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Our apple descriptions

Click the apple image or name to view more details of each apple variety:

	Adams Pearmain apple Classic Victorian 'pearmain' shape apple with a nutty sweet flavour.
	Alkmene apple A very attractive early Cox-style apple, slightly sharper than Cox, sometimes known as Early Windsor.
	Allington Pippin apple A versatile English apple, useful for cooking and eating.
	Annie Elizabeth apple A popular English culinary apple, which keeps its shape when cooked.
	Ariane apple A good modern French apple variety.
	Arkansas Black apple A long-keeping tart apple from Arkansas, USA - which goes almost black in storage.
	Ashmeads Kernel apple Very old, drab appearance belies unique peardrop flavour
	Baldwin apple A very popular old American apple variety, widely grown for culinary use, and a good keeper.
	Barnack Beauty apple An attractive old English cooking apple.
	Baumann's Reinette apple Sharp/sweet flavour but fairly bland, quite chewy - looks better than it tastes
	Beauty of Hampshire apple An attractive 19th century dessert apple, possibly related to Blenheim Orange
	Belle de Boskoop apple A popular old dual-purpose apple from the Netherlands.
	Bismarck apple Cooks to golden yellow puree
	Blenheim Orange apple An 18th century English dual-purpose apple which remains very popular as a garden variety.
	Bountiful apple An easy-to-grow cooking apple, retains shape when cooked, fairly sweet for a cooker. Unusually for a cooking apple, it is quite modern - introduced by East Malling Research Station in the 1960s.
	Braddick's Nonpareil apple 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
	Braeburn apple A popular "supermarket" apple with a good flavour.
	Bramley (Bramley's Seedling) apple The definitive English cooking apple.
	Bushey Grove apple Sharp acidic cooker, very juicy
	Calville Blanc d'Hiver apple Ancient French cooker, keeps shape, good choice for tarte aux pommes
	Cameo apple A modern sweet variety, reminscent of Red Delicious.
	Catshead apple An ancient English apple, cooks to sharp firm puree.
	Charles Ross apple Handsome, juicy, versatile English classic - good for old-fashioned English cooking.
	Chivers Delight apple Delightful, easy-going apple, sweet, juicy, crunchy - and some aromatic qualities
	Christmas Pearmain apple Nice apple flavour, sweet but with refreshing sharpness, firm rather than crunchy
	Cockpit Improved apple A Yorkshire cooker, cooks to a sweet puree. An improved version of the original Cockpit.
	Coeur de Boeuf apple Another ancient French cooker, cooks to lemon coloured sweet puree
	Cornish Aromatic apple Old-fashioned variety from Cornwall, some pineapple flavours, very enjoyable
	Cortland apple One of the more successful McIntosh offspring, but with all the usual characteristics, including the sweet vinous flavour.
	Court Pendu Plat apple Ancient French dessert variety, rich intense unique flavour
	Cox's Orange Pippin apple Is this the best-flavored dessert apple ever - probably.
	Crispin (Mutsu) apple A versatile dual-purpose apple, sharp but still pleasant to eat fresh.
	Cybele apple Superb new variety from France - sweet, crisp, juicy - one of the best mid-season varieties
	Dawn apple A good-looking dessert variety, fairly sharp flavour
	Decio apple Probably the oldest variety in existence, thought to date back to Roman times
	Delicious (Red Delicious) apple A very popular American apple, often known as Red Delicious because of its bright red colour.
	Diamond Jubilee apple Sharp puree, crisp juicy dessert later in season
	Discovery apple A popular English early apple variety, and a good choice for the garden.
	Dumelow's Seedling apple Cooks to strong pale puree, a top Victorian culinary variety
	Egremont Russet apple The definitive English russet apple.
	Ellisons Orange apple One of the best offspring of Cox's Orange Pippin, with a distinct aniseed flavor.
	Elstar apple One of the best Golden Delicious offspring
	Elton Beauty apple An attractive early-season English apple, related to James Grieve.
	Empire apple One of the best McIntosh-style apples
	Esopus Spitzenberg apple One of the great American apple varieties, rumoured to be Thomas Jefferson's favourite apple. Noted for its spicy flavour, and for its susceptibility to any and every disease afflicting apples.
	Estivale apple A very good early/mid-season apple from France.
	Falstaff apple Popular garden apple tree, very heavy crops, easy to grow, very juicy.
	Fameuse apple Also known as the Snow Apple of Quebec, from plantings in early French settlements in Quebec. The tree is very winter hardy. Likely to be the ancestor of McIntosh.
	Fiesta (Red Pippin) apple One of the best Cox-style apples, and much easier to grow. Often marketed as Red Pippin.
	Filippa apple Considered one of the best seedlings of Gravenstein.
	Forfar apple Versatile cooker, recommended for apple charlotte
	Fortune (Laxton's Fortune) apple One of a number of new varieties developed by the Laxton Brothers Nursery in the UK in the early 1900s. It is a popular garden variety in the UK, but a noted biennial bearer. It is often referred to as Laxton's Fortune. (Do not confuse with the 1995 variety of the same name released by Cornell, a cross of Empire and Schoharie Spy).
	Foster's Seedling apple A surprisingly good-looking Victorian cooking apple, which cooks to a very sharp puree
	Freyberg apple The sweetness of Golden Delicious married to strong flavour of Cox - but takes after Golden Delicious. Also known as Freyburg.
	Fuji apple A very attractive modern apple, crisp, sweet-flavoured, and keeps well.
	Gala apple One of the most widely-grown apple varieties, with a sweet pleasant albeit not outstanding flavour, and good keeping qualities.
	Gascoyne's Scarlet apple Produces a pink juice
	Gavin apple Early attempt to breed a scab-resistant dessert apple, surprisingly good sweet/sharp flavour - an under-rated apple
	Golden Delicious apple Undoubtedly one of the most important apple varieties of the 20th century, both as a commercial variety in its own right, and as breeding stock for many other varieties. Has a poor reputation amongst apple enthusiasts, but is actually surprisingly good when eaten straight from the tree.
	Golden Reinette apple A very old variety, popular in 18th and 19th centuries, a pleasant mild dry flavour.
	Golden Spire apple Cooks to yellow puree, also used for cider
	Granny Smith apple The most instantly-recognised of all apples, and perhaps Australia's most famous export.
	Gravenstein apple A good quality dessert apple. People who like it tend to REALLY like it!
	Greensleeves apple A good garden apple, with a pleasant but unexceptional flavour.
	Grenadier apple If you want an early-season English cooking apple, this is the one - good flavour for all sorts of culinary uses, very easy to grow, and crops well.
	Grimes Golden apple Great historical interest as the probable parent of Golden Delicious, with similar sweet flavour and good keeping qualities, and widely planted during early 20th century.
	Herefordshire Russet apple A modern russet with an excellent strong Cox-like flavour, could displace Egremont Russet
	Holstein apple Noted for its excellent orange-yellow juice, fairly soft, slight pineapple flavour
	Honeycrisp apple A crisp, and predomoninantly sweet, modern variety from the USA.
	Howgate Wonder apple Very large cooker, not great flavour when cooked but excellent sharp juice
	Idared apple A fairly bland apple, popular in Europe and notable for its very long keeping qualities.
	Ingrid Marie apple A Cox-style apple from Denmark, quite popular in northern Europe.
	James Grieve apple A versatile cooking apple, excellent for juice, and widely used in breeding programmes.
	Jazz apple A premium supermarket variety with an excellent rich flavor.
	Jester apple An attractive unpretentious apple, crisp and refreshing, nice flavour but rather bland.
	John Apple apple Soft sweet, slightly chewy
	Jonagold apple Very popular commercial variety
	Jonathan apple A classic American variety, and widely regarded as one of the best flavoured with a good sweet/sharp balance. A precocious and productive tree in US apple-growing regions.
	Jupiter apple One of the best Cox-style varieties, slightly more robust flavour than Cox
	Kanzi apple A great modern dessert variety, derived from Braeburn.
	Karmijn de Sonnaville apple A Cox-style apple from the Netherlands, very attractive autumnal colours
	Katy apple A very attractive and easy-to-grow early apple variety from Sweden.
	Kentish fillbasket apple A 19th century English cooker, "first rate quality" according to Hogg, and as the name suggests, a very large apple
	Keswick Codlin apple An old but ever-popular mid-season English cooking apple.
	Kidd's Orange Red apple In our top 3 for flavour, one of the best Cox-style apples, and adds some of the scented flavour of Delicious, and a good apple for the gardener.
	King of the Pippins apple Also known as Reine de Reinettes, sharp, firm, fairly juicy - a good all-round apple
	King of Tomkins County apple An ancient American variety from New Jersery. The fruit is very large, and keeps well.
	Laxton's Superb apple The definitive late Victorian dessert apple, firm, Cox-style but sweeter, understated but very "more-ish".
	Liberty apple Sounds like an heirloom variety, but actually a modern American apple variety, developed specifically for disease resistance. Derived from Macoun, it is very much a McIntosh-style apple, with red skin and juicy flesh. Being grown quite widely in the eastern US, and being promoted as a good variety for the backyard grower too.
	Limelight apple Developed by UK apple breeder H. Ermen, based on the Greensleeves apple from East Malling Research Station.
	Lobo apple A McIntosh-style apple from Canada, generally believed to be better all-round than its parent.
	Lord Lambourne apple Popular garden variety, many uses, good balance of sweet and sharp
	Macoun apple Another McIntosh style apple variety from the famous Geneva Research Station, and considered one of the better ones. Like many McIntosh offspring, the fruit can be small unless heavily thinned.
	Maltster apple A 19th century dual-purpose variety, with a very modern red-streaked appearance
	Margil apple A very old variety, with a good flavour.
	McIntosh apple A crisp red apple with bright white flesh and refreshing sweet flavor.
	Meridian apple An attractive well-flavoured modern English apple, difficult to detect the Cox parentage though.
	Monarch apple Cooks to juicy puree, not as sharp as Bramley
	Morgan Sweet apple An old cider apple variety, popular in the "west country" of the UK, and sweet enough to eat fresh.
	Mother (American Mother) apple An old Massachusetts apple variety rated for its flavor.
	Newton Wonder apple A 19th century English cooking apple, still popular as a UK garden apple variety.
	Newtown Pippin apple Made famous by none other than Thomas Jefferson, who grew them in his orchard at Monticello. One of the first US apple exports to the UK. Sometimes known as Albemarle Pippins. Not an attractive apple, but has an aromatic flavour. The well-known Yellow Newtown Pippin is a close relative.
	Nonnetit Bastard apple An attractive late-season quality dessert apple from Denmark.
	Norfolk Beauty apple Cooks to creamy puree, little sugar needed, slight lemon flavour
	Norfolk Royal apple A sweet old-fashioned apple, with a delicate melon flavour - very likeable
	Norfolk Royal Russet apple A superb sweet-flavoured russet style apple.
	Northern Greening apple Popular 19th century small cooker
	Northern Spy apple A widely grown American heirloom apple variety. The fruit is late ripening and stores well. The variety has been used as a rootstock for other varieties, although it is not particularly easy to grow. A very "old-fashioned" variety which retains its popularity.
	Nuvar® Golden Hills apple A sweet juicy modern mid-season variety, based on Greensleeves but perhaps a bit sweeter. Colour is yellower than Greensleeves and sometimes has a pink tinge to it.
	Opalescent apple A popular large New England apple, sweet, crunchy, juicy, hint of strawberries - a well-flavoured apple.
	Orkney apple An attractive old apple, probably from Scotland
	Orleans Reinette apple Possibly a very good apple, widely recommended, but we have not found a good example yet!
	Pink Lady apple One of the best-known modern apple varieties - and one of the most popular pages on this website.
	Pixie apple A popular garden variety, and a very good Cox substitute, quite sharp flavour
	Pott's Seedling apple Probably the parent of James Grieve, popular 19th century cooker
	Rajka apple A modern variety from the Czech Republic, bred specifically for disease resistance.
	Red Sauce apple As the name suggests, notable for its pink-stained flesh and resulting pink juice.
	Red Windsor apple A red sport of Alkemene, with the same strong Cox-style flavour, but with a distinctly different appearance. Also known as Sweet Lilibet.
	Rhode Island Greening apple One of the oldest American varieties, known since the 1650s, and widely planted in the USA. Its main use is in cooking.
	Ribston Pippin apple Famous Yorkshire apple variety, probably the parent of Cox's Orange Pippin.
	Rome Beauty apple Am extremely attractive red cooking apple, looks far better than it tastes. However a good cooking variety, retains shape when cooked. One of the few heirloom US varieties that is now widely-grown outside the USA - it can be found in many of the warmer apple-growing regions. Unlike most varieties, it has a very low chilling requirement which means it can be grown in areas which do not have cold winters.
	Rubens apple A dry and fairly soft apple with a noticeable hint of bananas, and a very attractive old-fashioned appearance.
	Rubinette apple In our top 3 for flavour, we think it has the best sweet/sharp balance of any apple - very difficult to grow though.
	Santana apple A modern apple from the Netherlands, with a pleasant vinous flavour and bred specifically for reduced levels of proteins which can cause allergic reactions for some people.
	Saturn apple An excellent modern English variety
	Scrumptious apple A new early-season English dessert apple, with very good flavour.
	Shenandoah apple Quite similar to its parent Opalescent, and a pleasant sweet apple in its own right
	Sonya apple A very new apple variety, but already popular with fans of sweeter apples - and one of the most popular pages on this website.
	Spartan apple Attractive, crunchy, sweet, easy to grow, and with the characteristic delicate wine-like "vinous" flavor of the McIntosh family of apples - but flavour fades rapidly in storage so definitely best eaten straight from the tree.
	Splendour apple A popular commercial apple variety in New Zealand.
	Starkrimson apple Crisp, dense flesh, very sweet, quite juicy - a Delicious-style apple
	Sunrise apple One of the best early apple varieties, ripening in the UK in late August.
	Sunset apple Popular garden alternative to Cox, easier to grow, and has a similar flavour albeit lacking some of the depth.
	Tentation apple Another modern take on Golden Delicious, often with an attractive orange flush.
	Topaz apple One of the best modern disease-resistant varieties, fairly sharp flavour
	Tydeman's Late Orange apple A popular Cox-style apple, with a later season and sharper flavour.
	Upton Pyne apple Cooks to puree with slight pineapple flavour
	Vista Bella apple A very-early season dessert apple.
	Winesap apple Often known as Virginia Winesaps, a tart small apple, and like many US heirloom varieties, keeps well in store.
	Winston apple A Cox-style apple, easy to grow.
	Winter Banana apple Named for the alleged banana-like flavour.
	Winter Wonder apple A modern English variety, developed as a "traditional" English apple.
	Wolf River apple Named after the place where it was found. Notable for its very large size, primarily used for cooking. The tree is exceptionally cold hardy and disease resistant.
	Worcester Pearmain apple A popular early-season English apple, sometimes with a strawberry flavour. Often used in breeding programmes to develop other early varieties.
	Yellow Ingestrie apple An attractive old yellow apple, with quite a strong apple flavour
	Zabergau Reinette apple German russet-style apple, but sharper than Egremont Russet, tastes of nettles when straight from the tree

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