Raymond advises that the essential factor of cooking apples relies upon upon choosing the precise alternative for a particular dish – you want the precise steadiness of acidity and sweetness, and texture is important too.

Correct proper right here, Raymond shares 10 of his favorite varieties and one of the best ways he makes use of them.

‘Adam’s Pearmain’

This outdated dependable, English dessert apple has medium-size, barely russeted fruit. It’s harvested in October and retailers for over three months. It has good illness resistance. ‘I just like the creamy flesh and wealthy nutty, virtually dry flavour,’ says Raymond.

Pollination group: 2

Greatest for: purees and tarts

‘Blenheim Orange’

This dual-purpose dessert and cooking alternative could be eaten uncooked when youthful or cooked when extra mature. Harvest in early October; fruits retailer for 2 or three months. Raymond says: ‘That is thought-about definitely one in every of my favorite varieties on account of it has a spicy, russet flavour and is perhaps very versatile – you might want to use it in so many different methods.’

Pollination group: 3 (triploid)

Greatest for: purees and tarts

‘Bramley’s Seedling’

This cooking apple grows on vigorous, sprawling timber, so it’s best for bigger gardens solely. Harvest in November; fruits retailer for over three months. It has good illness resistance. ‘For me that is too acidic for regular cooking, nevertheless it completely breaks down into the precise texture and flavour for purees,’ says Raymond.

Pollination group: 3

Greatest for: purees

‘Braeburn’

This dessert apple comes from New Zealand and should go correct proper right into a ‘sulk’ in cool summers, so it needs your sunniest and warmest nook. Compact, it is good for small plots. Harvest in October or November; fruits retailer for 3 months. Raymond says: ‘I identical to the tart, richly apple-y flavour.’

Pollination group: 4 (self fertile)

Greatest for: tarte tatin

‘Captain Kidd’

A dessert alternative that’s associated to Cox’s Orange Pippin, with an comparable flavour, nonetheless fairly a bit simpler to develop. Harvest in November; fruits retailer for 2 months. ‘Fragrant and crunchy, with creamy-white flesh and an unimaginable flavour,’ is Raymond’s verdict.

Pollination group: 3

Greatest for: juicing and tarts

‘Cox’s Orange Pippin’

This apple has a superb flavour nonetheless is commonly a bit temperamental – it is comparatively disease-prone and dislikes the chilly and moist. Harvest in October; fruits retailer for 3 months. ‘World class!’, says Raymond. ‘This has the correct flavour and is the correct for savoury dishes on account of it is not too candy.’

Pollination group: 3

Greatest for: purees, tarts and tarte tatin

‘Granny Smith’

A dessert alternative that needs an extended, scorching summer time season. Harvest in October; fruits defend for 3 months. Raymond says: ‘This has a refreshing acidity, which I like, and it furthermore holds its texture pretty correctly when sliced and cooked.’

Pollination group: 3

Greatest for: tarte tatin

‘Chivers Delight’

A dessert apple that’s straightforward to develop and retailers appropriately, for as loads as three months. Harvest in October or November. ‘I am keen on the wealthy, honey flavour of this apple, which is analogous to the Cox. And I like one of the best ways by which it ‘fluffs’ when it cooks with out disintegrating.’

Pollination group: 4

Greatest for: baking and tarts

‘Egremont Russet’

A small, russet dessert apple with firm flesh. Harvest fruits in October; they’ll retailer for 3 months. ‘This has beautiful layers of richness and acidity. The flavour is nutty and dry., and it turns into deeper when it’s saved.

Pollination group: 2

Greatest for: juicing and tarts

‘Lord Lambourne’

A dependable, compact tree, turning out heavy crops of dessert apples, 12 months after 12 months. Harvest fruits in September; they’ll defend for 2 months. ‘I just like the stableness of acidity and sugar, which offers a flowery, fragrant flavour. The flesh is crisp, too.’

Pollination group: 2

Greatest for: tarts

Rising for flavour

Raymond’s head gardener, Anne Marie Owens, shares her suggestions for fantastic apples:

• Selection is essential, so go to an apple day to vogue as many varieties as potential, and develop solely what you need.
• Go for naturally disease-resistant varieties the place potential, considerably throughout the event you yard organically.
• Plant two from the same pollination group, to strengthen cropping. Or develop a self-fertile alternative.
• Skinny the fruitlets in July to at least one or two per cluster, leaving the healthiest – you are going to get fewer fruits nonetheless they’ll be efficient top quality.
• Preserve an space of soil away from weeds and grass spherical your tree, about 1m all via, to scale back opponents and improve progress.
• Feed timber every spring with slow-release fertiliser, resembling pelleted poultry manure.
• Depart late varieties on the tree for so long as potential to mature the flavour.
• Apples are utterly ripe after they arrive away with a fragile twist.