press Gang’ operation as the Betchworth Village Hall and outside space are transformed into a veritable carnival of apples and nature-related activities for the whole family to enjoy.
NEW: Honey and Bees – To link with the Kids Activities and build on the success of last year’s honey sales, there’ll be an educational display on the importance of Bees and other pollinators to our food supplies. Plus delicious ultra-local honey from ultra-local beekeepers.
NEW: Stalls from local suppliers – Veg boxes from Hollie Hollingworth’s new market garden in Gadbrook, with other stalls to be confirmed.
Expanded: The Re-Betchworth Bake Off – Now with a call for ‘Apple Tart’ entries as well as Apple Cake in our independently judged baking competition. Strudels and tray bakes also welcome. So brush off your favourite recipe and aim for a winner’s rosette. Contact coombecott@hotmail.co.uk for entry details.
Returning: Garden tool and knife sharpening – By popular demand Adam, from Surrey Sharpeners, will be back to set up shop with an on-the-day service to bring your secateurs, shears, spades, edging tools, hoes, loppers, axes, scissors and knives back to life.
Chutneys, Jams & Jellies – Come and browse (and taste too); there’ll be a huge selection of delicious local produce on sale in the hall. And if you have an excess of home preserves you want to sell, this is your opportunity. For more information, email: rebetchworth@gmail.com
Expanded: Children’s Activities – We’re giving more space tothese ever-popular activities for younger family members, under the creative eye of the Betchworth Forest School leader. Older children may be welcome to help with the pressing of your apples, under supervision.
And we’ll have two Face Painters this year, to avoid any disappointment.
Apple Pressing – Bring your apples along to have them pressed and bottled (no windfalls please); bring your own bottles too, to save money. No crop? No worries! Come anyway to buy the freshest possible juice, pressed in front of your eyes from apples donated by others.
Please get in touch if you have an excess crop; we’re always looking for more to juice.
Cakes, Teas and Refreshments – If you come for no other reason, then treat yourself to a slice of scrumptious village-baked apple cake (chocolate, carrot and other flavours also available!), washed down with coffee, tea and other refreshments.
If you’d like to join the team and help make the day another roaring success, we’d love to hear from you.