Community apple day held to prevent food waste

An annual ‘Apple Day’ has been held to make use of the produce from the many fruit trees in the local area by turning it into juice.

The event at the Cafe of the Square in Sea Mills on Saturday saw Ross Grimmett and Josh Stewart in charge of the apple press, keeping them very busy.

“The saddest thing is that there are so many apples just dropping on the pavement and no one benefits,” said Ross.

In the UK, we throw away 9.5m tonnes of food waste every year, yet at the same time 17 per cent of households are struggling to afford food.

An annual apple day has been held in Sea Mills with attendees including Shannon Smith, the ‘Apple Lady’ – photo: Mary Milton 

As Josh poured a brimming bucket of chopped apples into the press, it was obvious that the fruit brought by local people wouldn’t be wasted.

It was the third pressing of the day and each time the team produced about two and a half buckets of fresh, delicious juice.

The sheer weight of the apples themselves meant that juice was already collecting even before Ross and Josh got to the hard work of squishing them.

Locals were also tasting samples, which were going down well. The many varieties of apples in each batch meant each pressing has its own unique flavour. It was served pure and natural with no sugar added.

Even the craft activities were apple-themed – photo: Mary Milton

There have always been a lot of apple trees in Sea Mills. When the estate was built, in an attempt to promote healthy living the first houses were all provided with a fruit tree.

Just about everyone in the area has access to a garden, the tradition has continued and many people have more fruit than they can use themselves.

Shannon Smith, the ‘Apple Lady’ from Horfield Community Orchard, was on hand during the Apple Day.

She encouraged people to grow more food for themselves and to waste less of the food that is grown. She also helped helping people to identify what sort of apples they have and find out more about them.

“Apple trees are like people, they live for 70 years, more if they are well looked after,” the Apple Lady said.

“If you know which variety you have, you know if you should eat them straight away or not. Some varieties taste better after they have been stored for a while.”

Lucy Darbo took part in a bouquet-making workshop during the event – photo: Mary Milton

As well as squashing apples, the day is a good opportunity to get together and it’s a group effort.

“It’s a fantastic community event with an incredible amount of volunteers mucking in and doing whatever is needed,” said Heidi Simpson, who manages the Cafe on the Square.

The day included music from guitar group the Nova Jammers, stalls of produce from the Sea Mills Community Garden and activities for all the family, including bouquet making and painting.

Crafts made by local people were also on offer. Crocheted items made by 17-year-old Charli Simpson, who works at the Cafe on the Square were very popular, including toys named after all the regular cafe customers.

“It just made me smile to look around and see people of all ages and backgrounds coming together to make it happen. Sea Mills and our cafe is a very special place,” added Heidi.

Alexandra and Ursula Mcaleenan painted an apple during the day – photo: Mary Milton

Mary Milton is reporting on Sea Mills as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media

Main photo: Mary Milton

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