The Apple Orchard

The Apple Orchard

The Story of Our Most English Fruit

Summary

'An absorbing love letter to the English apple tree...lyrical and joyful' - TLS

'A delightful book' - Sunday Times


Shortlisted for the André Simon Food and Drink Book Award 2016
A Radio 4 Book of the Week

'Wonderful, revelatory ... very moving' - Sheila Dillon, BBC Radio 4


'His ability to laugh at himself, openness to wonder and willingness to go wherever the search takes him make Brown an engaging writer and The Apple Orchard an entertaining journey' - Mail on Sunday


Taking us through the seasons in England's apple-growing heartlands, this magical book uncovers the stories and folklore of our most familiar fruit.


'An orchard is not a field. It's not a forest or a copse. It couldn't occur naturally; it's definitely cultivated. But an orchard doesn't override the natural order: it enhances it, dresses it up. It demonstrates that man and nature together can - just occasionally - create something more beautiful and (literally) more fruitful than either could alone. The vivid brightness of the laden trees, studded with jewels, stirs some deep race memory and makes the heart leap. Here is bounty, and excitement.'

Reviews

  • Wonderful, revelatory ... very moving
    Sheila Dillon, BBC Radio 4

About the author

Pete Brown

Pete Brown is a British author, journalist, blogger and broadcaster specialising in food and drink, especially the fun parts like beer and cider. His broad, fresh approach takes in social history, cultural commentary, travel writing, personal discovery and natural history, and his words are always delivered with the warmth and wit you’d expect from a great night down the pub. He writes for newspapers and magazines around the world and is a regular contributor to BBC Radio 4’s Food Programme. He was named British Beer Writer of the Year in 2009, 2012 and 2016, and Fortnum & Mason Online Drinks Writer of the Year in 2015. In 2017 he won Best Drink Book at the same awards with The Pub: A Cultural Institution. He lives in London.
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