Today marks the last of “Apple Picking Sundays” at Ardress House, and what a lovely few weekends we have had.
Apple Harvest
At Mac Ivors Cider we have had a very busy October, with our apple harvest season in full swing. The last of our late variety cider apples have just been picked and we are now ready for the winter.
To celebrate the colourful harvest in the Orchard County our neighbours at Ardress House have been entertaining families for “Apple Picking Sundays”. Cider tastings, honey tastings, homemade apple pancakes, orchard tours, and much more – the perfect family day out.
Ardress House
At Mac Ivors Cider we have always had a very special relationship with the National Trust. Given our close proximity to Ardress House, and of course, the surrounding orchards. Ardress House was originally built in the early 1700s for Thomas Clarke. It was enlarged and remodelled in the 1780s by the architect George Ensor, and then remodelled again in the early 19th century by Ensor’s son. It was given to the National Trust by the Ulster Land Trust in 1959 and now houses a fine collection of 18th century Dutch, Flemish and Italian paintings. The house also has good pieces of early Irish furniture including a magnificent mahogany side table.
Ardress House is situated right across the road from our farm, making the ciders as local as could be. A fantastic day to try our different varieties – Traditional Dry cider made from plenty of cider apples and Bramley; Medium cider with more sweet eating apples and our Plum & Ginger Cider with a lovely wintery finish.
The Argory Christmas Fair
If you missed out this year for Apple Sundays, keep an eye out for other events happening at the National Trust. We will be at the Argory Christmas Fair at the beginning of December. This is a gorgeous annual event with loads of local craft produce on offer, and lots to do as well. For more info see here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/events/ea1bc1d0-af79-44a5-bc0f-67ffa6c85531/pages/details
And of course 2020 will see plenty more events happening at Ardress House including one of our favourites – “Apple Blossom Sundays”, the perfect time to see our orchards in full bloom!
