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English and Scottish cooking apples

The best cooking apples have a sharp "sub-acid" flavour, which mellows during cooking and lends a richer texture and flavour to pies, tarts, and crumbles. Many of these varieties are also good for juicing, as they give a good acidic backbone which can then be sweetened with the addition of other varieties.

Apple trees

Arthur Turner apple tree

A mid-season cooking apple, producing a light yellow puree. Very attractive blossom.
Apple trees

Blenheim Orange apple tree

Blenheim Orange is a classic English dual-purpose apple, useful for dessert and culinary purposes.
Apple trees

Bountiful apple tree

A modern cooker, sweeter than traditional varieties. Slices will retain their shape when cooked.
Apple trees

Bramley 20 apple tree

This is a version of Bramley's Seedling, the apples are the same size but the tree is not as big. Cooks to a tangy rich puree.
Apple trees

Bramley's Seedling apple tree

Bramley is the essential English cooking apple, famous for its rich sharp acidity.
Apple trees

Charles Ross apple tree

A dual-purpose variety, sweeter flavour, slices retain their shape.
Apple trees

Dumelow's Seedling apple tree

Dating back to the early 1800s, one of the best English cookers, excellent tangy flavour.
Apple trees

Grenadier apple tree

A popular English cooking apple, ripens in mid-August, ideal for summer puddings.
Apple trees

Howgate Wonder apple tree

Howgate Wonder is a large cooking apple which keeps well. Produces an excellent sharp juice.
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Keswick Codlin apple tree

Keswick Codlin is a popular early-season cooking apple, easy to grow, and productive in most climates.
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Lane's Prince Albert apple tree

One of the most popular Victoria cooking apples.
Apple trees

Lord Derby apple tree

Lord Derby is a high-quality mid/late-season traditional English cooking apple, cooks to a chunky puree.
Apple trees

Newton Wonder apple tree

A traditional English cooking apple, a good alternative to Bramley.
Apple trees

Scotch Bridget apple tree

A popular Scottish cooking apple, well-suited to damp wet conditions.
Apple trees

Scotch Dumpling apple tree

A traditional Scottish culinary apple. Cooks to a light puree.



More about English and Scottish cooking apples

For much of our history the cooking apple reigned supreme, and indeed the UK is the only country where a definite distinction is made between "cookers" and "eaters". However after the Victorian era the eating apple gradually became pre-eminent, and knowledge of the tremendous variety of English cooking apples was slowly lost, until only the trusty Bramley remained. If you are only going to have one cooking apple then it is hard to beat Bramley of course, but we are glad to see that in the 21st century cooks and gardeners are once more looking beyond Bramley to enjoy the qualities of a wider range of traditional cooking apples.

Whilst many apple varieties can be used for culinary purposes, varieties that are good for eating fresh tend to be too sweet and insubstantial when cooked. In contrast, real cooking apples typically have a robust "sub-acid" flavour, which mellows during cooking, and is the key to achieving the best flavour in pies, tarts, and crumbles.

Many of these culinary varieties are also good for juicing, as their juice has a good acidic backbone which can then be sweetened with the addition of other varieties.

One of the key attributes of cooking apples is what happens during the cooking process - some cook down to a puree (useful for pie fillings), whilst others retain their some of their shape (useful for tarts with chunky fillings) or can be sliced and retain their shape (useful for French-style patisseries). In general the more acidic the apple the more likely it is to transform into a puree when heated, although the structure of the flesh is also a factor. The famous English Bramley apple is also one of the most acidic, hence is an ideal variety for recipes which call for apple puree.

Several of these collections are available to buy - see our Orchard Packs.