Newtown Pippin

Newtown Pippin is an antique American apple variety with a history going back more than 250 years. It is not the prettiest apple you ever saw, but it is one of the best-flavored - aromatic with plenty of acid and pleasantly refreshing. The flesh is dense, crisp and juicy, and can have a pineapple-like note to the flavor.

Newtown Pippin is not an apple to eat straight from the tree, instead it should be harvested in mid-October and then stored in a cold dark frost-free shed for a month or so, which gives the rich sweet flavor time to develop. It is a versatile apple for use in the winter, for eating fresh, cookery and also for juicing.

The rich aromatic flavor of Newtown Pippin was held in high regard in Victorian England too. The well-known Victorian pomologist Hogg referrred to it as "A dessert apple, which, when in perfection, is not to be surpassed". Hogg also records that the Newtown Pippins tended to arrive in London markets in January, after the sea-voyage from the USA - at which point they will have been at the peak of flavor.