Eating apples

Apples for eating fresh, with sweet or sharp flavours, often good for juicing too. We have a huge range of eating apple trees, with a choice of sizes.

Adams Pearmain
Adams' Pearmain is a popular Victorian-era English apple with a distinctive 'pearmain' shape.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Ashmead's Kernel
A versatile English 17th century russet apple, Ashmead's Kernel is noted for its distinctive pear-like flavour.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Beauty of Bath
One of the earliest English apples, ripening in early August.
- Pick season: Very early
- Keeping: 1-3 days
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Braeburn
Braeburn is one of the best-flavoured supermarket apple varieties.
- Pick season: Very late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Self-fertile
Charles Ross
Charles Ross is a very attractive classic English dual-purpose apple.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Chivers Delight
Chivers Delight is an under-rated Cox-style apple from Cambridgeshire. Crisp and sweet.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Christmas Pippin®
Christmas Pippin is a new high-yielding Cox-style apple, discovered as a chance seedling tree.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Claygate Pearmain
Claygate Pearmain is a popular English dessert apple of the Victorian era.
- Pick season: Very late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Cornish Aromatic
An attractive late-season apple from Cornwall, with a good aromatic flavour.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Coul Blush
Coul Blush is an early-season dual-purpose apple from Scotland.
- Pick season: Early
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Cox's Orange Pippin
Cox is widely acknowledged as having the best flavour of any apple variety.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
D'Arcy Spice
An old English apple variety, yet with a unique flavour and many unusual qualities.
- Pick season: Very late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Discovery
Discovery is the definitive early-season English apple variety, makes a good fruit tree for the garden.
- Pick season: Early
- Keeping: 1 week
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Eden®
A new dual-purpose apple which has a naturally non-browning flesh, ideal for salads and fresh apple juice.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Egremont Russet
Egremont Russet is the most popular English russet variety, and a good apple tree for the garden.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Ellison's Orange
Ellison's Orange is a well respected Cox-style apple which can achieve very good flavour.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 1 week
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Fiesta
Fiesta (or Red Pippin) is one of the best Cox-style apples, easy to grow, with a good aromatic flavour.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Gala
Gala is popular supermarket apple - but better when home-grown, with a sweet pleasant flavour.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Golden Delicious
The flavour of home-grown Golden Delicious is far better than its supermarket reputation.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Granny Smith
Granny Smith is the world-famous green apple from Australia, a good choice for warmer apple-growing regions.
- Pick season: Very late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Self-fertile
Greensleeves
Greensleeves is a reliable and popular mid-season green/yellow apple, easy to grow and productive.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 1 week
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Herefordshire Russet
Herefordshire Russet is a modern russet apple variety, with an excellent strong Cox-like flavour.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Honeycrisp
Honeycrisp is an American cold-hardy disease-resistant apple - it shows just how good modern apples have become.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Irish Peach
Irish Peach is a popular early season apple, ripening in July / August. It is easy to grow and low maintenance.
- Pick season: Very early
- Keeping: Does not keep
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
James Grieve
James Grieve is the classic Scottish dual-purpose apple. It can be eaten fresh, and is also excellent for juicing and cooking.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Jonagold
Jonagold is a high quality American apple, with a good balanced sweet/sharp flavor.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Jumbo
A dual-purpose apple, named for the exceptionally large size of its fruits.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Jupiter
Jupiter is a popular Cox-style apple with a slightly stronger flavour.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Katy
Katy is an attractive and versatile early apple variety from Sweden, very easy to grow.
- Pick season: Early
- Keeping: 1 week
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Kidd's Orange Red
Kidd's Orange Red is one of the best Cox-style apples, aromatic, sweet, and easy to grow.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
King of the Pippins
A popular and versatile dual-purpose apple, widely grown in the Victorian era.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
King's Acre Pippin
A traditional late-season English apple with a robust flavour.
- Pick season: Very late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Laxton's Fortune
A quietly popular Edwardian era Cox-style apple, developed by the Laxton Brothers Nursery.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Laxton's Superb
Laxton's Superb is a deservedly popular English late-season dessert apple from the Victorian era.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Limelight
Limelight is an attractive green mid-season dessert apple, ideal for beginners.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Little PaxTM
A new English apple variety, recently discovered on the Isle of Wight - but its appearance and flavour hark back to the Victorian era.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Lord Lambourne
Lord Lambourne is a popular versatile garden apple variety, with a good balance of sweet and sharp flavours.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Meridian
Meridian is a little known modern English apple, heavy crops, easy to grow, and excellent flavour.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Newton Wonder
A traditional English cooking apple, a good alternative to Bramley.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Norfolk Royal Russet
Norfolk Royal Russet is a glorious golden-russet apple which tastes as good as it looks.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Orleans Reinette
Orleans Reinette is a traditional French apple variety, and remains popular for its old-fashioned flavour.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Pinova
An attractive disease-resistant dessert apple, capable of producing good clean fruit without chemical sprays.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Pitmaston Pine Apple
A small English 18th century apple with a distinctive fruity pineapple-like flavour.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Pixie
Pixie produces lots of small Cox-style apples, easy to grow and keep well.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Queen of the RealmTM
A new apple variety, released in 2022 to celebrate the Queen's platinum jubilee.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Red Devil
Red Devil is a good apple variety for the UK garden, and produces a sweet red-tinted juice.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Self-fertile
Red Falstaff®
Red Falstaff is one of the best garden apple trees, heavy crops, easy to grow, and very juicy.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Self-fertile
Red Windsor®
Red Windsor is one of the easiest to grow of all dessert apple trees, and with a pleasant apple flavour.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 1 week
- Self-fertile?: Self-fertile
Ribston Pippin
A handsome English apple from the 18th century.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Rosemary Russet
A classic English russet apple with excellent flavours, but not as well known as its Victorian contemporaries.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 3 months or more
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
RosetteTM
Probably the best-flavoured of the pink-fleshed apple varieties, and produces lovely pink juice.
- Pick season: Early
- Keeping: 1 week
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Saint Edmund's Russet
Not as well known as other russets, St. Edmund's Russet is nevertheless one of the best.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Saturn
An attractive modern English apple, crisp flesh and an excellent flavour.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Scrumptious
Scrumptious is a modern award-winning early-season English dessert apple.
- Pick season: Early
- Keeping: 1 week
- Self-fertile?: Self-fertile
Spartan
Spartan produces lots of crimson maroon apples, crunchy, sweet, easy to grow, delicate "vinous" flavour.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1 week
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Sunset
Sunset is a popular garden alternative to Cox, easier to grow, with a sweet aromatic flavour.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Self-fertile
Topaz
A modern and reliable disease-resistant variety with a sharp flavour.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Tydeman's Late Orange
Tydeman's Late Orange is an excellent late-season Cox-style aromatic apple.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Winter Gem
Winter Gem is a late-season apple variety with a very good aromatic flavour.
- Pick season: Late
- Keeping: 1-2 months
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile
Worcester Pearmain
Worcester Pearmain is a well-known early-season English apple, noted for its strawberry-like flavours.
- Pick season: Early
- Keeping: 1 week
- Self-fertile?: Partially self-fertile
Yellow Ingestrie
One of the prettiest of all apples, perfect for a table display, with a rich fruity flavour.
- Pick season: Mid
- Keeping: 2-3 weeks
- Self-fertile?: Not self-fertile

How to choose Eating apples

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.