Cider Through the Seasons
One of my favourite things about being a photographer in Devon is capturing stories from the land and the turning of the seasons - those frosty winter mornings, the first blooms of spring, lazy summer evenings and the fruitful harvests.
Apple season is my absolute favourite time of year and I am always drawn to the orchards and anything cider-related! Here is a selection of recent work which is cider themed. This includes photography of cider makers, local orchards and yummy apple based recipes.
Find out more about me below and click through the images on this page to discover portfolios of my work and articles featuring these images.
JAN '24
January is the month to wassail the orchards and bless the apple trees for a fruitful harvest. This ancient ritual was part of the Yule traditions, often held on the twelfth night. Nowadays a wassail is held between December - February in many cider producing counties.
I joined the Acid Morris at School Farm in Dartington. This merry band of techno druids came with their own spin on traditional Morris dancing. They also had a very cool homemade Mari Lywd - a mysterious folk hobby horse created using a real horse skull. The Mari was paraded around whilst they danced a jig and entertained everyone. A lot of noise was made, banging drums and saucepans to wake up the trees and scare away evil spirits. We toasted the trees with cider and apple juice for a bumper crop in 2024. The party continued late into the night, with a rave at a local venue and much bin banging!
OCT ‘23
Silly Buckers Cider is a small batch cider company based in Devon who specialise in the ‘art of natural cider’. They have a traditional cider press dating back to 1780, which is housed in Dartington.
As well as pressing their own cider, Paul & Graham let community groups use the press. On this particular day, I was invited by friends who run a local orchard.
“Imagine how many people have stood around this press as you all are and shared a few drinks and jokes together” Paul said as we layered apple and straw to filter the juice. It was a fun process and great for the local kids who came along to experience this old rural tradition.
SEPT ‘23
September is the month for gathering in the apple harvest. I joined food writer Sarah Raisbeck and her children in a local orchard as they gathered apples for cooking up some of her delicious puddings.
These images were featured in the November issue of Devon Life Magazine. You can read more in their online version here.
“Community orchards are becoming more common keeping the old apple varieties going. As well as for local people this is great for wildlife which thrives in and around orchards.”
Sarah Raisbeck
“As an adult your favourite foods are usually because of a fond childhood memory. This is certainly true for me, I remember roast chicken on a Sunday and apple crumble and custard for pudding.
Come winter I am all about comfort puddings and usually these are apple based. I love that I can store apples picked in autumn, open the freezer to use fruit picked in the summer months and top some puddings, especially rice pudding with preserves made from an abundance of fruit.”
Sarah Raisbeck
