West Dean Gardens’ Apple Affair is a popular outdoor food and drink festival with an emphasis on the best of the British autumn harvest. Amongst apple displays, food and shopping stalls and cookery demonstrations, you will find the impressive apple harvest from West Dean’s own orchards, together with beautiful pumpkins and gourds from their authentic Victorian Kitchen Garden.
Award-winning French celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli will be pitching up and cooking the famous Ze Novelli Academy Tarte Tatin and a Caramel Basket Late-summer Berry Surprise.
Visitors can enjoy live music throughout the weekend, Orchard tours, apple identification; bring in any windfalls from your own apple tree and experts will be on hand to identify the variety. There’s a vintage tea room, real ales and cider, plus Kate Rushworth, one of the presenters on ITV’s Love Your Garden, will be giving talks about how to ‘grow your own’.
Children’s activities include craft workshops, bouncy castle, games and harvest activities. Live music starts at 10.45am.
It seems this year’s Apple Affair is on track to becoming another winner for foodies and fruit-lovers alike.
Tickets are available via the West Dean Gardens website, at www.westdean.org.uk/gardens.
West Dean Gardens is only 6 miles north of Chichester on the A286 towards Midhurst. The entrance to the Gardens is clearly signposted off the A286 (West Dean College has a separate entrance). Free parking is available, with designated spaces for disabled visitors and coaches. For satellite navigation use postcode PO18 0RX to find West Dean Gardens.
By train: the nearest train station is Chichester, from where you can pick up a taxi or the number 60 bus.
