Description
Introduced in Somerset c1864, by George Cooling of Bailbrook near Bath. Pale yellow fruit with red flush, stripes, and numerous red dots. Medium sized, regular, round flat apples with pink flesh under the skin, and perfect for eating off the tree. One of the earliest apples to be ready to harvest, the fruit has a short season with a distinctive fairly acid taste, and plenty of sweetness when fully ripe. It is a worthy garden tree.
"Despite its Somerset provenance, this is a remarkably hardy apple, growing well not only in northern Britain and its wetter uplands, but also in Poland, Romania, and the former USSR. It arose in the market gardens about Bailbrook, near Bath, and was introduced in about 1864 by Cooling of Bath. As an early dessert apple, it was a major commercial crop, and remained in the trade throughout England well into the 1930s, much valued for its handsome and tasty fruit. it appears in the Backhouse Catalogue as a Select Dessert for market production.
There can be no doubt as to the merits of its distinctive flavour, but it had three drawbacks for commercial cultivation; it tends to drop suddenly from the tree before ripe, the flesh is tender, and it doesn't store. One grower relates that clumsy picking would easily result in the mark of finger and thumb impressed upon the fruit. It is nevertheless still worthy of a place in the home orchard or garden, perhaps as a cordon; exceptionally attractive when garlanded with glossy red apples, and where the old-fashioned practice of laying straw beneath to cushion any dropping fruit is easily achieved. In the garden, one can indulge in the luxury of eating it out of hand, fresh from the tree, warm from the sun, bursting with juice, and tangy-sweet when just ripe, more aromatic when perfectly ripe. Don't expect it to have a crisp bite, but do make the most of a very short season." © Lin Hawthorne - 'The Northern Pomona'.
For help with choosing the correct rootstock for your needs, please click here A Guide to Rootstocks
For help with choosing the correct size and shape, please click here A Guide to Fruit Tree Shapes
