Yorkshire’s fruit growing heritage was celebrated with schoolchildren as part of health eating Apple Day celebrations at the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.
Primary school children enjoyed picking traditional Yorkshire variety apples at the Showground’s orchard and tasted apples with names not seen on supermarkets shelves such as Flower of the Town and Nancy Jackson.
The educational sessions were hosted by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, the charity that proudly supports farming, food and the countryside, and organises the Great Yorkshire Show.
Children also had the opportunity to turn different apple varieties into fresh juice during apple pressing workshops, and they each prepared a baking apple with oats and raisins for a healthy snack to bake at home.
Allister Nixon, CEO of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society said:
“Our Apple Day celebrations give children a memorable experience and connects them with nature, how the countryside is managed and healthy food choices.
“It is wonderful to see these topics capture the imaginations of children as they learn more about where their food comes from.”
Some 3,000 varieties of apple are grown in Yorkshire, with 16 grown in the Great Yorkshire Showground’s orchard.
Schoolchildren who took part in Apple Day on Wednesday (8th October 2025) were from Hipperholme Grammar School near Halifax, Dacre Braithwaite Church of England Primary School near Harrogate, St Paul’s Catholic Primary School and Armley Park Primary School in Leeds, Bradford Academy and Queen Mary’s School near Thirsk.
The event was run in conjunction with the Fruit Works Co-operative, a social enterprise helping communities in Bradford and Leeds to plant and maintain fruit trees and the Sellers family from Side Oven Bakery, who delivered the juicing workshops.
Jane Fitzjohn, Year 4 teacher from Hipperholme Grammar School said:
“We have had a wonderful time. The children have loved it and have learned so much.”
The Yorkshire Agricultural Society is passionate about inspiring future generations about farming, food and the countryside, and offers a range of year-round educational events, shows and courses.
For more details, see yas.co.uk.
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