• Somerset cider maker begins earliest harvest since records began, ahead of last year's previous record

• Thatchers' Orchard Archives and family recollections show the other end of the season has shifted too, with harvesting that once continued towards Christmas now expected to finish by mid-November

• Three living generations of the Thatcher family have witnessed changes to Somerset's apple-growing season

• Following prolonged hot weather, this year's apples are slightly smaller, but early fruit is showing increased sweetness and good flavour

• Thatchers is trialling around 100 apple varieties, with research to understand which characteristics could become increasingly important to future orchards

SOMERSET, September 2026: A Somerset cider making family with 122 years of harvests behind it has begun the earliest apple harvest in its history, as records and the experiences of five generations reveal how the county's cider-apple season has shifted.

Thatchers Cider started picking apples at Myrtle Farm in Sandford ahead of 2025’s harvest date, which had itself been the earliest harvest in the company's history. But Thatchers says the beginning of harvest tells only part of the story.

Records from its orchards, alongside recollections passed through generations of the family, show a striking change at the other end of the season too. In the 1990s, the team recalls harvesting and pressing apples into late autumn and towards Christmas, while earlier family recollections suggest the season could stretch later still.

This year, Thatchers currently expects harvesting to be completed by mid-November, around six weeks earlier than thirty years ago.

The changing rhythm of the season has been witnessed by third-generation cider maker John Thatcher, his son Martin, Thatchers, Managing Director, and now fifth-generation Eleanor Thatcher.

Martin Thatcher, Managing Director of Thatchers Cider, said:

“Harvest has always been one of the most special times of year at Myrtle Farm, when the fruit we've spent the year caring for is finally picked and pressed.

“The recent hot weather has certainly played a part in this year's harvest timing, but it is only part of a much bigger picture. We've spent generations learning how our orchards respond to different seasons and conditions, future-proofing orchard success for the farming generations ahead.

“This year's heat has been challenging and the apples are slightly smaller, but they are packed with flavour and sweetness. Ultimately, it's the fruit, rather than a date on the calendar that tells us when harvest must begin.”

Planning for changing growing conditions starts years before an apple reaches the cider mill. A new orchard can take up to ten years from initial planning to bearing fruit. Thatchers regenerative farming process takes a minimum of three years alone, transforming nutrient levels in the soil to give the apple trees the very best start in life. From planting, it is then nine to ten years in, we welcome the first crop, then perfect for cidermaking.

That long-term approach is a key reason Thatchers is researching which varieties could be best suited to orchards in the decades ahead.

Myrtle Farm is home to the UK's largest collection of cider apple varieties, with 458 varieties in its Exhibition Orchard. Alongside these, Thatchers is trialling around 100 varieties across 40 acres, assessing how different apples perform and which characteristics could prove important to future cider making. Research assesses factors including climatic influences, disease resistance, growth, yield and suitability for cider-making, ensuring the all-important delicious flavours are right - enabling Thatchers to keep reviewing the best trees for the future.

Martin Thatcher said: “When my great-grandfather planted apple trees here, he couldn't know exactly what conditions future generations would be growing them in – with recent heat devastating for many cider farmers of more traditional orchards and older varieties of apples trees. He planted for the future, just as every generation of our family has done since. Among the varieties we're trialling now could be apples that future generations of cider makers come to rely on.”

“Our responsibility is to take what we've learned from 122 years of growing apples and use that knowledge and ongoing research to give the next generation of orchards the best possible start.”

To further support its annual apple crop, Thatchers works closely with 27 apple growers across the South West and Herefordshire. Providing 20-year long contracts, the partnerships are designed to give the fellow British farming families long-term certainty and support when planting their own orchards. Working collaboratively with the growers over decades, many contracts have already passed through generations of the British farmers, and findings from the 100 tree trial will continue to future proof these orchards.

Despite the earlier start and prolonged heat, Thatchers says quality, rather than the calendar, continues to determine when its apples are picked.

Richard Johnson, Head Cider Maker at Thatchers, said:

“You can't decide when to harvest an apple simply by looking at the date. We're in the orchards throughout the growing season, watching, tasting and testing the fruit so we know when it has reached the right point to pick.

“Katy, traditionally our first apple of the harvest has a particularly short picking window. This year's fruit is smaller following the extended heat, but the sunshine has increased its sweetness and the flavour is exactly what we're looking for.

“The changing harvest timeframe has reduced yield slightly, but it hasn't meant compromising on quality. It's about responding to the fruit in front of us and picking it at its best.”

Katy apples are used in Thatchers Katy single-variety cider and as part of the blend for Thatchers Juicy Apple.

For the orchard team, the earlier harvest also means preparation for the next growing cycle begins sooner.

Chris Muntz-Torres, Orchard Manager at Thatchers, said:

“People naturally think of harvest as the end of the growing year, but for us it's part of a continuous cycle. As soon as harvest finishes, we're thinking about tree health, replacing nutrients and preparing the orchards for the next growing season.

“Looking after an orchard is a year-round job. As the seasons change, experience and understanding how each orchard responds, becomes increasingly important.”

Thatchers has been growing apples and making cider at Myrtle Farm since 1904 - today it manages 550 acres of its own orchards. Research from the 100 tree trials will help inform what Somerset's cider orchards could look like for generations to come and ensure it remains the UK’s leading cidermaking county.

ENDS

Notes to editors

Thatchers Cider has been making cider at Myrtle Farm in Sandford, Somerset, since 1904.

Thatchers is home to 550 acres of orchards.

The 2025 harvest was previously the earliest in Thatchers' history, beginning before the August Bank Holiday and around 10 days earlier than the traditional schedule. The 2026 harvest has begun a further 10 days earlier.

Myrtle Farm's Exhibition Orchard contains 458 cider apple varieties, while around 100 varieties are being trialled across 40 acres.

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