Alfriston
Late season cooker (November to April).
Raised probably in the late 1700s by Mr Shepherd at Uckfield, Sussex and originally named Shepherd's Pippin. Renamed Alfriston in 1819 after it was sent by Mr Booker of Alfriston, nr. Lewes, to the London Horticultural Society. It received the Award of Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society in 1920.
Apparently fishermen took it on sea voyages as it kept so well. It was a popular Victorian exhibition variety hence our inclusion here since it may have been commonly grown on the St Anns Allotments in the late 1800s. In Victorian times it was widely grown in the UK and was also introduced to Australia. Fruiterers were still selling this variety up to the 1930s.
The fruits are soft and coarse-textured. It's not very juicy and is quite acid and sharp. It is a good late cooking apple and cooks well to a lightly flavoured puree in early November. Later on in the season it remains firm and fresh-looking but its acidity fades.
The fruit are large to medium and are deep bright green with conspicuous lenticels, becoming greenish yellow later in the season.
Go back to the apple list page
All information relating to varieties, characteristics and descriptions is sourced from the following:
Bultitude, J. 1984. Apples: a guide to the identification of international varieties. London: Macmillan Press.
Morgan, M. and Richards, A. 2002. The new book of apples. London: Ebury Press.
National Fruit Collection public access database at Brogdale Farm, Kent.
Images on variety description pages are the copyright of STAA unless otherwise stated.
