Three Counties

Sep 08 2011

Over 365 varieties of cider apples grown in UK

Over 29 new varieties of cider apple have been created following a selection and propagation process that started in 1984. With many being harvested for the first time this year.

Over 365 cidre apples are grown in the UK. - credit NACM

The new apple varieties have in the main been given female names – Lizzy, Amelia, Amanda, Jenny, Hastings, Connie, Helen’s Apple, Jane, Tina, Vicky, Naomi, Nicky, Angela, Gilly, Willy, Joanna, Maggie, Hannah, Jean, Sally, Fiona, Tracey, Eleni, Betty and Debbie.

Royal connections

There is a royal connection with the naming of another as Prince William and three other varieties Three Counties, Shamrock and Early Bird make up the new batch.

The final apple selection was made in 2007 and a first crop is being harvested in 2011 to join the existing 365 varieties already grown in the UK.

It can take up to five years for new orchards to produce apples and it is typically ten years before the grower will breakeven following the investment to plant a new orchard.

Over two million new cider apple trees were planted between 1995 and 2006.

New apple varieties

Many of the new varieties of apple have taken 25 years to breed .

[pullquote]Harvest is an important and exciting time but even more so given the time and effort invested to produce new varieties.
Liz Copas, consultant pomologist to the NACM [/pullquote]

The long-term project is being managed by NACM as part of ongoing research to improve the quality of apples available to cider makers.

Working on the project throughout has been Liz Copas, consultant pomologist to the NACM and a leading authority on cider apples.

One new variety has even been named ‘Lizzy’ after her.

She said: ”Harvest is an important and exciting time but even more so given the time and effort invested to produce new varieties.

”We hope to prove that the new fruit offers growers and cider makers the best combination of juice quality and high yields whilst requiring limited intervention during the growing season.”

Cider apples differ from culinary and dessert fruit as the cider maker is interested in what flavours are present in the apple juice to be able to produce a range of styles of cider are possible.

The hundreds of varieties of apples each offer different levels of tannin, acidity, astringency and natural sweetness – all the components that combine to produce the flavours and character in cider, just as in wine.

Early harvest

Britain’s cider harvest gets underway a month earlier than usual in 2011 due to the warm spring weather, and growers are expecting a bumper crop.

Over 200,000 tonnes of apples will be picked within the next ten weeks.

Nearly half of all apples grown in the UK are used to make cider and many thousands of acres of new orchards have been planted in the last 15 years to keep pace with the increasing demand for the drink.

Gabe Cook, spokesman for the National Association of Cider Makers (NACM), said: ” An early harvest is an encouraging sign for the industry.

”The harvest has started earlier but then we saw an early blossom in spring.

”We are expecting a good harvest and we are especially pleased to see new orchards being harvested after the investment in planting”

Around 10 million hectolitres, or 1.76 billion pints, of cider are enjoyed by UK consumers every year according to the NACM.

Sep 27 2009

Perry Pear – Blakeney Red

The Blakeney Red Perry Pear is named after the village of Blakeney in the Forest of Dean. Also known as Red Pear, Circus Pear, Painted Lady, Painted Pear .

Known to have been in existence in 1600, some trees are over 300 years old and it is now the most common perry pear in the Gloucestershire and Herefordshire region.

The Blakeney Red is a greenish yellow perry pear with a red flush on the sunny side, an old favourite which was even considered a desert pear in the 1600’s. which could also be stewed and used to dye soldiers’ khaki uniforms.

This popular pear is renowned for perry making and is considered one of the best single perry varieties.

Many Cider companies still rely on this pear to produce quality cider.

A statuesque specimen can be found in the Acorn Bank Orchards at Temple Sowerby, Cumbria.

Perry Pear - Balkeney Red at Acorn Bank, Cumbria.

This tree towers above it’s neighbouring Medlar’s to some 40 or 50 feet.

A well shaped tree, the fruit glows red on the sunniest side and hangs in abundance, crammed onto the upward facing branches.

To find out more about Perry pears and Perry making visit the Three Counties Perry website.

You can find young trees at Cummins Nursery.

Nov 04 2008

The Perry Pear

The Perry pear is a small hard fruit which when bitten into, seems inedible. However, for centuries these fruits have been used to make Perry, produced in a similar way to Cider.

Trees can be seen in abundance across the Herefordshire – Gloucester border, although we have stumbled upon some in Cumbria. The trees can reach 15 metres in height and will produce crops for at least 300 years. For comparison, this is twice the height and lifespan of an apple tree.

Perry pears had their heyday in the late 17th and early 18th centuries and it is thought that there are at least 120 Perry pear varieties, many so local that they were only ever propagated on 1 or 2 adjacent farms. The heritage of these pears leaves us with some fantastic variety names, including Dead Boy, Mumblehead and Merrylegs. A fine old manor house, Hellens in Much Marcle, open to visitors in the summer, has an avenue of Hellens Early planted about 1710 to commemorating the coronation of Queen Anne.

There are likely to be many varieties undocumented all over the country, so let us know if you have one and indeed if you have tried to make perry.

Needless to say, we managed to collect a few carrier bags full and now have a bottle of perry bubbling away…we’ll keep you posted on the outcome!

If you want a tree identified, it is probably best to contact Brogdale who hold the national fruit collection. (Details below).

The Herefordshire Cider Route website gives a brief history of the Perry pear and Perry production.

Three Counties Perry website gives a history of the Perry pear and Perry production along with some useful details of producers.

Brogdale – Home of the National Fruit Collection have 20 varieties of Perry pear.

How to Make Perry & Cider – A very informative site which gives in depth details of how to make Cider and Perry, although some basic knowledge or previous experience with home brewing or wine making is needed to understand the terminology.