The loveFOOD guide to... apples
Green, red, sharp or sweet, there’s an apple for every occasion in our handy guide.
The British apple season runs from mid summer, right through winter to late spring. When British varieties aren’t available (and even sometimes when they are) supermarkets import apples from the Southern hemisphere with South Africa and New Zealand prominent producers. If you want to make sure you’re buying British, there’s an app that lets you enter the unique number on each variety (which you'll find on its sticker) and find out more about it.
Did you know that there are over 1,000 varieties of British apple? This video from Borough Market's Apple Day shows just a few of them.
Windfall
Windfall apples, as the name suggests, are cooking apples that have fallen from the tree. They may not be quite ready to eat, or perhaps have got damaged on the ground. Even so, if you can get your hands on them there’s still plenty of cooking you can do, from making chutney to pies and even cider!
Bramley
The most well known and iconic of cooking apples, raised from a pip in 1809, the Bramley has a fascinating history and is truly an iconic British variety. Practically inedible raw, it really comes into its own when cooked – it is the key to making a really good apple crumble. You can also use it in savoury recipes.
Cox
Widely regarded as the best eating apple, it has the perfect balance of sweet and sharpness. Try pairing with a good blue cheese and some bread for a classic ploughman’s lunch. Best when pulled straight off the tree, but if that’s not possible, eat as soon as possible. Can be used in cooking too, both raw in coleslaws, and cooked in puddings. Available from late September until early April.
Egremont Russet
Russet apples have a matte rather than shiny skin and a rougher texture. They’re often an olive green to light brown in colour, and are said to have a more nutty flavour than other dessert apples. Egremont Russet is perhaps the most well-known variety, and its juice is particularly good.
The Hairy Bikers' roast belly of pork
Other interesting British apple varieties
Worcester Pearmain: a wonderful early season apple ready in late September. Doesn’t keep for long so eat quick.
D'Arcy Spice apple: an old variety of cooking apple from Essex, notable for its almost spicy taste.
International apples available in the UK
Golden Delicious: often imported as the UK climate isn’t warm enough for this variety to develop (though there are some growers who produce a small amount). It has little in the way of flavour, but is uniform in size and stores well, hence its popularity with the supermarkets.
Rooibos tea custard with caramelised apple recipe
Jazz: developed in New Zealand in the 1980s, this tasty variety bucks the trend of ‘modern’ varieties having little or no flavour.
Granny Smiths: discovered on an Australian compost heap in the 1860s! Has a very acidic flavour, and is great frozen then blitzed to make an instant apple sauce.
Pink Lady: grown in conditions where the fruit is exposed to the maximum amount of sunlight. Stays on the tree for longer than most other varieties, so it develops a very sweet flavour and crunch.
Lovefood meets… a Pink Lady apple farmer
More apple recipes
Baked apples with Champagne truffles and mincemeat recipe
Rachel Allen's apple and raisin honey squares recipe
Apple and cider pudding recipe
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