LOCALLY…

Who doesn’t like a bit of Apple Crumble or Apple Pie? Well, during February we celebrate Bramley Apple Week from the 6th – 12th of February.

I am sure we all know the old fashioned saying of “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”… or so they say. The proverb actually emerged in the 19th century, it was a way to promote eating more healthily and getting fruit into people’s diets. They felt that if you ate healthy food you would be healthier inside and not need to see a doctor as much. This was however in the days when you had to pay for a visit from a doctor and not like we have now with the NHS.

We have a long history with apples, even within religion, with Adam and Even in the garden of Eden and Eve being tempted by the forbidden fruit – the apple. But now, with so many varieties available, we all have our favourites.

One of the most used apples is the Bramley Apple – it is usually eaten cooked due to its sourness and is a favourite in particular in the winter months when apple crumble and apple pies are baked plenty so Bramley Apples are bought more regularly.

The Bramley Apple website writes that it is grown only in Britain, the Bramley’s unique qualities make it one of the most versatile ingredients, equally at home in a savoury stir fry or a traditional apple pie. The Bramley is rightly recognised by professional chefs and home cooks alike as the best apple for cooking.

The Bramley Apple Tree has a long history, spanning 200 years in the UK, starting from pips planted by a young girl, to making science with cloning and being the centre of a number of walking trails in the UK for fans and lovers of the Bramley Apple. As one of the UK’s most popular apple varieties, it holds a special place in the hearts of British people and holds a special place in the history of Southwell, Nottinghamshire particularly.

Although the Bramley Apple is undoubtedly the most popular culinary cooking apple in the UK, it is just one cultivar of apples of over 2,500 apples grown in the UK. There are estimated to be over 7,000 varieties of apples worldwide. Some of the more popular eating or dessert apples in the UK include the Red Delicious, Cox, Braeburn and Gala apples. Bramleyapples.co.uk are selling fresh Bramley apples if you want to buy bramley apples visit their store.

Mary Ann Brailsford is credited as the originator of the Bramley Apple, having sown the seeds for the first Bramley Apple Tree in 1809 in Southwell,

Source: Bramley Apple