Visitors to a North Yorkshire historic hall have been in a for a crushing experience.

To mark national Apple Celebrations staff at Beningbrough Hall in York distilled the juice of fruit grown in its own walled garden for people to try.

The apples were minced, then put into a "sparging bag" which was placed in a press. The fruit crushing and tasting session was part of a series of events aimed at recognising the quality of British fruit.

Though in Britain it is possible to grow the best apples in the world, with over 30 varieties grown at the National Trust's Beningbrough Hall alone, English orchards are being lost at an alarming rate, having declined by two-thirds in the last 30 years.