The Duke of Devonshire apple was raised in 1835 by Wilson, gardener to the Duke of Devonshire at Holker Hall, Cumbria.

Duke of Devonshire apple

Introduced around 1875, the fruits have a firm, fine texture with rather dry flesh and a slightly nutty flavour.

Uses: Desert
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Early to Mid May
Picking: Early October
Natural Storage: January - March

The Duke of Devonshire apple can be found growing in the orchards of Acorn Bank House, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.

Young trees are available from Adam's Apples, in Devon.

The Carlisle Codlin apple is thought to have originated in Carlisle in Cumbria and records show evidence of it's presence before 1830.

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Fruits have a rather soft and slightly coarse textured flesh, juicy and mildly acidic. The skin is very smooth and shiny when ripe.

Cultivation of this apple is probably only of local heritage interest, it does not have a good flavour and its very upright habit, makes picking of the fruit difficult.

Uses: Desert
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Early May
Picking: Late September
Natural Storage: October - December

The Carlisle Codlin apple can be found growing in the orchards of Acorn Bank House, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.

The triploid apple, Blenheim Orange was discvoered by Mr Kempster at Woodstock near Blenheim, England around 1740.

Blenheim Orange

Distribution of the apple did not start until 1818 and it received the Banksian Medal in 1822.

Fruits have a creamy white, somewhat course texture with rather dry flesh.  It has a rich sweet, nutty, aromatic flavour.

Said to be good with cheese and for making Apple Charlotte.

Uses: Desert
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Early to Mid May
Picking: Late September
Natural Storage: October - December

The Blenheim Orange apple can be found growing in the orchards of Acorn Bank House, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.

Young trees are available from Adam's Apples, in Devon.

The Ribston Pippin was raised at Ribston Hall in Yorkshire, England, from seed brought from Rouen in France.  It is thought to have been planted around 1707, receiving it's first RHS Award of Merit in 1962.

Ribston Pippin

Fruits have a red/yellow flush and the flesh a fine, firm, crisp texture which is juicy with a rich, sweet aromatic flavour.

Uses: Desert
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Early to Mid May
Picking: Late September
Natural Storage: October - January

The Ribston Pippin apple can be found growing in the orchards of Acorn Bank House, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.
Young trees available from Adams Apples

The Scotch Bridget Apple also known as White Calville, originated in Scotland in 1851.

Scotch Bridget

A culinary apple commonly found in Cumbrian farm orchards, it will produce regularly and crops fairly heavily in Northern Locations.

The fruits have tender, soft flesh, flushed with red.  It has a subacid rich flavour and will not fall when cooked.

When kept until December, the fruit ripens to become a desert apple.

Uses: Culinary
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Mid May
Picking: October
Natural Storage: October - December

The Scotch Bridget apple can be found growing in the orchards of Acorn Bank House, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.
Young trees available from Adams Apples

The Egremont Russet apple is a classic English Victorian variety, originating in England in 1872.  Believed to have been raised by the Earl of Egremont in Petworth, Sussex, England.

Egremont Russet

This medium sized desert apple has a dull golden skin flecked with yellow and is the third most common apple in cultivation in England and Wales.

The flesh of the Egremont Russet is quite dry but juicy with a  sharp-sweet, delicately "nutty" flavour. The flesh becomes drier with keeping.

Uses: Desert
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Mid May
Picking: October
Natural Storage: October to December.

The Egremont Russet can be found growing in the orchards of Acorn Bank House, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.
Young trees available from Adams Apples

Kidd's Orange Red is a classic English apple. Named after an amateur New Zealand apple breeder, J.H. Kidd, in the 1920s.

Kidd's Orange Red

The thin skin is yellow with a pink blush as it ripens, turning to an orange-red flush by the time it is ready for picking. Irregular light patches of russet can give it a marbled appearance.

Flesh is a cream colour, dense and firm with a sweet honey flavour.

A good garden apple but not a heavy cropper.

Uses: Desert
Parents: Cox's Orange Pippin x Red Delicious
Flowers: Mid May
Picking: October
Natural Storage: Nov-Jan

The Norfolk Beefing or Norfolk Biffin apple was raised in Norfolk, England and first recorded in 1807.

Norfolk Beefing (Biffin) apple

Fruits are very firm, round and slightly flat, about 5cms across and about 4 cms  high with a course, juicy texture. The skin is yellow-green, but with brown-purple and dark red streaks.

Inside, the crisp flesh has a green tint, acidic with a hint of cinnamon.

The apples store well, getting sweeter with keeping, and are even sweet enough to use as desert apples by March the following year. A good cooking and drying apple.

With keeping, they turn a deeper brown or maroon colour, with harder, more solid flesh.

These apples were popular with Norwich bakers and were sent to London fruiterers as a delicacy. They were also used for cider making

It is best cooked whole in a very slow (bread) oven for over 4 - 5 hours.

Uses: Culinary
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Mid May
Picking: Mid October
Natural Storage: December - April

Where to find the Norfolk Beefing apple: Acorn Bank, Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.

Raised in 1907 by Laxton Bros. Ltd, Bedford, England and introduced by them in 1923.

Lord Lambourne Apple

Received the Bunyard Cup from The Royal Horticultural Society in 1921 and an Award of Merit in 1923.

Fruits have a slightly course texture with bright striped skins.  They are juicy, moderately sweet and armoaic with a hint of strawberry.

A good garden apple but no longer commercially grown because the waxy skins clog mechanical grinders.

Uses: Desert
Parents: Female - James Grieve,  Male - Worcester Pearmain
Flowers: Early to mid May
Picking: Mid September
Natural Storage: September to November