Fruit growers have been given the chance to find out whether the apple trees in their back gardens have a direct link to ancient Rome.

The annual Apple Festival, held at Erddig Hall, near Wrexham on Saturday and Sunday, delves into the history of one of Britain's favourite fruits.

The stately home is inviting visitors to bring a home-grown apple along to be identified by experts.

Erddig's own orchards boast more than 100 different varieties.

Apples were first cultivated by the Romans over 2,000 years ago.

"We have a tremendous amount to be grateful to the Romans for," said Erddig's Erin Robinson.

"If it wasn't for them, there wouldn't be any apple pie, apple cobbler, apple fritters, apple cider or even apple butter. Simply expressed, there would be no plump, juicy apples."

When the Romans invaded in 55BC, they brought in their own varieties and also blended them with the then wild British crab apple.

There are now an estimated 6,000 different varieties of the fruit being grown here.