In praise of … the English apple

Would you consider sinking your teeth into a Monstrous Leadington? No, of course not, but you would certainly enjoy a bite from a Sussex Duck's Bill. You would quite rightly decline an unappetisingly named Sturmer Pippin but be delighted by the crisp sweetness of a Laxton's Fortune. There are in excess of 2,300 English apple varieties in the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale , from the earliest Pearmain to the newest Scrumptious, and while you won't find many of these in the supermarket you will find them in farm shops and at farmers' markets. A pile of honey-skinned Russets in a fruit bowl is so much more joyful to the eye and the palate than the ubiquitous waxy-green Granny Smith (an Australian import). What other apple bakes half as well as a Bramley or a Blenheim Orange: nut-sweet and fluffy under a golden skin? After an imported apple has travelled halfway around the world, does it still have the aromatic flavour of, say, a Ribston Pippin ? And for sheer prettiness, it would be hard to beat the pink-fleshed Sops-in-Wine. Late October is the picking time for our most flavoursome varieties – the good "keepers" that will see you through most of the winter if stored correctly. The apple is woven through our history and heritage in so many ways: the Apple Wassail still takes place on twelfth night in apple orchards all over the country, "blessing" the trees to ensure a good harvest. Associated with health, wealth and happiness, this might be a good time to start taking our apples a little more seriously.