The Zari orchard and variety also takes the winning title for the best orchard under 1,000 trees and Class D Best Dessert. AC Goatham & Son will be hosting a walk of the winning orchard on Tuesday 16 August for the society members.
Shrubbery Farm is 120 acres planted with 28 acres of Royal Gala, 34 acres of Zari, 8 acres of Braeburn, 8 acres of Cox and 17 acres of Comice and Conference pears. Over the last several years there has been a significant orchard replanting programme and by 2020, one million new trees will have been planted across AC Goatham & Son’s 17 farms, including Shrubbery.
The Zari orchard at Shrubbery Farm is planted on wire work with a 3m cane system, planted at a distance of 3.5m between the rows and 1.2m within the row. Pollinators used are malus and Golden Delicious.
Nigel Stewart, technical director at AC Goatham & Son said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won the Orchard Competition, along with the other two titles. We strive for uniformity and perfection across all of our orchards and this particular Zari orchard is a real showcase of the team’s growing skills. We look forward to welcoming members to our orchard and hope they enjoy the evening”.
Zari is a new variety and is exclusively grown by AC Goatham & Son. It is popular thanks to it’s clean and classic apple flavor. Zari has a crunchy texture with pale flesh and a pink/red blush to the skin. Zari’s are available from September to December from Sainsbury’s.
AC Goatham & Son grows one in every three British Conference Pears and one in every 4.5 British apples sold in the UK each year.
