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Bramley Apples from Nottinghamshire

The Bramley apple (Malus domestica 'Bramley's Seedling') is a cultivar of apple which is often eaten cooked. Raw, most people find its tarty flavour too strong, and it is either loved or hated. Once cooked, however, it has a lighter flavour. A peculiarity of the variety is that when cooked it becomes golden and fluffy.

Bramley apple trees are large, vigorous, spreading and long-lived. It tolerates some shade. The apples are very large, two or three times the weight of a typical dessert apple like a Granny Smith. The tree is scab and mildew resistant. Heavy and regular bearer. Triploid.

The Bramley apple was raised by Mary Ann Brailsford of Southwell, Nottinghamshire, UK. It is believed the first tree was planted between 1809 and 1813, later included in the purchase of the house by Matthew Bramley in 1846. It was introduced commercially by Messrs. Merryweather in 1865 and is now the most important cooking apple in England & Wales, with 2168 Hectares, 95% of total culinary apple orchards in 2007.^[1]

Bramley apples work well in pies, cooked fruit compotes and salads, crumbles, and other dessert dishes. They are also used in a variety of chutney recipes. Whole Bramley apples, cored and filled with dried fruit, baked, and then served with custard is an inexpensive and traditional British pudding. Cooked apple sauce is the traditional accompaniment to roast pork. Hot apple sauce goes very well with ice cream.

Regardless of the dish, Bramley apples are generally cooked in the same basic way. First the fruit is peeled and then sliced, and the pieces covered in lemon juice (or some other acidic juice) to prevent them from turning brown. Sugar is usually added as well. In pies and crumbles the fruit is simply covered with the topping and baked; the moisture in the apples is sufficient to soften them while cooking. To make apple sauce, the apples are sliced and then stewed with sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan.

• Bramley Apple Information Service
• National Fruit Collection ref 1974-341
• Stuffed Bramley Recipe

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