An Armagh Bramley apple’s taste is sharp and has a sparkly crunch

“Apples, apples everywhere and hardly a one to eat. The big red and yellow plastic spheres, waiting in the market for the unsuspecting, are so suspiciously, so blatantly, thick skinned and shiny, it is easy to pass on by. What we must live on is the memory of what a good apple tastes like”.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Sep 2022, 07:00 BST
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This was taken from an article in the New York Daily News from 1977 but is more than pertinent today. The apple tree in my garden is a flourish of ruby red orbs this year. Apart from the fact they taste crisp and delicious I love their “realness”.

They’re misshapen, knobbly and weather beaten. When an apple has been caressed by soft rain, whipped by wind and warmed by the sun, you’ll taste and feel that in every bite. Consider then that we seem to favour fruit that’s been gas flushed, stored in a chiller for 18 months and then shipped over here from the other side of the world. Compare a locally grown, gnarly apple to one of the entrapped in plastic ones, polished and shining in generic rows in the supermarket. When you take a thin slice of an Armagh Bramley apple and taste the sharp, sparkly crunch, you can feel each drop of rain and gust of wind that it has experienced. When it’s been lightly stewed and enveloped in crisp pastry it’s a gastronomic experience that encapsulates the place of this modest fruit in our unique culinary history.

Bramley and pork are a classic combination.

Bramley apple. Picture by Brian LittleBramley apple. Picture by Brian Little
Bramley apple. Picture by Brian Little

Pork shoulder is still relatively cheap and is a fantastic piece of meat for slow cooking. Buy it with the fat and skin on top so you get crackling. Pour boiling water over the skin, pat dry and rub with salt and oil before sealing off and placing in the oven in a pot lined with apple, onions and celery. Brush the top with some mustard powder, honey and cider to get a lovely glaze and add a good glug of cider to the pot.

Cook slowly and rest before blending all the vegetables and cooking juices to make the ultimate apple gravy.

For something sweet I’ve included a recipe for a baked apple pancake.

The batter is blended until smooth then poured into a pan lined with melted butter and sweet eating apple arranged over the top. It puffs up beautifully and should be eaten straight away with some cream or ice cream.

Local apples won’t be around for long so enjoy them while they’re here.

They’re a gift from nature to cherish.

Related topics:Armagh