PRODUCEDINKENT
MEET THE PRODUCER :
MICHAEL DALLAWAY , DALLAWAY CHERRIES
Dallaway cherries taste soooo delicious !
AT DALLAWAY WE SELL ALL OUR CHERRIES DIRECTLY TO THE CUSTOMER AND DON ’ T DEAL WITH ANY OF THE LARGE MULTIPLES DESPITE PRODUCING CIRCA 100 TONS ANNUALLY . WE PICK OUR CHERRIES WHEN THEY ARE FULLY RIPE , AS OPPOSED TO A FEW DAYS PRIOR TO THIS AS REQUIRED FOR THE SUPERMARKET SHELF LIFE . THE OVERRIDING COMMENT WE RECEIVE TIME AND AGAIN ABOUT OUR CHERRIES IS THAT THEY TASTE AMAZING COMPARED TO THOSE ON SALE IN THE SUPERMARKET ! WE TAKE THE SAME ETHOS WITH OUR CHERRY JUICE , WHICH IS 100 % PURE , AND MADE FROM FULLY RIPE PRESSED CHERRIES . THIS IS NOW AVAILABLE IN OVER 150 FARM SHOPS AND INDEPENDENT DELIS AND SHOPS ACROSS THE SOUTH EAST AND ALSO AVAILABLE FROM OUR WEBSITE .
Cherries are quite specific to Kent , aren ’ t they – why is that ?
Cherries were introduced originally by the Romans , however Henry VIII was the main driver in introducing cherry orchards ( as they were a favourite fruit of Anne Boleyn ) and instructed his royal fruiterer to plant orchards of cherries around Teynham in Kent . This presumably is why Kent is now the traditional area that they are grown , but this obviously goes hand in hand with the fact it ’ s the best climate in the South East and the warm summer days and cool nights in the UK lead to a much richer flavour in our soft and stone fruit .
When is the cherry season and is this season different because of the cold weather we have had recently ?
Cherry season can be as early as mid June and will last until early August . Due to the very cold April this year the season is at least two weeks later than what has been regarded as ‘ normal ’ for cherries now , so we didn ’ t start picking this year until the last week in June . The cherries sold during the season in lay-bys are Spanish cherries for the first few weeks before the English season gets underway !
Dallaway has a ‘ Rent a Cherry Tree ’ scheme . It sounds amazing but what is it ?
Our ‘ Rent a Cherry Tree ’ scheme is a variation on pick your own . For £ 50 a year we allocate you a tree in the orchard , do all the work and keep you up to date on the crop via monthly newsletters . We let you know when to come and pick your tree and all the cherries that your tree produces – up to 20kg a year – are yours to take home ! We also hold a blossom weekend with a hog roast and bar to see the orchards in full bloom . It ’ s a lovely family day out and great for the kids to understand how the growing process commences .
Your cherry juice is delicious on its own , but could you give us your favourite mocktail and cocktail recipes with your juice ?
OUR FAVOURITE COCKTAIL - The Cherry Swinger
Serves : 2
OUR FAVOURITE MOCKTAIL - Simply Cherry Ingredients :
Ingredients :
• 1 large measure vodka
• 2 large measures Kentish Cherry Juice
• 1 large measure Cherry Brandy , we use Maraschino Luxardo
• 1 small measure Cherry and Almond vodka / liqueur , we recommend Two Birds
• 1 small measure fresh lime juice
• 1 / 3 pipet Foaming Bitters , such as Best Bitters
• Maraschino cherry for garnish
Method :
1 . Drizzle a bit of Maraschino Luxardo in the bottom of your glass and add crushed ice . 2 . Shake all ingredients with ice cubes and strain into glass . 3 . Finish with a Maraschino cherry on a stick and a swirl of Maraschino juice .
• Kentish Cherry Juice
• Sparkling water
• Fresh lemon / lime
Method :
1 . Simply pour your juice over crushed ice , with sparkling water , and a good squeeze of fresh lemon / lime juice .
rentacherrytree . co . uk
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