Page 53 - Phonebox Magazine July 2014

Sweet treats are in season
English Cherry Farm
After forty years of flying large commercial jets across the globe, airline pilot Rupert Mount was thinking about his retirement. But a chance reading of The Fruit Grower ignited a passion for English cherries. No stranger to fruit farming thanks to 20 years of growing strawberries
for the pick-your-own market, Rupert had more than 1000 cherry trees planted in 2006. Now, his family-run business offers lovingly grown, local produce.
Based in Aspley Guise near Milton Keynes, the farm’s shop sells fresh cherries to customers for just five weeks of the year (this month and in early August). Best kept unwashed in a plastic container in the fridge, they can be stored for up to seven days.
Cherries as a sweet snack are low in calories and full of antioxidants, which have been proven to prevent many diseases including cancer. They contain melatonin, which regulates your sleep cycle, and just a handful before bedtime can naturally induce sleep. Cherries also contain anthocyanins, which can relieve pain, and boron for healthy bone health.
For more information on the farm or ordering cherries, go to englishcherry.co.uk or call (01908) 587070.
Fun in the sun
The British summer (when we get a good one!) can be one of the best times of year, the countryside looks beautiful in full bloom with
the fantastic summer ales and Pimms & lemonade flowing. This can put people in a good mood, keen for fun and frolics (in the sense of dancing around barefoot in a paddling pool with a nice glass of chilled rosé, although the latter is most likely true too!)
The people of Olney and the surrounding areas are really well served with well organised, regular events, especially throughout the summer. Most of the pubs in Olney, Sherington & Emberton had a festival weekend of some kind last year, with Booze on the Ouse and of course the fantastic Big Olney Food Festival (BOFF).
The Cowpers Oak in Weston Underwood has held a beer festival for the past two years and is keen to carry on the tradition for a third year this July.
Tim Edwards the landlord, first started running a beer festival in 2012. Having never been to a beer festival before, Tim decided to throw the rulebook away and thought about what he’d like from a beer festival and what he thought his customers would enjoy. Tim’s key elements were a family feel, great atmosphere with good music, tasty food and a not forgetting a good selection of well kept ale.
Cowpers Oak Beer Festival
Wanting to support local people, he bought musicians in from the area to showcase their talents, and sourced all the beer from local breweries - aiming for the varieties that you might not normally find ‘down your local’. With music playing throughout the day on Saturday, the Sunday was aimed at younger families who make up a large part of Tim’s business. With bouncy castles, swings and a classic Punch and Judy (and more beer), there was something to keep everyone entertained.
With this philosophy in mind, year one was a fantastic success, however it wasn’t without a few trials and tribulations along the way. To coincide with the opening weekend of the Olympics, it was originally called the
‘Olympic Beer Festival’. It wasn’t until later on that Tim found out he was unable to use the word ‘Olympic’ in their advertising and decided to change the name to the British Beer Festival. This success continued in the second year with more ales and more cider. 2014 sees the festival returning again, with a decision to extend the music onto the Sunday afternoon to carry on the festival spirit. Tim is also planning to get commemorative beer jugs made for people to take away as a souvenir. It promises to be another great weekend.
Tim and the team at The Cowpers Oak are looking forward to welcoming you for fun in the sun from 26-27 July. More information can be found at www.cowpersoak.co.uk.
Phonebox Magazine 53