Choosing fruit trees that crop regularly and produce fruit of good flavour

Doctor Harvey cooking apple

Here are some preliminary notes on choosing fruit trees that crop regularly and produce fruit of good flavour.
There are different requirements to take in consideration to achieve early and regular cropping:
1) Weather
2) Site
3) Soil
4) Pollination needs
5) Variety characteristics
6) Disease resistance
7) Rootstock
There are no apple varieties which can tick all the boxes. Knowledge of the weather patterns in the various areas of the UK is therefore essential, in order to plant the right varieties. However there are varieties which I would give a treble A rating, when it comes to making up trios of apple varieties. Groups of three varieties are best as several varieties need good cross pollination. Without this, even excellent varieties will still perform. The ones I am going to single out all have fruits of excellent eating or cooking qualities. Secondly these varieties also excel in producing fruits of long keeping qualities.
However the right combination of these varieties needs to be made, according to the site and soil available in the different counties. Having said all this, I would put the following varieties at the top of my list. Anyone considering planting some apples should include at least two of these varieties, suitable to the area where you live.
Dessert apples:
Adams Pearmain
Claygate Pearmain
Lord Lambourne
Suntan
Egremont Russet
Sunset
Braeburn
Fiesta
Cooking apples:
Edward VII
Annie Elisabeth
Lane Prince Albert
Duke of Devonshire
Bramley’s Seedling
Doctor Harvey
Dual purpose apples:
James Grieve
Blenheim Orange
Norfolk Beefing

Kidd’s Orange Red

Kidd’s Orange Red – click here to read the article on our main website

Browse our list of fruit tree varieties

The cooking apple Doctor Harvey

Doctor Harvey – click here to read the article on our main website

Browse our list of fruit tree varieties

The British cooking apple

The value of cooking apples is greatly underestimated. There is no dispute that by and large we do appreciate the specific flavours of the traditional eating apples. There is always a place to be found in the garden, however large or small, for a good eating apple, particularly if it has, apart from a good flavour, good keeping qualities. Due to mass production and the fact that it may have been transported from far and wide, the flavour of supermarket fruit is always suspect. It is good to see that many people have started to plant young fruit trees in their own gardens.

But what about cooking apples? At this time of the year, during all the cold winter months, over the centuries it has been recognized by many chefs and people who love to cook, that the sharpness of a good cooking apple makes a great addition for various dishes, warm or cold, which otherwise would be too sweet on their own. Years gone by, cooking apples were transported from all over the country to London, as their taste and flavour were greatly appreciated by top London restaurants. Take for example Norfolk Beefing, a splendid flavoursome apple: the price paid for these apples was the highest during the winter months. Then there is Dr. Harvey, a long-lasting good winter cooking apple from Suffolk. In fact many counties championed their own cooking apple as the best of the lot. I will be writing about a a fair number of cooking apples, which all are splendid, each in its own way. Of course, Bramley is well known and is in no danger of fading away. However it is a real pity that supermarket culture has led us to believe that a good cooking apple needs to be green. This is way off the mark, as many excellent cooking apples are coloured. Even Bramley! The real Suffolk Bramley has a good deal of colour on its cheeks.

When you think of planting some apple trees in your garden, do give some thought to planting a good cooking apple that keeps well. It will be particularly useful to you during the winter months. I can recommend the following from experience:

Annie Elizabeth
Arthur Turner
Bramley’s Seedling
Bountiful
Dr. Harvey
Dumelow’s Seedling
Edward VII
Howgate Wonder
Lane Prince Albert
Newton Wonder
Norfolk Beefing
Sops in Wine

It is as well to order these varieties in advance, as numbers available are limited.