Scrumptious apple
Malus domestica
A new early-season English dessert apple, with very good flavour.
Parentage: Starkspur Golden Delicious x Discovery
Origin: England
Introduced: Hugh Ermen, 1980
Season: Sept
Apple cultivar ID: 105600
An exceptional modern English early dessert apple, and popular in tasting tests. The flavour is what sets this apple apart from all other early varieties. It's a great example of how growers are once again looking at flavour as the most important characteristic in a good apple.
Scrumptious has the right pedigree, and more than lives up to the expectations set by its parents. It gets its sweetness from Golden Delicious, but there are also the fresh strawberry flavours from Worcester Pearmain and Discovery. The rosy red colouring and white flesh is also typical of Discovery. Whereas Discovery tends to be fairly small, Scrumptious is a bit more substantial and similar in size to a small Golden Delicious. The colours are also more robust, although like any early apple variety the amount of sunlight in the short growing season can significantly affect the extent of the red flush. (Later varieties are more likely to have uniform coloration because the amount of sunshine averages out over the longer ripening period). The occasional flecks of russet are also similar to Discovery.
The flavour is sweet but not sugary - there is a balancing acidity. Although not a hard apple, the flesh snaps cleanly when you bite into it, again rather like a good Golden Delicious. We have also noticed, occasionally, a very slight aniseed flavour. Don't let this put you off, as it is more of a background sensation than an actual flavour, but it is part of the reason why Scrumptious has more depth of flavour than other early varieties. This suggests that there could perhaps be some Ellison's Orange somewhere in the mix. Ellison's Orange has a pronounced aniseed flavour, and is another early apple variety, but with a lot more complexity and richness than the mainstream early varieties.
This is very much a case of the child exceeding its parents: if you like Golden Delicious or are a fan of the popular English earlies like Worcester and Discovery, then you will love Scrumptious. In terms of flavour and instant snack-appeal, it sets a new standard amongst early apples. Being relatively new, and not popular as a commercial variety, it can be difficult to buy Scumptious apples, but it is now widely available from fruit tree nurseries, and is an excellent choice if you want an early apple variety for the garden.
Relationships to other apple varieties
Parents and other ancestors of this variety
- Discovery (parent)
- Golden Delicious (parent)
See also
- Herefordshire Russet - Also developed by Hugh Ermen
- Limelight - Also developed by Hugh Ermen
- Worcester Pearmain
Where to buy apple trees
The following fruit tree nurseries offer Scrumptious apple trees for sale:
-
Keepers Nursery
, Kent, United Kingdom (Deliver nationally)
Available November-March
More supplier details
Where to buy fruit and related products
No fruit suppliers listed for this variety.
Apple tree register
The following Scrumptious trees have been registered - click the name to view more details of each tree:
- 08 Aug 08 Chris Lancashire, UK, United Kingdom
Do you have a tree of this variety in your garden or orchard? If so please register here and contribute to our international register of apple trees.
Variety request
Is your favourite variety not listed here? We are constantly adding new variety details, so please use our contact form to suggest new varieties.
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