Apple Natural

22/08/2026

Harvesting lots of lovely early varieties… freshly picked.

Going out to families in Plymouth and available as part of your weekly shop Tamar Valley Food Hubs

18/08/2026

It’s been such a dry couple of months ..

Some trees in our orchard have no fruit, others loads, then there’s sunburn, broken branches and apples dropping early to save the tree ..

Some rain forecast this week but will be too late for many trees …

09/08/2026

Early varieties ripe and red … albeit some a bit small from lack of rain…

Discovery
Ben’s Red - Tamar Valley variety

05/08/2026

Sharing our special place …

A gentle afternoon of "apple therapy" wandering through the orchards of Apple Natural where wildlife is as important as the ripening fruit.

Butterflies on thistles, owls roosting in the boughs of a mast-laden beech tree, blackbirds encouraged to feast on early windfalls. And hardly a breath of air.

Heritage varieties with ancient names - Pig's Snout, Glass Apple, Tregonna King, Pear Apple, Queen's - are given extra space to spread and follow their natural lines, with just a gentle prune to encourage healthy growth. No chemicals here.

Thank you Julie B for making Yulianna, Marina and me so welcome

The Soho Hotel

04/08/2026

With months without rain Cornwall is one of the many counties officially in ’drought’ so early walk this morning happy to see nature is enjoying some much needed rain.

Relief for the crops yet to come and our early apples Ben’s Red and Discovery that are almost ripe, not enough to improve juice yield or to reverse the damage for so many growers that will impact our winter food supplies.

Apples available soon at

29/07/2026

08/06/2026

Picking Tamar Valley strawberries to go with 2026 apple harvest for Hint of Strawberry ..🍓

07/06/2026

Earlier this year I attended a Nature Education Conference.

Looking at how students can be taken more out of the classroom and outside to experience the natural world. An exploration of how a love of nature can be both classroom learning and real world application. With the hope that at some point soon GCSE Natural History will exist on school exams sylabus.

At that conference one of the speakers was scientist, filmmaker and wildlife host Lizzie Daly. I was blown away by her incredible experiences and passion for nature.

As tomorrow is World Ocean Day I wanted to share this incredible picture and experience she shared that truly shows how amazing the marine life is off our UK coastline.

UNDERWATER CINEMATOGRAPHER DAN ABBOTT WITH WILDLIFE BIOLOGIST LIZZIE DALY were diving off the coast of Falmouth in Cornwall filming for , during which Daly circumnavigated the UK to document and share her encounters with some of Great Britain’s more extraordinary marine life.

The barrel jellyfish, which is pretty common off the southern and western coasts of the UK in the summer, appeared in murky waters at a depth of around two metres. They tend to grow up to around 90cm in length with a weight of up to 35kg, though they have been known to reach dustbin lid-sized, according to The Wildlife Trusts.

Abbott said that the jellyfish was approximately 1.5 metres long and the same size as Daly. They swam with the creature for around an hour before heading back to the surface.

Photograph Lizzie Daly / Dan Abbott

02/06/2026

24/05/2026

Mornings are noisy here at the moment…..

5am and the birds are in full dawn chorus…. A beautiful sound, albeit a bit earlier that I need to wake up.

Lucky that that is the noise that wakes us.

The orchard is lush at the moment, the grass is long, the hedgerows are alive. The first yellow rattle, foxgloves, red campion and marsh orchids. It definitely is a habitat for all species to thrive. Even if I do need to find time for a bit of tree and grass management!

My husband sat and recorded the birdsong around and it is amazing, added to that swallows and nearby swifts overhead, with the fortunate sound of a skylark.

I recently discovered the seven wonders of the bird…. And they really are.. Explore each of their wonders, they truly are amazing.

1. Flight
Avian flight is one of nature’s greatest triumphs.

2. Migration
The epic, globe-spanning journeys undertaken by birds.

3. Feather
Feathers are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates.

4. Song
Avian vocalisations are more than just background noise; they are sophisticated systems of communication used to establish territory, attract mates, and warn of predators.

5. Egg
The avian egg is a marvel of biological engineering. Its hard yet semi-permeable calcium carbonate shell protects and nourishes a developing embryo, while its staggering variety of colours and patterns provides camouflage against predators.

6. Nest
Nests represent incredible feats of avian architecture, tailored specifically to the needs of each species.

7. Beak
A bird's beak is a highly adapted, multi-purpose tool that dictates its entire way of life.