TV cameras head to Bulmers cider orchard in Herefordshire

ITV viewers tuning in to Good Morning Britain on October 12 were treated to a glimpse into the world of cidermaking in Herefordshire as the weather forecast came from Garnons Farm in Byford.

The segment was presented by Laura Tobin, who explained that the unseasonably warm weather has been good news for growers, extending the growing season, but that temperatures are set to fall, with snow possible in Scotland. 

Laura Tobin presents the weather at Garnons Farm, Byford (Image: Jo Dring/Heineken)

Viewers were shown apples being shaken from trees with tractor-operated machinery before being hoovered up by more tractor-powered machinery.

They were then poured from a trailer into a pit to be washed before they were moved into a lorry ready to head off to the mill.

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Ms Tobin shared that 1.4 billion pints of cider are drunk in the UK each year, with more cider produced in Herefordshire than anywhere else in the world. 

The farm, to the west of Herefordshire, supplies Heineken-owned Herefordshire cidermaker Bulmers, with the apples gathered set to be sent to the company's mill in Ledbury to be turned into cider.

The Herefordshire cider company, which was founded as HP Bulmer Ltd in 1887, produces some of the world's best-known ciders, including the Strongbow and Bulmers brands. 

It was purchased by Scottish and Newcastle in 2003 before being taken on by Heineken in 2008.

Its cider apples are still milled in Herefordshire, at its Ledbury mill, before being taken to its factory in Plough Lane, Hereford, for fermentation.