Traditional bramley, cox, and russets were on display beside less heard of varieties at the weekend as Banham celebrated a bumper apple harvest.Hundreds of people descended on the village yesterday for an event aimed at promoting the humble orchard fruit and saving dozens of less common apple varieties from dying out.

Traditional bramley, cox, and russets were on display beside less heard of varieties at the weekend as Banham celebrated a bumper apple harvest.

Hundreds of people descended on the village yesterday for an event aimed at promoting the humble orchard fruit and saving dozens of less common apple varieties from dying out.

Visitors to the Banham Barrel pub got the chance to taste a wide range of apples, ciders, and juices as part of the festival organised by the East of England Apples and Orchards Project and Kenninghall Lands Trust.

More than 130 varieties of the fruit were on display, including over 30 that originated from Norfolk. Apple tree owners also brought in specimens from their own gardens and orchards to get them identified.

The event, ahead of Apple Day on October 21, came as farmers celebrated an exceptional apple crop this year, caused by favourable weather conditions.

Sue Hutcheson, from the East of England Apples and Orchards Project, said the festival proved that there were more than just the half a dozen varieties that are normally sold in the supermarkets.

“The season has been brilliant this year and everything came right. We had the right amount of rain and sunshine last autumn, a sufficiently cold winter to initiate the fruit to bud and the conditions were right at pollen time,” she said.