Lincolnshire farm preserving county’s rare apple varieties
A family-run farm near Louth says it’s on a mission to protect Lincolnshire’s disappearing apple heritage
Top Farm has spent the past three years developing a heritage orchard bringing together all twenty apple trees native to Lincolnshire.
Owner Jane Hollingsworth says the idea came after discovering just how many had already been forgotten,.
“We’ve actually lost over two thirds of our native apple trees for Lincolnshire,” she explained.
The orchard now includes rare local varieties alongside newly grafted young trees designed to help preserve them for future generations.
Ms Hollingsworth says the project is about far more than fruit production.
“It’s a way of preserving our local history and heritage,” she said. “When you actually then look at the different flavours as well, there’s some really interesting flavour profiles and different uses.”
She says many traditional Lincolnshire apples were valued because they could be stored through winter — helping families access fruit for much of the year before supermarkets existed.
“You’ve got this amazing variety of Lincolnshire apples that are just waiting to be explored,” she added.