Peasgood's Nonsuch
Peasgood's Nonsuch is a good-looking traditional English cooking apple from the Victorian era. As the name suggests, it was raised by Mrs Peasgood of Stamford, Lincolnshire - probably in the middle of the 19th century.
Peasgood's Nonsuch has all the qualities expected in a traditional English cooker - large size, plenty of juice, and a sharp tangy flavour. The coarse light flesh readily cooks down to a puree. The apples ripen mid-season and can be kept for a few weeks, filling the gap before the late-season cooking apples become available.
As well as being one of the better English cookers, in Victorian times it was also considered a good eating apple as well.
Peasgood's Nonsuch apple trees for sale
RF11-year bare-root
tree
on MM106 rootstock£34.95
Mature height: 3m-5m after 10 years
Can be trained on as a large free-standing apple tree, a half-standard apple tree, a large apple fan or espalier, or a pleached apple tree.
Available next season
RF21-year bare-root
tree
on M25 rootstock£35.75
Mature height: 5m-7m after 10 years
Can be trained on to produce a big 'standard' free-standing apple tree in a traditional apple orchard.
Available next season
Recommended pollinators for Peasgood's Nonsuch apple trees
Peasgood's Nonsuch is partially self-fertile, so you do not need another variety to pollinate it to produce fruit.
However you will get a better crop if you plant any of the following pollinator varieties nearby.
If you are not sure about pollination requirements don't hesitate to ask us.
Arthur TurnerA mid-season cooking apple, producing a light yellow puree. Very attractive blossom.
EveresteEvereste is one of the most well-known crab-apples, featuring white blossom and red-yellow fruits.
FiestaFiesta (or Red Pippin) is one of the best Cox-style apples, easy to grow, with a good aromatic flavour.
GorgeousMalus Gorgeous has pink/white blossom and spherical cherry-like red fruits which are good for jelly.
GreensleevesGreensleeves is a reliable and popular mid-season green/yellow apple, easy to grow and productive.
Howgate WonderHowgate Wonder is a large cooking apple which keeps well. Produces an excellent sharp juice.
James GrieveJames Grieve is the classic Scottish dual-purpose apple. It can be eaten fresh, and is also excellent for juicing and cooking.
KatyKaty is an attractive and versatile early apple variety from Sweden, very easy to grow.
History
Peasgood's Nonsuch (also known as Peasgood Nonesuch) was probably raised in the middle of the 19th century. It received a first-class certificate from the RHS Fruit Committee in 1872, and soon became a popular garden variety.
The term "Nonsuch" is seen in several apple variety names, and had a more favourable meaning in Victorian times than it sounds today. The French form of the same word is "sans-pareil" or "non-pareil", and is also found in several old English apple names. When translated this gives the true meaning of "non such", i.e. "unsurpassed".
The parentage is not known, however it is a parent of another well-known English cooker, Reverend W. Wilks.
Peasgood's Nonsuch characteristics
- Gardening skillBeginner
- Self-fertile?Partially self-fertile
- Pollinating othersAverage
- Pick seasonMid
- Picking periodmid-September
- Keeping2-3 weeks
- Food usesCulinaryJuiceTraditional cookerDual purpose
- Country of originUnited Kingdom
- Period of origin1850 - 1899
You might also like these varieties
BardseyA hardy disease-resistant apple, discovered growing on an island off the west coast of Wales.
Bramley's SeedlingBramley is the essential English cooking apple, famous for its rich sharp acidity.
Howgate WonderHowgate Wonder is a large cooking apple which keeps well. Produces an excellent sharp juice.
Lord DerbyLord Derby is a high-quality mid/late-season traditional English cooking apple, cooks to a chunky puree.
More about apple trees
We've all grown up with Bramley cookng apples so we take it for granted that cooking apples are different to eating apples, but, surprisingly, the UK is one of the few countries that makes such a distinction between apples for cooking and apples for eating fresh.
The main qualtities of a good "cooker" are size - the bigger the better - and acidity. Counter-intuitively, it is the acid which gives cooking apples their flavour. In contrast the flavour of sweet dessert apples collapses with cooking.
Cooking apples are usually easier to grow than eating apples, and will tolerate partial shade.
