The National Fruit Collection at Brogdale, Kent contains many of these National varieties and some of the Cornish varieties. For more information visit the National Fruit Collection or the Fruit Forum
Cornish Varieties
- Ben's Red (Eater)
Penzance. Seedling of Dev. Quarrenden, grows on its own roots. Flat fruit, flushed and streaked dark red with russet dots and tracings on apex and base. - Breadfruit (Eater)
Tamar. Green with flush/stripes. Distinctive, sweet/slightly astringent. Cooks dry, good for tarts. Eater from October. - Colloggett Pippin (Cooker/Cider)
Tamar. A huge pale greenish/yellow apple, red flush & bold stripes. Acid but makes good dumplings. Makes a fine Champagne type cider when used on its own. Makes a large tree. - Cornish Aromatic (Eater)
Cornwall. Greenish-yellow/yellow flushed orange-red. Distinctly ribbed. Sweet with acidic bite, aromatic and slightly spicy. Good cropper Tree is vigorous upright spreading with a lot of young growth - Cornish Gilliflower (Eater)
Truro - Duke of Cornwall (Cooker)
- Hockings Green (Dual)
Pop SE Cornwall. Green with slightly dimpled skin.It likes warm, wet weather, very hardy.Cook in Nov for tarts/baked apple(small core). - Improved Keswick (Cooker)
Tamar - King Byerd (Cooker)
Green turning yellow with red flecks and grey russet. Prolific cropper/ Good keeper. Slight scab. Useful Christmas-Easter. - Manaccan Primrose (Dual)
Lizard. Green turning yellow, with faint flush. Cooker late Aug-Sept. Pleasant and refreshing eater, slightly sharp. - Meil D'Or (Eater)
Believed to be the famous old Cornish var. Dawe Apple. Shrubby tree in growth producing ariel roots. Fruit is very sweet, pale greenish yellow with orange brown flush and patchy russett and russett dots - Pascoe's Pippin (Eater)
M/Cornwall - Pear Apple (Eater)
M/Cornwall - Pig Nose (Helston, JE VI) (Cooker)
W/Cornwall - Snell's Glass Apple (Cooker)
Tamar. Yellow cooker, modest grower, easily maintained - Tregonna King (Dual)
Wadebridge. Very disease resistant. Similar to King of the Pippins. Tree strong upright, then drooping. Good for baking end Oct. Keeps well for eating at Christmas - Venus Pippin (Eater)
Very tender flesh, Juicy but slightly acid and sweet. Yellow apple. Thought to have been called 'Plum Bidy' in Launceston area. (See 'Plum Vite' in National Apple Register.
Cider Varieties
- Capt John Broad (Cider)
M/Cornwall. Bittersweet, once popular in Golant. V vigorous. Green with slight stripe and russet. Grows on its own roots - Colloggett Pippin (Cooker/Cider)
Tamar. A huge pale greenish/yellow apple, red flush & bold stripes. Acid but makes good dumplings. Makes a fine Champagne type cider when used on its own. Makes a large tree. - Hamlyn (Cider)
M/Cornwall - Lord of the Isles (Cider)
M/Cornwall. Large, flat green apple withbold red stripes. Keeps well. Cooks well but goes dark. Vigorous tree with rounded crown. A reliable heavy cropper. - Tan Harvey (Cider)
Tamar. Smallish, yellow with orange flush
National Apple Varieties suitable for Cornwall
The following varieties are all known to have been traditionally grown and generally do well in Cornwall.
- Adams Pearmain (Eater)
Norfolk, Popular C19th. Handsome. Rich, aromatic, nutty flavour; firmly textured. Essential for Victorian and Edwardian Dessert. - American (Cornish) Mother (Eater)
Mass., USA. Distinct, sweet perfumed, aromatic flavour with exotic flavour. Good looks. The 'Cornish Cox'. - Beauty of Bath (Eater)
Bath. Common in old Cornish orchards. Distinctive, fairly acid taste, doesn't keep.. - Bramley's Seedling (Cooker)
Notts. Ubiquitous cooker. Cooks to pale cream purée with strong acidity and flavour. Can be eaten after storage. - Gascoyne's Scarlet (Eater)
Kent. Highly decorative, exhibition apple with delicate flavour. - Gladstone (Eater)
Kidderminster. Old variety dating from C18th. Sweet, refreshing acidity, crisp yet soft, melting flesh. Popular early apple until 1960's. - Lady Sudeley (Eater)
Kent. Spectacular, quite sweet, strongly flavoured. Heavily promoted in 1890's to compete with imports. Highly decorative tree in blossom. - Lucombes Pine (Eater)
Exeter. Fine russet freckles over gold. Strong acidity suggestive of pineapple; firm flesh. Good juice. - Royal Jubilee (Cooker)
Middx. Large classic cooker in Cornwall. Keeps shape, quite sharp, slight pear-like quality. Used for topping 'apple cake', juice, storing as purée and processing - Worcester Pearmain (Eater)
Worcester. May be Devon Quarrenden seedling. Bright red and sunbaked, densely sweet with intense strawberry flavour; firm, juicy, white flesh. Decorative tree. Widely grown since late 1800's.
