Echoes of a rural 19th century industry can be found on the North Herefordshire border where Tony and Sue Cox have opened their new enterprise.
At Coombe Corner near Kinsham, the landmark building where parish notices are traditionally pinned up is a familiar sight to passers-by.
For nearly 150 years this former cider barn housed a mill where apples from nearby orchards were crushed and pressed, and though now home to a teashop and gallery, it keeps close links with the past.
Mistletoe House, so named because of rich pickings in the adjoining orchard, rejoices in its rustic history. Beneath the English elm roof timbers, visitors can try a range of speciality leaf teas from bone china cups and indulge in Sue’s home-made food.
Licensed to sell locally produced cider and real ale, Mistletoe House’s proprietors, who both gave up market research to run their new business, have keen plans to use their own apple crop for cider.
“We have 30 cider trees and have never done anything with the apples,” says Tony. “We don’t have the equipment here, but we want to make our own cider.”
This means that trees in the two paddocks at Coombe will once more be harvested as they were for generations; just 30 years ago, farmer Thomas Davies was still working the mill with a donkey and producing homegrown cider. He died in July 1981 and his brother Roger sold the smallholding, bringing to an end a long and busy rural industry at this spot, where water was customarily drawn from the Hindwell Brook at the bottom of the garden to give Coombe Corner cider an extra smack.
“This was a 19th century cider barn which was still working up until 1980 on a smallholding with 30 acres,” Tony said. “The orchard was planted with different blends for the cider, and every apple tree of course has mistletoe, hence the name.”
A single pear tree stands in the orchard: “It was probably for the farmer’s own consumption!” he said.
The couple moved back to the Marches after living in West Wales, and discovered Coombe Corner. “When we saw the cider barn we thought, we could do something with that big room!”
Where old Mr Davies plied his cider craft, visitors can enjoy cream teas, cakes, sandwiches, soup, quiche, homemade bread and scones. The walls will be adorned with artwork - currently they feature etchings by Church Stretton artist Frans Wesselman, and the work of Presteigne artist Adrian Jervis, who specialises in pieces crafted from river driftwood , is also on show at present. In October artist Tony Jalland, also from Presteigne, a former art lecturer at Liverpool University, will be showing work here.
There are also plans to run small workshops at Mistletoe House, and textile artist Sue Lindsay is already booked to come here in March.
On sunny days, there’s an option to sit out in the teashop’s walled garden where the air is filled with birds and the cooings of Tony and Sue’s doves.