Description
Introduced to the UK from the continent in the 1880s - it may well originate from France in the late 1700s. A good keeper, it is a fine dessert apple, which keeps well, and can still be used up to February, but is perhaps best known as the key ingredient in the classic dish 'Tarte Tatin', Interestingly - it also has a reputation as a cider apple in Normandy - which makes it a true multi-purpose apple.
"The 19th-century nurseryman's propensity for renaming brought some confusion to the true identity of this apple; it is probably the Golden Winter Pearmain of the Herefordshire Pomona, an old apple when the Woolhope Naturalists described it in 1885; the Reine de Reinettes of France, the Goldparmäne of Germany and Switzerland, and though given date is late 1700s, just possibly the King Apple of John Rea. It was introduced by its current name in the early 19th century by Mr Kirke of Brompton London, and received the most enthusiastic reception at the 1883 National Apple Congress as the best-flavoured dessert apple. It turns up fairly regularly in old northern orchards, in the east and west and in Scotland; and was offered in several old Yorkshire catalogues, including that of the Backhouses of York. Multi- rather than dual purpose describes it best; it is used as a straightforward dessert apple, in extravagant patisseries, in plain tartes and in Tarte Tatin, in sweetmeats, and as cider — a Normandy speciality." © 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
