7th October 2011

Bramley Apple Pie Week 10-17 October 2011

Bramley Apple Pie Week is an opportunity for caterers to celebrate the world’s best cooking apple, which grows only in Britain. Known as the ‘King of Cooking Apples’ due to its superior taste and fluffy ‘melt in the mouth’ texture after cooking, the Bramley apple sets itself apart from other apples due to its low sugar to acid ratio.

Bramley bits and bobs

• Bramleys are available year round and new season apples are picked each August/September
• The Bramley apple is a variety well suited to the temperate maritime British climate
• The Bramley is one of the first new season crops of English apple varieties to be picked
• Once the Bramley apple reaches maturity in the orchards, growers only have approximately 14 days to pick them while they are at their best
• All Bramleys are picked by hand as they are very delicate
• There are approximately 250 Bramley apple growers in Britain
• In 2010 in Britain 97,000 tonnes of Bramley apples were grown - 388 million Bramley apples
• In 2010 in Britain we consumed just under 25,000 tonnes of fresh Bramley apples - 97 million fresh Bramley apples, the rest went for processing into Bramley apple products
• The first Bramley tree grew from pips planted by a young girl, Mary Ann Brailsford, in her garden in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England in 1809. The tree continues to bear fruit to this day
• Bramley apples are unique because they contain a higher acid content and lower sugar levels than other apples to produce a stronger, tangier tasting apple whose flavour is retained when cooked.

For plenty of recipe ideas visit www.bramleyapples.co.uk