Kidd's Orange Red is named after J.H. Kidd, an amateur New Zealand apple breeder, working in the 1920s. Kidd might have been living in the New World, but he was clearly a fan of the complex aromatic flavours of the "English" style of apple. Like many before and since, he experimented with crossing Cox's Orange Pippin, the temperamental but definitive English apple variety. In Kidd's Orange Red he achieved that something special which marks the great from the ordinary, and set a benchmark that has rarely been matched - this is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding "English" style apples available.

The skin colour is yellow but with an extensive orange-red flush. The irregular light patches of russet give it a strongly marbled appearance - more interesting to look at than the super-smooth glossy red skins of the more modern varieties. As it ripens Kidd's Orange Red sometimes has a distinctive pink blush, but by the time it is ready to pick this has usually disappeared. The shape is slightly flattened.

The visual appeal is matched by the taste. The skin is thin and the flesh is a light yellow-cream colour, and quite dense. It bites cleanly, but is firm rather than crunchy. The flavour is sweet and honeyed, considerably sweeter than Cox's Orange Pippin. The aromatic complexity of its parent is still there, but rich sweetness is the predominant impression. Like many "English" style apples it is also pleasantly chewy, and each bite seems to release yet more juice and flavour. It's in some ways reminiscent of a good French dessert wine - sweet, but with a good kick to it.

Kidd's Orange Red's other parent is Delicious (see Red Delicious), a seedling variety found in the USA in the 1870s (not to be confused with Golden Delicious). Although less well known today, at the time Kidd was working it was a widely-planted variety, and therefore a natural choice for experimentation. This is where Kidd's Orange Red gets its sweetness from.

Kidd's Orange Red is a late season variety, available around mid-October in the northern hemisphere. It is best eaten before the New Year - not that we ever make them last that long !

So there you have it: a superb looking apple in the classic English style, with the flavour to match. Undoubtedly one of the world's great apple varieties.

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