Greater Manchester's only cider press where you can drink a pint in a picturesque orchard

Venture into the historic village of Dunham and you'll find Greater Manchester's only cider press where you can drink in the apple orchards. At the Dunham Press Cider you can drink the fruits of the farmers' labours in the stunning and tranquil orchard - which feels a world away from the metropolis despite being just minutes off the M56.

The owners of Dunham Press Cider opened a public shop and tearooms on their farm during lockdown and haven't looked back since. Now it's something of a hidden gem, just on the outskirts of Altrincham, for a quirky day out and to enjoy a home-pressed apple juice or cider out among the very trees that bore the fruit.

Before the pandemic, the fruit farm and cider press had mostly supplied apple juices and ciders to the hospitality industry. But when lockdown was first enforced in March 2020, that side of the business almost completely dried up.

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It got the owners, Chris and Alison Hewitt, thinking of how they could boost their trade in a new way - and their Apple Barn was the result. The farm is part of the historic Dunham Massey estate, and Chris said landlords The National Trust have been brilliant in supporting the venture.

Now, on glorious summer days you can sit out in the apple orchard while picking up a slice of home-made cake and a cold glass of freshly-pressed apple juice, cider or perry. In the shop itself you can pick up bottles of both cider and juice to take away with you too.

Chris, 51, laughs: "It is a little bit of a cider lover's dream here, you could say that. This was our lockdown project - we opened up the shop 12 months ago but our family have been on the farm here since the 1930s.

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