Golden Noble is a well-known English cooking apple, originating in the early 19th century. It was discovered by the gardener of Sir Thomas Harr of Stowe Hall in Norfolk, who obtained a cutting from a tree in a nearby orchard. Sir Thomas presented it to the Horticultural Society of London in 1820. It soon established itself as a popular culinary apple.
Golden Noble remains a popular garden apple in the UK to this day. It has several excellent qualities and deserves consideration if you are looking for a more interesting alternative to Bramley's Seedling. It produces attractive blossom, and the tree generally grows in neat and tidy fashion (unlike Bramley) making it a good choice as a feature tree for the garden. It also bears fruit early in its life. In the kitchen it cooks down to a puree with, for a cooker, a relatively sweet flavour which holds up well in cooking.
Golden Noble therefore has all the attributes of a good cooking apple - at least in English eyes. It has not had much success outside the UK, probably because in Europe and North America there is a preference for apples which keep their shape - what the English regard as a puree the Americans see as a mush.
