Pie, Sauce Or Apple Snow?

When it comes to cooking apples, the shops offer us one choice and one choice only - Bramley's Seedling. Bramley travels well, stores well, has a nice, tart flavour and an attractive, shiny skin. It also cooks to a shapeless mush that requires a lot of sugar to make it palatable. Traditionally, which varieties were preferred for which dishes?

Pies and Tarts

The best pie apples are both sharp and firm, providing structure to hold up the pie crust and bite to contrast with the texture of the pastry. Lane's Prince Albert comes highly recommended by our gardeners. Keswick Codlin was once widely grown for summer apple pies as it ripens so early.

Cookery writer Nigel Slater waxes lyrical about Blenheim Orange for a classic, French tarte tatin. He spent a long time searching for the rare Normandy variety Bénédictin, only to discover Bénédictin and Blenheim Orange are one and the same apple. When it comes to open apple tarts, French chefs prefer Calville Blanc

'Good apple pies are a considerable part of

our domestic happiness.'

Jane Austen

d'Hiver, which holds the shape of its slithers perfectly. James Grieve, Belle de Tours and Betty Geeson are other varieties worth considering.

Crumbles

Lane's Prince Albert is top favourite again, along with Yorkshire Greening and Lady's Delight, whilst our local apple expert, Denis Smith, recommends mixing Bramley with Blenheim Orange for a very pleasant texture.

Baked Apples

For real comfort food not much beats a perfectly baked apple, stuffed with dried fruit or left-over mincemeat and served with a dollop of clotted cream or creme frâiche. Our gardeners' favourites are

Monarch and Warner's King but the true Queen of baked apples is meant to be Golden Noble, which becomes a white foam and rises in the oven like a soufflé.

Apple Dumplings

Victorian pomologist Robert Hogg said Loddington was prized in Kent for making perfect apple dumplings. Ellison's Orange was similarly prized for dumplings in Lincolnshire.

Apple Charlotte and Other Moulded Dishes

For Apple Charlotte and similar moulded dishes, Victorian chefs recommended dual-purpose apples like Blenheim Orange, Golden Reinette or Mère de Ménage, which make the necessary, stiff 'marmalade'.

Apple Snow

Any of the codlins is fantastic for apple snow, as they quickly collapse into a froth, staying white, retaining their fresh flavour and needing little sugar. They're only available for a few weeks in late summer and early autumn though.

Dried Apple Rings

I used to love dried apple rings as a child. The traditional drying apple is Norfolk Beefing. Rods of them were slotted into cool ovens and then the rings, known as 'boffins', were packed in boxes as a Christmas delicacy.

Apple Sauce

Tart, strong-flavoured apples, like Yorkshire Goose-sauce, Warner's King or Dumelow's Seedling are perfect for a sauce to accompany rich meats like pork, goose and game.

Apple Jelly

Codlin types like Keswick Codlin were the Victorian favourite for making apple jelly in late summer, as they have a sharp flavour and are rich in pectin. The jelly can be flavoured with herbs such as sage for serving with pork or ham.

Mincemeat

Dumelow's Seedling was once grown specially for making mincemeat.

Juicing

Discovery, Gascoyne's Scarlet and Red Victoria all make beautiful, pink juice.
Bramley, Howgate Wonder and Catshead Codlin are sharp and refreshing.
Cox's Orange Pippin is sweet and honeyed.
Egremont Russet is rich and nutty.
D'Arcy Spice is aromatic, with a mince-pie flavour

Salads

Ashmead's Kernel and Ellison's Orange are both delectable sliced in salads. The former has a rich, nutty flavour and the latter a subtle hint of aniseed.