When we bought the farm, we learned that it was one of the very few with a commercial walnut grove. The previous owner of the farm, who is half German, had gone to Germany to search for varieties which would grow successfully in this part of the country. We have around 400 trees, some of which have been planted for timber and we are starting to get a crop. Two years ago, we picked for a firm in Kent, who produce pickled walnuts. In 2008, due to the wet weather, we could not cut our hay beneath the walnuts so we had to leave them to ripen. We have a constant battle with squirrels, but hopefully in a few years’ time, we should have so many that they won’t make much of an impression! Several other large landowners have now planted walnut groves, so we should see more British walnuts in our supermarkets and even British walnut oil.
Our juice is available from:
www.realdrinksofengland.co.uk
