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Farm Walk and BBQ
It may not feel like summer yet but in a few weeks’ time we will be having our Annual Farm Walk and B B Q kindly hosted this year by Boxford Suffolk Farms, Hill Farm, Brick Kiln Hill, BOXFORD, Suffolk. CO10 5NY. Commencing at 5.00 p.m. on Thursday 9th May.
The “Boxford Group” of companies includes Boxford Farms, Peake Fruit – where they store, pack and market their own fruit, and the beautiful Stoke by Nayland Hotel, Golf & Spa. The Peake family were pioneering entrepreneurs who diversified to succeed. They created Copella apple juice in 1969 by using their small and uneven shaped fruit. This business as it grew was later sold to Tropicana UK in 1997. Bill and Devora Peake also created two championship golf courses and a clubhouse in the 1970s, which has since been developed by the next generation into the Stoke by Nayland Resort.
What’s grown on Boxford Farms
On a branch, on a plant, or in the ground. They’ve diversified their fruit production and currently grow a variety of top, stone and soft fruit as well as asparagus and rhubarb. As they are situated in a hot and dry area of the UK (usually), they can plant well-flavoured, extended production strawberries, raspberries and blueberries, whilst also growing rhubarb, plums and cherries. This is in addition to 22 different varieties of apple, which are grown in the most modern orchards which provide rare and valuable habitats for wildlife. They use the latest technology in automated intelligent irrigation systems which closely matches the needs of the plants, and, with an emphasis on ensuring soil health and biodiversity in the orchards, they have also implemented various strategies such as Predasect insect houses and wild flower nectar mixes for orchard borders. They have invested heavily into Bi-baum™ twin-stem trees which offer a more reliable, cost-effective way of growing fruit, and their hail nets, rain-covers and poly-tunnels guarantee that the crop is picked and not wasted.
As recently as 2022 Boxford Suffolk Farms introduced a new Apple variety to the market- and as their website declares” we are confident that Magic StarTM will be the best apple you will taste (certainly better than a particular pink apple out there) with the added advantage that it is grown in Suffolk, UK. It is sweet but with a complex apple flavour, perfectly juicy, and will store really well in your fridge or fruit bowl”.
All of the above hard work has contributed to the farm winning two national awards in the past few years – the Top Fruit Grower of the Year, and Soft Fruit Grower of the Year.
The farm also has an on-farm AD plant which produces 750kwh of electricity and 750kW of heat – they are turning maize, out-graded fruit and apple pomace into energy, powering cold stores and farm buildings, whilst drying applewood to be sold as logs or other wood to be used to heat either the hotel or glasshouse in their 6 biomass boilers.
The committee hopes that you will come along and support the evening. It is always interesting to see how other businesses operate and not many of us will be familiar with commercial fruit growing in the 21st Century. Friends and guests are very welcome to attend.
The evening concludes at approximately 7.00 p.m. with a light supper provided by our regular team at Monarch Catering – we should be served fresh strawberries (grown on the farm) and cream as a dessert.
The event is free to Members, but a charge of £15.00/ head will be made to non-members and guests.
Please email Alan.Gray@originfertilisers.co.uk if you would like to attend by Friday 3rd May at the latest.