12 Litre Cast Iron Cross Beam Press - 91303

12 Litre Press in use - removing pressed pulp

What’s in the box? A 12 litre cross beam press made from durable cast iron, full instructions, a tub of lubricating grease and a starter juice and cider making guide.

Our most popular press by far: The 12 litre cross beam is the perfect balance between the impeccable quality of our hand built range and the value of our hobby range.

Uncompromising quality – Built to last a lifetime, from the finest materials: cast iron for the base and cross beam, sustainably sourced beech wood for the cage and pressure plate, and 304 grade stainless steel for the press mechanism.

Each one is built by hand and delivered to you fully assembled and ready to go!

The cross beam gives added utility, particularly when pressing alone. It allows you to swing the press mechanism off to the side so you can sit your crusher on the basket and mill fruit directly into it.

The pressing plate applies gentle but consistent pressure, extracting juice and preserving the maximum amount of flavour and nutrients possible.

All our presses come with a comprehensive 2 year warranty against faulty workmanship. Should any part of the press fail during normal use then just let us know and we’ll repair or replace it for you with no questions asked.

Price: £260.00

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Swing the cross beam off the press. Line the press cage with a straining bag (optional; available separately) overlapping the side of the press. If using Crusher A or the Economy Crusher (available separately) to mill the apples, locate the crusher on top, mill the apples directly into the press until it is brimful, and remove the crusher. If using the Pulpmaster to mill your apples, swing the cross beam off the press and fill the press cage with crushed fruit.

Fold the edges of the press bag to cover the pomace making a parcel. Swing the pressure plate over the press cage and crushed fruit and use the butterfly nut to secure in place. Turn the pressing bar, which will steadily lower the pressure plate. The juice will soon flow down through the press staves into the plate gully, ready for collection. Collect the juice in a food-grade bucket, ready for freezing, pasteurisation or irresistible instant drinking.

Easy to clean, simply hose down with fresh water after use and dry with a clean cloth. Lubricate the non-food contact metal parts with food grade grease; this will also inhibit corrosion of these parts. Store in a clean, dry place.

Cast iron cross beam with threaded spindle and seasoned beech press plate attached – swing away to place a crusher on top.
Robust cast iron base plate with lip supported on strong cast iron legs ensures stability of the press when the crossbeam swings to one side.
Cast iron legs can be bolted to a table
Tough British made food-grade polyester coating
The press cage holds 11 kg (24 lbs) of crushed fruit.
Press cage made from sustainable beech staves girded by iron hoops
Basic Cider & Juice Making booklet by Alex Hill
A free tub of food grade grease is supplied with this press
Height: 57cm / 22½ "
Cage diameter: 28cm / 11"
Overall diameter: 43cm / 17"
Weight: 32 kg / 70½ lbs

Featured in the ‘On Test – Preserving’ article in Grow Your Own magazine, September 2013 issue by Dave Finkle: "It won’t break! Very well constructed and built. Ideal in size, it suits the average producer, but it will happily cope with larger groups or allotment associations, too. Requiring minimal maintenance the press would last you a life time… Although the price may at first feel steep, remember you are going to get a lot of service out of it. My friend hires hers out and the income covers all of her allotment running costs." Click here to read Dave Finkle’s full article in Grow Your Own magazine, where he tried and tested some of our other preserving products!

Andrew Blackford wrote in The Kitchen Garden: "The pulped apples are then placed into the cage of the press. With this press, also from Vigo, there's no need to bother with special pressing cloths, although liner bags can be supplied. Almost as soon as you start turning the handle, the juice begins to flow, trickling out from the base of the oak slats, running into the channel at the base of the press and finally becoming a mini torrent of liquid gold as it pours out the spout into whatever collecting vessel you have placed below. If you’ve never pressed apples before, you’d never believe they could surrender so much juice: 50 per cent or more of their weight if you are lucky ... This juice was an education: its colour, a deep brown, was far darker than the stuff bought in cartons and its scrumptious, full bodied flavour put the commercial offerings in the shade, too. Our home-pressed product was far “apple-ier”, we agreed. Resisting the temptation to enjoy it as juice, we risked all on our cider-making enterprise ... So what does it taste like? Robust, challenging, but decidedly drinkable."

Duff Hart-Davis wrote in the Independent: "The arrival, via Father Christmas, of juice-pressing equipment has given our household a new dimension. At first I looked askance at the sturdy little press, like a barrel, with its green enamelled iron and upright oak staves set slightly apart. The device was made in Hungary and seemed rather primitive, the sort of thing that peasants use: was there not some more modern electrically driven equivalent? My reservations proved ill-founded, for the press not only works beautifully but is great fun to operate. Over the New Year we collected up a few cider apples which had got left in the grass beneath the trees, gave them a perfunctory wash and fed them into the grinder [ Classic Crusher A ] which sits on the top of the press. After a minute or two the juice began to ooze out between the slats, and suddenly, with a couple more turns of the screw a rush of it burst out all around, running down into the collecting channel at the bottom and out into the waiting bucket. It was perfectly delicious, its almost overpowering sweetness tempered by a fresh natural edge such as one never finds in commercial products. The first production did not last long. It was so good that we showed off by offering it to guests, who downed it by the pint..."

Featured in ‘Going for gold’ article in Organic Gardening magazine by Ann Somerset Miles: ”…the crushed pulp drops directly into the press, saving much sticky handling.” [When using with the Classic Crusher A]. Click here to read Ann’s full article in Organic Gardening which also features some of our other products.

David's feedback, September: "The item itself looks to be a superb piece of equipment and (as an ex-engineering designer) I am very pleased with it. I just want to thank you for ... an excellent piece of kit."

Eddie's feedback, July: "...the press appears to be of very good quality. I look forward to using it when the apples are ready."