St Crispins is a 29 acre fruit farm situated between Reading and Newbury. The orchards were planted 50 years ago and were then commercial, exporting apples to Europe.
The fruit farming changes in the 1960s meant that many trees were scrubbed out leaving only 4 original orchards: two plum and two apple. Restoration started five years ago followed by a replanting scheme using traditional apple varieties in 2012, chosen for taste and flavour.
The farm has been managed along organic principles since 2007 and now has organic certification with Organic Farmers and Growers.
A natural watercourse runs through the land and a wildlife lake has been reinstated to provide a natural wildlife habitat. The grasslands are managed for hay and grazed by sheep. These fields are species rich grasslands. in the summer, there is a traditional labyrinth mown in one of these fields to create an area for quiet reflection. There is an area sown specifically for perennial wildflowers. There are five bee hives for pollination of the orchards.
The site is beside a triple SI wood and an area adjacent is set aside for its protection.
There has been an extensive hedging programme as most hedges had been removed when the orchards were intensively managed, the only remaining hedge has been laid in a traditional manner. In 2012 organic Soay sheep joined the land and breeding started in 2013. The farm has an on site pressing facilities for production of apple juice and cider.