Page 6 - Town & Around - March 2026

6 Town & Around March 2026 Tel: 01485 540620 email: editor@townandaround.net
At The Core

The history and continued heritage of Drove Orchards, Thornham
Dani Crawshaw
businesses, the site employing over a hundred people, with new places
continuing to open.
"Frankly, it happened completely by mistake, it's been an organic
process - I never sat down with a business plan, it's something that's
just grown organically, as a result of having an understanding of what
this beautiful coast needs in terms of sustainable employment.
“My father would have loved all this and would have been delighted
by the fact that the orchard is at the heart of everything we do," he
continues.
“We often get people coming and saying they’ve seen a variety of
apple in the farm shop that they haven’t seen for 50 years - which is
lovely, isn’t it?”

hen I meet Andrew what comes across is his passion not just
for Drove Orchards, but for this area of Norfolk. A want to
Wsee it thrive, provide local employment, care for its natural
beauty - keep its heritage alive.
“We’re standing here today in the heartland of the area I really love,”
he tells me, “These are Drove Orchards, orchards are one of the best
places to see a diverse and huge range of nature.”
His father, Major David Jamieson, planted the first apple trees in
1952, after returning from the Second World War. The pick your own
orchards now span more than 40 acres of the 350-acre site.
“What he would have loved is the fact that we have a very come
hither attitude here at Drove Orchards, I want people to go around the
orchards, I want people to have a look.”

We wander back to the orchards and Andrew tells me he’s
‘enormously pleased’ that his son Oscar is now running the site,
describing it as ‘not just passing on, but passing on and up’.
The next generation full of 'entrepreneurial fizz' and enthusiasm for
the future.

Andrew's wife Linda and his father David, 1965
He talks passionately about the variety of apples grown, and tells
me his favourite is Darcy Spice, because ‘it’s possibly the grumpiest
looking apple, but it’s got such an amazing depth of taste’.
In a nearby tent the fruit is pressed, and it's where the apple, pear,
quince juice and cider’s made and sold in the farm shop.
As we walk, Andrew talks about coming up with ideas of how ‘best
to showcase the crops’ - at the moment stronger spirits like vodka and
cider brandy are being distilled.
When we get to the juicing tent I’m introduced to Tom, who
manages the production unit. He also chats about being a county councillor, the drive behind that
“Drove Orchards has got such history and heritage and above all being the importance to provide ‘sustainable things for people to do’.
else passion for a product which is often underrated I think," he says. “For all the visitors here we provide memories, and it provides
“A proper English apple is a real wonder of beauty, we grow 160 employment - local employment. I mentioned earlier about nature, this
different varieties of apples, three quarters of which are native to East idea about what is a sustainably economic model along the coast here
Anglia. is something that can do all those 3 - it’s nature, and it’s place, and it’s
“The heritage that we’re continuing to grow is a really beautiful people.
thing.” “I believe politically and economically in what I do here, to try and
As Andrew and I carry on walking around, it’s hard to imagine it all create that balance is the way forward for this part of Norfolk.”
began as a tiny shed, where his father set up a farm shop. I’ve only met Andrew for a few hours, but his deep love of the
“In the First World War the army used to store here, and there were history and heritage of Drove Orchards is clear.
leftover bomb trollies, he built a farm shop on top of one of those.” He's someone who's not taken inheritance for granted, using it to
It’s now a destination - a place where people come to enjoy benefit the local community, both economically and environmentally.
everything from glamping to local ice cream. There are almost 30 Let’s hope that passion continues for generations to come.