Traditional stone apple crusher goes on sale for £20,000 in Jersey

  • Jadzia Samuel went to learn about the traditional cider making practice

A tool from Jersey's cider making history has gone on sale for £20,000 at Reg's garden in St Brelade.

The traditional apple crusher would have been an essential part of the industry 200-years-ago, when Jersey relied on apple-growing as its key industry.

Historically, Jersey apples were used for cider making on the island as well as to add quality and volume to Devon and Dorset cider in the 17th century.

However, due to the large number of apple trees in Jersey, a law was passed meaning no new trees could be planted except to replace old ones.

There were once hundreds of apple crushers in Jersey. Credit: ITV Channel TV

Reg Langlois is selling the apple crusher and says this one is rare due to its large size.

He said: "The quite rarity of this is its size. It's 12 feet wide and it's got 12 pieces. The stone is Jersey granite.

"I emphasise that because it's up against Chausey stone, which is much softer, it's easy enough to carve. But the Jersey granite one is far more difficult."

Owner of Samares Manor, Vincent Obbard Seigneur says the cider press was a crucial part of Jersey's history.

He said: "It was a way of life. Every farm in Jersey used to have a cider press and an apple crusher, which in fact technically this is, rather than a press.

"Farm labourers came and would work for a boss who would give them good cider. So it was part of their wages. In 1840, they exported 200,000 gallons of cider to the UK, which I always think is an incredible statistic."

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