Apple ‘Bramley’s seedling’

‘Bramley’s Seedling’ is the definitive English cooking apple, raised in Nottinghamshire in the early 1800s. Fruits are large, irregular and green flushed with red, with firm sharp acid flesh that breaks down perfectly when cooked into a fluffy, full-flavoured puree.

Trees are vigorous and heavy-cropping, though triploid, which means a ‘Bramley’ needs two compatible pollination partners flowering at the same time to crop well. Fruits ripen in October and store into March.

Plant in full sun in fertile, well-drained soil. Triploids make relatively large trees even on dwarfing rootstocks, so allow space. Prune in winter for framework.

A proper kitchen-garden staple for anyone who bakes apple pies, crumbles or sauce.