Braddick's Nonpareil apple
Malus domestica
The only variety in our top 5 best-flavoured apples which is not related to Cox, very strong sharp flavour but underlying sweetness too - tastes like sour honey
Parentage: Unknown
Origin: England
Introduced: 1818
Season: Nov-Feb
Apple cultivar ID: 100700
Braddick's Nonpareil is a relatively unknown but remarkably good English dessert apple. Rated by Hogg in his late 19th century 'The Fruit Manual' as "excellent", it is nevertheless quite a shock to anyone brought up on modern sweet dessert apples. Braddick's Nonpareil hits you with an intense dense sharpness which can be eye-watering when just picked, although it sweetens in storage (and this is a good variety to store for the winter). Crucially however, this sharpness is not simply acidic sourness (as you find in a cooking apple or a Granny Smith), but has a real depth and richness to it which is extremely satisfying. After a few mouthfuls, you start to realise that actually there is a background of sweetness in Braddick's Nonpareil that fills out the sharp tanginess into something that few other sharp-flavoured apples can attain.
The variety was raised by Mr John Braddick in England at the very start of the 19th century, and nothing is known of its origins. Hogg recommends it for espalier training and reports that it crops reliably.
Apple Tree Register
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Discuss Braddick's Nonpareil in our Forums
| 08 Sep 2009 22:59 | Revd Stephen Williams | |
| Bedfordshire Historical Record Society Volume XL (ie 40) Some Bedfordshire Diaries John Salusbury of Leighton Buzzard 1757-1759 p. 55 has the entry in John Salusbury the Leighton Buzzard Justice of the Peace's diary: 3rd November 1757: “Gathered my Nonpareils today, which are very much specked & bad”. Does this early reference help? | ||
| 03 Jul 2009 14:37 | Kate Buckley | |
| On my allotment in Norwich I had an apple tree that was listed as a Braddick's nonpareil and it fits your description. I would also add that it was very late to flower and equally late to harvest and the fruit stored very well. I managed to propagate 2 more trees by grafting and have given one to a friend and have planted the other on my new allotment in Beccles. I felt that it was a superb tree to preserve. | ||
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Apple tree register
The following Braddick's Nonpareil trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree:
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Jeanette Schuler
SAN LEANDRO, CA, United States -
Graham Charles Schofield
NEWMARKET, Sufflok, United Kingdom - See a map of these trees
Do you have a tree of this variety in your garden or orchard? If so please found out more about our Apple Tree Register here and register your apple trees.
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