Just a few miles from our bakery and café in the Ribble Valley, something special is quietly growing. A patch of countryside where nature is being restored, heritage fruit trees are thriving, and biodiversity is bouncing back. This is our Studio Orchard – and we think it matters now more than ever.
You can read The Story Behind Studio Bakery’s Orchard Project to discover how it all began. But today, we’re sharing why we’re more committed than ever to nurturing this space. Because the UK is facing a biodiversity crisis. Our soils are degrading. And our food systems are increasingly disconnected from nature.
Community orchards like ours aren’t just nice ideas. They’re urgently needed. And they have the power to grow a better, more delicious future.
A Crisis in Bloom: Why Nature Needs Us
The latest State of Nature report paints a sobering picture: one in six species in the UK is at risk of extinction. We’ve lost more than half of our flowering plants. And as a nation, we rank in the bottom 12% globally for biodiversity.
That’s not just bad news for bees. It’s bad news for all of us. Because biodiversity underpins everything, from climate resilience to the food on our plates.
Why Orchards Are Part of the Solution
Since the 1950s, the UK has lost 90% of its traditional orchards. What replaced them? Monoculture crops, concrete, and food imports that travel thousands of miles.
Traditional orchards are so much more than a row of trees. They’re mosaic habitats, full of life. Wildflower meadows underfoot. Hedgerows buzzing with insects. Ancient trunks that become homes for owls, bats and beetles. It’s this patchwork of micro-habitats that makes orchards such biodiversity powerhouses.
So yes, they grow fruit. But they also grow homes, hideouts and hunting grounds for hundreds of species. Including many at risk.
Native Fruits, Local Roots
We plant varieties of UK-native apple, pear, plum and cherry trees – not just because they’re delicious, but because they’re suited to the land. They require fewer inputs, thrive in our soils, and support pollinators adapted to their seasonal rhythms.
What’s more, every piece of fruit that grows here is a step closer to reducing food miles and reconnecting with real, seasonal flavour. It’s fresh. It’s traceable. It’s the opposite of supermarket sameness.
Fancy joining in? If you’ve got a garden, consider planting a native fruit tree. Even a container-grown tree on a patio can feed bees, butterflies, and bellies. Try a Cox’s Orange Pippin, Victoria Plum or a crab apple for pollinators.
Teaching the Next Generation to Grow (and Care)
We didn’t plan to build an outdoor classroom. But over the years, that’s exactly what our orchard has become.
From the very start, our community orchard has welcomed volunteers from across the Ribble Valley – families, nature lovers, retired gardeners, and schoolchildren. Local pupils don’t just visit. They plant, prune, and care for the trees. They learn how food really grows.
In an age where many kids don’t know what season strawberries grow in, that knowledge is powerful. It’s nourishing, in every sense of the word.
If you’re interested in similar projects, initiatives like Open Farm Sunday and Countryside Classroom are doing brilliant work to reconnect children with nature and food.
Be Part of the Solution
From biodiversity loss to climate change, the challenges are big. But so are the opportunities to make a difference.
Whether you dig, bake, or simply eat, you’re part of something bigger when you support Studio Bakery. Your slice of cake helps plant trees, feed pollinators, and teach children about where food really comes from.
Curious to learn more? We encourage you to explore the important work of Rewilding Britain, PTES, and the Woodland Trust. They’re doing incredible things to protect and restore habitats across the UK.
Whether you dig, bake or simply eat, you’re part of something bigger. Let’s grow something wild, together.
