Cox's Orange Pippin

Often regarded as the finest of all apples, Cox's Orange Pippin sets the benchmark for flavour to which all others aspire. The aromatic complexity and depth of flavours are remarkable. In our personal experience pear, melon, freshly-squeezed orange juice, and mango are all readily evident in a good example.

Cox's Orange Pippin is a mid/late season variety, at its best if picked when fully ripe, or picked slightly under-ripe and left in storage for a month or so - it is not a long-keeper though.

Although primarily considered a variety for eating fresh, Cox is an excellent apple for juice / cider blends as well. It is also a versatile culinary apple, with an inherently sweet flavour when baked, and is a common ingredient in English apple preserves, chutneys, and mincemeat.

Growing and Training

Cox's Orange Pippin generally performs better in the drier parts of the UK - the South-east, East Midlands, East Yorkshire and as far north as Edinburgh. It has a reputation for being a bit fussy to grow, but in practice if you are in an area with low rainfall and reasonable sunshine hours you should be successful.

A specific issue with Cox is "Cox spot", a rust-like physiological disorder inherent to this variety, which can be mild or non-existent in some seasons and quite severe (causing early leaf fall) in others. The cause is unknown and there is no treatment, but fortunately although it is unsightly it does not seem to affect the fruit.

Growers in wetter areas might want to consider Fiesta or Sunset, which are closely related and have similar flavour but tolerate higher rainfall much better.

Cox's Orange Pippin is somewhat unusual because it is available in both self-fertile and self-sterile forms - most of ours are the self-fertile form. In general we recommend that you try to have a nearby pollination partner as this will improve cropping.

History

Cox's Orange Pippin was raised by Richard Cox, in Buckinghamshire, England, in the early 19th century.

Until very recently it was almost universally believed that Cox was a seedling of Ribston Pippin, although some observers noted the similarity with another old variety, Margil. In 2022 Reading University published DNA evidence confirming that the parentage of Cox's Orange Pippin was Margil x Rosemary Russet. Margil was also found to be the parent of Ribston Pippin.

Over time it became apparent that some Cox trees had a good degree of self-fertility but it was not until the 1970s that a standardised self-fertile form was established by the Long Ashton research station near Bristol. This is now the recommended form for gardeners.

Almost since it was first discovered, Cox's Orange Pippin has featured in the development of new apple varieties, as breeders sought to marry its excellent aromatic flavours with other varieties which might be heavier cropping or have more versatile climate characteristics.

Cox's Orange Pippin characteristics

• Gardening skillExperienced
• Fruit persistenceNormal ripening
• Self-fertile?Not self-fertile
• Pollinating othersAverage
• Pick seasonMid - Later mid-season
• Picking periodmid-September
• Keeping1-2 months
• Food usesEating freshCulinaryJuice
• Country of originUnited Kingdom
• Period of origin1800 - 1849
• Fruit colourOrange flush

You might also like these varieties

• 
  Adams Pearmain
  Adams' Pearmain is a popular Victorian-era English apple with a distinctive 'pearmain' shape.
• 
  Charles Ross
  Charles Ross is a very attractive classic English dual-purpose apple.
• 
  Kidd's Orange Red
  Kidd's Orange Red is one of the best Cox-style apples, aromatic, sweet, and easy to grow.
• 
  Sunset
  Sunset is a popular garden alternative to Cox, easier to grow, with a sweet aromatic flavour.

More about apple trees

Apples are very versatile, and all varieties can be eaten or used in the kitchen. However varieties specifically grown as eating apples tend to have the best flavours for eating raw.

The main thing to decide when choosing an eating apple is when you intend to eat the apples. Early season apples are typically ready in August, and generally don't keep very long. Mid-season apples are ripe in early September, while late-season apples start to become ripe in late September and October. Many of the late-season varieties can also be stored in a fridge or cold shed for several months into the winter.

Some apple varieties are self-fertile, but most are not. However in most areas of the UK you do not need to worry whether your apple trees are self-fertile or not, as there will be other apple trees in nearby gardens to help with pollination.