National recognition for Killerton produce

Killerton Estate has won four national awards for its local produce in the Fine Farm Produce Awards which recognise the quality and sustainability of the food, drink and produce grown on National Trust land and farms.

Ashclyst Dairy, a tenant farm at Killerton, was the overall food winner in England and Wales for its organic natural yoghurt and Killerton estate itself also fought off stiff competition to take home awards for its sparkling cider, charcoal, firewood logs, and Clyston Mill stoneground flour.

Ed Nicholson, Lead Ranger, and Fiona Hailstone, Produce Ranger, went to a prize giving ceremony at Selfridges in London and were proud to bring back the awards. Ed said: “Killerton’s rangers are a great team and these awards help recognise their hard work and reward our efforts in trying to make all our estate work sustainable.”

Since the early 1990’s, Killerton’s sparkling cider has been made using apples from five estate orchards managed directly by National Trust rangers and volunteers. The apple varieties used are of West Country origin, including Star of Devon, Hangy Down, the Killerton Sweet and Killerton Sharp, making it a very unique cider.

The apple collecting and pressing is done by volunteers on a ‘working holiday’ as well as on a drop-in family event known as ‘Big Pick’. All the apples are collected by hand and then crushed on site using a 200 year old traditional farm press. The local flavour, heritage, tradition and community involvement make Killerton cider a product worthy of national recognition and one which fully celebrates traditional farming methods.

A product of the woodland management in Ashclyst Forest, Killerton’s charcoal and firewood logs are produced by the ranger team assisted by a regular countryside volunteer group. Ash trees are removed to recreate an ancient habitat called wood pasture which is then grazed by cattle and ponies creating an ideal habitat for the rare pearl bordered fritillary butterfly. The timber is felled using traditional methods, bow saws and axes are preferred over chainsaws, allowing the products to be truly sustainable.

Clyston Mill is a traditional water mill at the heart of the Killerton Estate and nestled by the river Clyst. The mill is an integral part of the history of the Estate; the wooden wheels and cogs have been grinding flour since Victorian times. The mill is cared for by custodians Brian and Ursula Kirby who worked to reopen it as a visitor attraction and working mill in 2005. They volunteer their time to mill all the award winning flour, which is sold locally and used by the restaurant and café at Killerton.

Ashclyst Dairy’s natural yoghurt won the Fine Farm Produce Awards for best dairy produce and best overall food produce. The creamy yoghurt is made with milk from 80 Meuse Rhine Issel cows, who enjoy a rich diet from organic meadows on the Killerton Estate. Martyn and Lorraine Glover have farmed at Ashclyst since 1998, and their hard work and dedication has been deservedly recognised. Lorraine said:

“The award ceremony was the first night off Martin and I have had together in the three years since we built our micro-dairy. We’d had enough of the pressures of the dairy industry and wanted to retail our own produce and set our own prices. Looking at the dairy industry now we feel that we made the right decision and all the hard work has been worth it. I’d really like to thank our eleven farm and dairy staff for their efforts, we couldn’t have done it without them.”

The National Trust’s Fine Farm Produce Awards recognise the best food and drink being produced by its farms and estates. Now in their 10th year, the awards reward and celebrate the ingenuity of the farmers and producers who occupy the 500,000 acres of farmland in the care of the National Trust.

This year 37 producers were recognised for 62 outstanding food, drink and countryside products. As the UK’s largest landowner, the National Trust believes in the importance of farming sustainably and for rewarding innovation, hard work and quality. Ed Nicholson said: “The awards are a good benchmark test for our products to be measured against other market leading brands on a national level. This helps us develop a quality product that reflects the heritage of the landscape.”

The public can get involved at Killerton through their cider making working holiday in early October (spaces available, call 01392 881345); and the Big Pick Up weekends in the orchards are a great family day out. They take place on Saturday and Sunday 3 and 4, and 10 and 11 October, between 2pm and 4pm.

Those that prefer tasting cider to making it can come along to the Killerton Cider and Apple Festival on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October. The two-day festival in the orchard, has a unique atmosphere and showcases the best in local food from the estate, and also offers family activities, magic shows and great live music. For more information, visit: www.nationaltrust.org.uk/killertonapples .