Medlars are one of our ancient British fruits making a come back.

During the middle ages, people would have been very familiar with this strange looking small fruit which is actually eaten in it's over ripe or "bletted" stage.

Common Medlar

No longer in commercial cultivation, old gardens are generally home to the only trees in the UK.  Some of these trees will be about two hundred years old.

Tracklements Ltd. in Wiltshire have launched a delicious new Medlar Jelly. Great with turkey, pheasant or game it is perfect for the Christmas table or the cold cuts' table for left-over meat.

The medlars for this jelly were picked by the kind people int he surrounding area. You can see pictures of the donatees and picking adventures on their facebook page.

Tracklements started a quest to find some of these ancient medlar trees and the option of taking the unused fruit in return for finished product.

BBC Countryfile heard of this project and joined them picking for a day.

Put your fruit to work

We are aware that there are various food producers around the UK who will take in unused fruit from gardens and orchards in return for a quantity of finished product.

It would be handy for producers and growers if we could create a database of people willing to link up and put the country's unused fruit to good use.  If you are interested in joining our list then please contact us via the comments section at the end of this post.

More information

Common Medlar - More information about the Common Medlar

Tracklements Ltd

BBC Countryfile

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.

Originating from Yorkshire, the Cockpit apple was first discovered in 1831.

Cockpit apple

Fruits have coarse flesh with a slight acid and almost astringent flavour.

A famous Yorkshire apple which grows well in Cumbria.

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

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

The Golden Spire apple was reported to have been discovered in 1850 by Richard Smith of Worcester.

Golden Spire apple

Fruits have a dense, crisp flesh with an acidic, astringent flavour.

Uses: Culinary
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Late April to Early May
Picking: Early September
Natural Storage: September - October

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

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

No image available

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 first record of the Edward VII apple was in 1902.  Introduced by Rowe of Worcester in 1908.

Edward VII

The apple received the RHS Award of Merit in 1903.

Fruits have a firm, rather coarse texture, fairly juicy, with an acid flavour.

Reported to be an excellent cooking apple.

Uses: Culinary
Parents: Female -Blenheim Orange?  x Male - Golden Noble?
Flowers: Mid to late May
Picking: Mid October
Natural Storage: December to April

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

The Lancashire Pippin was received by the national fruit trials in 1950, from Westmorland in Northern England.

Lancashire Pippin

Fruits have soft, slightly course flesh with a subacid flavour. Reportedly, this flavour becomes very bland when cooked.

Uses: Culinary
Parents: Unknown
Flowers: Mid to late May
Picking: Mid September
Natural Storage: October

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

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