Landkey - Mazzard Fruit

Mazzard Fruit

Landkey is also famous for its Mazzard fruit which was discovered by local farmers in the early 1900s. Landkey Parish Council have rescued Mazzard trees from the brink of extinction. The variety of sweet cherry was once common in North Devon, but had almost died out. The parish council won a £35,000 matching grant through the Countryside Agency's Millennium Green project to pave the way for creating a 2-acre (8,100 m2) orchard as part of a wider Millennium Green project.

All the 2 ft-high saplings were bought from Thornhayes Nursery at Cullompton whose owne,r Kevin Croucher had also grafted the precious mazzard buds onto infant trees. All the mazzards- prunus avium - in varieties Greenstem Black, Black Bottler, Dun Small Black and Hannaford are thriving on the picturesque 6-acre (24,000 m2) green.

Full credit is due to parish council chairman and mazzard advocate Dick Joy who helped to save North Devon's very own cherry from extinction following 80 years of steady decline. He reports every tree is in good health and making tremendous growth.