Winchester City Mill Apple Baking Day!!

I had a lovely day yesterday! I grabbed one of my best friends and her son and we journeyed to Winchester to visit the Winchester City Mill. They were hosting an Apple Baking Day.

I first heard of it from a very nice lady, on twitter, who is a local baker who bakes for the special events when she can. Her specialty is bread, which is perfect for a mill that grounds their own wholemeal flour. I feel fortunate to have seen her tweet!

I was especially drawn into the event when I read that they would help identify any apple that was brought in. We have an apple tree in our garden, my husband planted when he was a kid, and we have no clue to what type it is. That and they were offering baked treats!

We got there early afternoon and it was quiet, but we were told it was a busy morning and before we left it had filled up again. Right as we walked up and there were apples right in the walkway to sample and buy. As all bag was only 50p and a large respectively £1! We didn't get apples, but pears Beurré Bosc pears to be exact. They were absolutely gorgeous!

Then we went into the mill and were greeted by a stand full of a wide variety of apples! It's here I was told that our tree produces Spartan apples. The gentleman there had several books that he checked in just to be sure, but he called it right away.

We also allowed to taste the apples out for display. Most of them I had never heard of before. Bramshott Rectory was the first variety we tried, it was sweet but crisp and comes from Hampshire. Allington Pippin was another variety that we tried it was crisp as well, but with a sharp tang to it. Both were lovely.

Then as you moved along to the back there was a baking demonstration and you were able to sample all that they made! There were cakes, scones, and bread to eat with apples and cheese. I wish I had paid a bit more attention to what everything was, but it was all very delicious. 

The kids loved going underneath to see the water rushing through and turning the mill. I have found that sometimes at National Trust places, especially small ones like the City Mill, they can be a bit funny about kids. However at the City Mill all the staff engaged with the kids and patiently answered their questions. They were all so lovely to talk with.

The bag you see there was being filled up with freshly ground flour!

Over all it was a good afternoon out and I will be watching the site for other events! I didn't leave with out purchasing a bag of the whole meal flour and I can’t wait to share what I bake with it! I am told I should definitely try the Apple and Marmalade Cake from the recipe card I picked up! There were recipe cards for Winchester City Mill Wholemeal Bread, Soda Bread, Spiced Apple Cake, Cheese Scones, and Fruit Scones. All sound amazing! 

notes: Visit The Winchester City Mill website to find out when the next event is! Also check out the National Trust website for other places to visit and other events!

Part 1 of Apple Week: I plan on posting a week worth of apple bakes! On Friday I will include a linky tool so you can all share your apples bakes! I would love to see them! Check back tomorrow to see what else I've been making with apples!