Schoolmaster

Schoolmaster is the second rarest of the remaining Stamford apples and has a particularly interesting local history. It was reputed to have been raised in the garden of Stamford School from a pip brought back from Canada by a young pupil. It came to the attention of Thomas Laxton, who introduced it commercially in 1880.

Origin and History

Fruit

The fruit is medium-sized and not particularly attractive, being dull green with a slight orange flush and stripes. The greenish-white flesh is tender, coarse and aromatic.

Picking, Storing and Using

The fruit is best picked mid October and will store until January. It is too sharp to use as an eating apple but cooks to an aromatic, white puree. One of Schoolmaster’s virtues is that it does not discolour and at one time this made it popular for canning.

Growth, Flowering and Pollination

The tree is moderately vigorous, upright and spreading. It is very hardy and a good cropper, even in cold areas and frost-pockets. Schoolmaster is self-sterile and needs a pollination partner such as Allington Pippin, Cornish Aromatic or Tydeman's Early Worcester.

Stamford School