Apples for Christmas
By Dr. W. E. Shewell-Cooper
Reproduced from Hertfordshire Countryside magazine, December 1973
We can claim to be the best apple growers in the world and to having a very fine collection of varieties, though unfortunately today as the result of the increase in cost, many of these are disappearing. Where, for instance, could I get hold of today the variety Ard Cairn Russet which we used to look upon as a delicious Christmas type. It is probably the best of the russets for dessert purposes, being a small round apple and very delicious at that.
Where today is Ball's Pippin which was the result of a cross between Cox's Orange Pippin. It always reminds me of a Ribston Pippin. If it has a fault it is that it is not an extremely heavy cropper. Yet another which is grand on Christmas Day is Beaumann's Reinette, which comes from Alsace, in France. It has been called a second-class variety, but why, I have no idea, because eaten as it should be after a good Christmas dinner, few others will be found to possess its juicy crispness, while the flesh is beautifully white.
A variety which I have never seen in this country, but which is fairly well known in France is Belle de Pontoise. It is one of those apples which housewives find as useful before Christmas as afterwards. The fruit is quite large, yellow and has a lovely red cheek, while those who like a softish apple will be delighted with this variety because there are so few British apples at Christmas time which have flesh of this texture.
The Blenheim Orange is juicy and sweet and it is pleasantly acid and nutty. It has a fault in that it is absolutely self-sterile and so is not a very reliable cropper and is also easily ruined by scab. Braddick's Nonpareil is a very weak grower indeed and I presume that is the reason why it was used for cordons and espaliers. It produces round apples somewhat flattened at the eye, covered with a dark red flush as a rule; the flesh is yellow, aromatic and sweet. Eat it at Christmas by all means, but it keeps until April.
Nothing has a stronger association with Christmas than mince pies, and I remember a "competition" which was once held to see which was the best variety for this purpose. It was won by Lord Derby, a variety which is normally not considered a late kind at all. For it is ripe as a rule about mid-October. However, most people make their mincemeat fairly early so this kind proves most useful. I like it because it is normally an upright grower and fits nicely into the corner of a small garden and can be relied upon to crop year after year.
Russets were a favourite of my grandfather and I think as a rule, the Victorians did favour such types. The Brownlees' Russet always took some beating in those days. You could recognise it as a rule because it seemed to have a "knob" at the stalk end. Somebody once described the flavour of this variety as brisk and I knew exactly what they meant. One could not think of Christmas without mentioning Christmas Pearmain. There is a lot to be said for this truly Christmas kind which must, however take a second place to the variety my grandfather taught me to love - Cornish Gilliflower. No wonder the National Encyclopaedia in 1875 called it the finest variety of all and said "no other equals it in excellence". It is indeed a lovely fruit for the Christmas table.
I hardly know how to describe it; it may measure up to three inches and is rather narrow and tall in shape. It is a greenish yellow with some russet markings on it, but when you put your teeth into its flesh, you discover how rich it is. Its flavour is sweet with a firm and yellow flesh.
On the Christmas table there could be John Waterer or the Jonathan which is grown in this country occasionally, the King's Acre Pippin or Laxton's Pearmain. Laxton's Triumph is another variety from the famous raiser, while Mabbot's Pearmain might find a place if it is still available. There is the Norfolk Royal, Orleans Reinette (a very sweet apple), Paroquet for its colour, Reinette du Canada, another russet, and Sturmer Pippin, which should be left on the tree until a few days before Christmas to be at its best.
This article was first published in the 'Gardeners' Corner' column of Hertfordshire Countryside magazine, December 1973, under the title 'Delicious British apples, try them at Christmas.
Copyright: Mr R. Shewell-Cooper.
Our thanks to The Good Gardeners Association for assistance with this article.
