AN apple weekend at Hanbury Hall near Droitwich proved a sweet and enticing prospect despite the dismal weather.

The weekend, also known as 'Apple Fest' and organised by the National Trust, is an opportunity to sample the magnificent range of apples grown at the hall from cooking to dessert apples.

The stalls and demonstrations of apple pressing and peeling were contained inside polytunnels, which allowed visitors to take some shelter from the rain.

Visitors were treated to a scrumptious array of apples in a variety of sizes and colours and each with its own distinctive history and flavour.

There are around 80 varieties of apple grown at Hanbury from the sweet and sharp to the bitter and crunchy, including the Catshead, a variety of cooking apple which dates back to 1600 when Queen Elizabeth I still sat on the English throne.

Many of the apples have their roots locally in Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

The day was also an opportunity to showcase the work of local businesses including Knightsgrove Hand Made Meats, which has a shop based in Droitwich High Street and sources its meat from the family farm in Ombersley.

They were offering samples of some of their products, including a pork and apple sausage and sweet chilli sausage which has been nominated for an award in the butcher’s innovation category by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.

The business is owned by sister and brother team Sarah Lovatt and Andrew Green and the stall was being manned by their dad, Clive Green, and aunt Sandra Blomfield.

The scones were proving particularly popular with visitors, made from apples and raspberries grown at Hanbury.

In the style of a pick and mix visitors could pay £4.50 for a bag and fill it with a variety of apples at what is the earliest apple event in the region with many others running later in October.

The apples are also organic with a certificate from the Soil Association to show that no fertilisers, pesticides or herbicides were used.

Caroline Beacall, the senior gardener at Hanbury said: “Preserving our orchard is crucial. There is a lot of social history behind it, the varieties, the names, the whole story of the Bramley apple.”

One of her personal favourites is the Pitmaston Pine-Apple, a dessert apple from Worcestershire which is noted for its 'honeyed, nutty, pineapple flavour'.

A tea room was also available in the Walled Garden, a new addition this year.

Tim Hartley, a juice room assistant at Pershore College which runs amateur fruit juicing and cider making, said: “The visitors love it.

"This has been going for quite a while and it’s very popular.

"You won’t see many more apples than this. It’s a great platform promoting local products.”

They produce 7,000 litres of cider a year - the limit for paying excise - but are looking to get a licence so they can produce more.

Mr Hartley was offering samples of the products to visitors, including Avonbank Sweet Cider.

Visitors could also see demonstrations of the Vigo fruit press in action.

Judith Halsall and grandson Ben, 13, of Oldbury have been coming for years.

Mrs Halsall said: “We came to get the Bramley apples for our cooking.”