The Taste of Britain. Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

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      DESCRIPTION:

      ALMOST ALL CHERRIES GROWN IN ENGLAND ARE OF THE SWEET TYPE.

      HISTORY:

      Wild cherries (geans or mazzards) have been eaten in Britain since prehistoric times (Roach, 1985) but the development of cultivated fruit was the work of Mediterranean cultures. Pliny reported: ‘Before the victory of Lucullus in the war against Mithridates … there were no cherry trees in Italy. Lucullus first imported them from Pontus [Asia Minor] and in 120 years they have crossed the ocean and got as far as Britain. ‘This seems pretty firm evidence and it is certain that Roman soldiers were plentifully supplied - perhaps from the precursors of the Kentish orchards. In the Middle Ages cherries were a common occupant of garden plots and sold in street markets. However, Europe was still the chief source of the fruit, where climate and skill combined for a larger harvest.

      Kent became a centre of cultivation during the sixteenth century, partly because of good water-transport to London, the main market, partly because there were close links with orchardists and gardeners across the Channel. Most varieties grown came from Europe, especially Flanders and France, but there were early signs of specifically English breeds, notably the ‘Duke’ cherries, hybrids of the sweet Prunus avium and the sour Prunus cerasus. This group was known to the French as Anglais’.

      Several classic varieties were bred by nurserymen in the 1800s, including Frogmore Early and Early Rivers, both introduced in the middle of the century. Two others are Bradbourne Black and Merton Glory, the latter introduced in the 1940s. For technical reasons, most orchards consist of several cherry varieties grown together; of the large number of varieties available, about 12 are commercially important.

      The area devoted to cherry orchards has sadly diminished and we rely on imports again, as we used to in the fifteenth century, when they were freighted over from Flanders. Kent, however, has kept its first place among the regions of production.

      TECHNIQUE:

      The custom was to cultivate cherry trees as tall standards with grass underneath. The orchards are grazed by sheep. Most sweet cherries require pollinators and care is needed to choose a compatible variety. Until the twentieth century, geans or wild cherry seedlings from the woods were used as rootstocks. These produce large trees which require very long ladders to gather the fruit; as there is now some reluctance to pick from these, producers have been experimenting with less vigorous rootstocks. The latter have the advantage that they can be netted to protect them from birds during fruiting. A few farms offer pick-your-own facilities for cherry picking.

      REGION OF PRODUCTION:

      SOUTH AND WEST ENGLAND, KENT, HEREFORD AND WORCESTER, ESSEX, OXFORDSHIRE.

       ‘One must ask children and birds how cherries and strawberries taste.’

      JOHANN WOLFGANG VON GOETHE

      Cox’s Orange Pippin

      DESCRIPTION:

      A LATE-SEASON DESSERT APPLE, DESCRIBED BY MORGAN & RICHARDS (1993) AS MEDIUM-SIZED (5-7CM DIAMETER) OF ROUND-CONICAL SHAPE, THE BASIN OF MEDIUM WIDTH AND DEPTH, SLIGHTLY RIBBED, WITH RUSSET USUALLY PRESENT; THE EYE SMALL AND HALF-OPEN, THE SEPALS MEDIUM TO LONG AND NARROW; THE CAVITY MEDIUM BROAD, QUITE DEEP, WITH A LITTLE RUSSET; THE STALK OF MEDIUM LENGTH, AND QUITE THIN; THE COLOUR OF THE SKIN CHARACTERISTICALLY DISPLAYING AN ORANGE RED FLUSH WITH RED STRIPES OVER GREENISH YELLOW TURNING TO GOLD, WITH A LITTLE RUSSETING AS DOTS AND PATCHES; WHEN PERFECTLY RIPE, DELICIOUSLY SWEET AND ENTICING WITH RICH INTENSE AROMATIC FLAVOUR; DEEP CREAM FLESH; SPICY, HONEYED, NUTTY, PEAR-LIKE, BUT WITH A SUBTLE BLEND OF GREAT COMPLEXITY.

      HISTORY:

      The British have concentrated on the development of a uniquely wide spectrum of flavours and qualities in apple varieties; some of the finest are known as pippins. The word originally denoted an apple raised from seed as opposed to multiplied by scions. Morgan & Richards (1993) remark, ‘in time the term “pippin” came to be synonymous with fine-flavoured late-keeping English varieties’. From Tudor times, pippins of various types have been popular and commercially important. At first the Golden Pippin was esteemed for making jellies and tarts. Then, the Ribston Pippin (Yorkshire), the Wyken Pippin (Warwickshire) and the Sturmer Pippin (Suffolk) arose, which remained important through the nineteenth century.

      The Cox’s Orange Pippin was raised by Richard Cox in Buckinghamshire. It is believed to have been grown from a pip of a Ribston Pippin. Commercialization took place in the 1860s in the neighbouring county of Hertford and it was widely planted in southern England over the next 30 years. Roach (1985) illustrates an orchard of Cox’s Orange Pippin on dwarfing rootstocks in 1865. Today, it is the most important British dessert apple. Several clones are grown, including the Queen Cox. As well as being valued for its fruit, the Cox, crossed with other varieties, was the source of various late-season dessert apples, including Ellison’s Orange, Epicure, Fortune and Laxton’s Superb, several of which are still grown on a small scale.

      Other notable varieties classed as late-season dessert types have complex aromatic flavours - sometimes reflected in their names, such as Cornish Gilliflower and Pitmaston Pine Apple (whose honeyed flavour is considered reminiscent of that fruit). These, and many others, were greatly enjoyed by Victorian and Edwardian connoisseurs when fine-flavoured dessert apples were much appreciated by the rich. That wealth of varieties has since reduced as a consequence of the modern emphasis on ease of growth and handling, and the uniform and attractive appearance demanded by supermarkets. However, a renewal of interest in rarities has been prompted by enthusiasts.

      Many of these apples are now much grown abroad, including the Cox and the Sturmer. Controlled-atmosphere storage, very important to Cox’s and some other late-season apples, has been used in Britain since the 1920s. Cox’s Orange Pippin is generally eaten raw, although it can successfully be used in pies, tarts and cooked desserts. Some aromatic dessert apples have been used for single-variety juices.

      TECHNIQUE:

      See Bramley’s Seedling (p. 111) for details about rootstocks. Cox’s are not suitable for cultivation in the northern half of England, or in areas of high rainfall. They require free-draining soils, and are mostly concentrated in the south-east of Britain. Optimum pollination time is mid-May; the tree is of medium vigour and is a good cropper, but prone to mildew, scab and canker which are controlled by lime sulphur sprays. For commercial production, the fruit is chemically analysed to determine storage potential; picking is then carried out by hand. Cox’s are picked in late September and early October. Grading is by diameter (sizes are set according to variety) and by quality (EU standards, for appearance) into Grade 1 or Grade 2. Storage in controlled atmosphere (low in oxygen, high in carbon dioxide) and temperature allows Cox’s to be kept until spring.

      REGION OF PRODUCTION:

      SOUTH ENGLAND.

      Egremont Russet Apple

      DESCRIPTION:

      A MID-SEASON DESSERT APPLE. DESCRIBED BY MORGAN & RICHARDS (1993) AS A MEDIUM-SIZED APPLE (5-7CM DIAMETER), FLAT-ROUND IN SHAPE, THE BASIN BROAD AND QUITE DEEP, THE EYE LARGE AND OPEN, THE SEPALS BROAD-BASED, AND QUITE DOWNY; THE CAVITY NARROW AND SHALLOW, LINED WITH RUSSET; THE STALK СКАЧАТЬ