There is cause for celebration as Bramley reaches its 200th anniversary this year. Doris Lee Butterworth asks leading producers and processors what is on the agenda for 2009 and talks to suppliers about how the culinary apple can find wider support outside its traditional avenues.

New apple varieties may fall in and out of fashion, but Bramley is one favourite that is always in vogue. This year’s Bramley Apple Week runs from February 1-8 and, as the fruit celebrates its bicentenary, even more events have been planned to acknowledge the popular apple. These include a raft of promotional activities and events, as well as a wide range of cookery competitions.

“It is obviously a very special time for Bramley this year and it is quite remarkable that a variety that was introduced 200 years ago has unrivalled cooking qualities that no other commercially grown apple can match,” says Adrian Barlow, chairman of the Bramley Campaign. “It is a very versatile ingredient, an iconic product and one that Britain should be proud of.”

And Bramley has many industry supporters.

A special bicentenary logo has been designed and this will be clearly displayed on all Bramley poly bags going into Tesco from Norman Collett. The top-fruit marketing desk is also running a cooking competition with local schools, to find a young chef who has an original Bramley recipe or a great twist on a traditional dish. The winner will be announced at the National Fruit Show in October, says Norman Collett’s Andy Sadler, who feels that there is great growth potential among the younger generation.

He adds: “Bramley is a very versatile, easy and healthy product to cook with. There is a lot of work to be done in this area, but there is a new generation of Bramley fans to be created and this year gives us the best opportunity to start that work.”

Sadler hopes that the different cooking competitions run as part of the celebrations, in addition to the extra media interest, will remind consumers of just how much they like Bramley dishes.

The Bramley Campaign is also hoping that the launch of a number of fusion recipes during Bramley Apple Week will win over more cooks among the ethnic population.

Some of the highlights to celebrate the Bramley bicentenary this year include the unveiling of the first new stained glass window in Southwell Minster since the millennium. A special Bramley anthem has been composed to mark the occasion and trees will be planted in the grounds of the minster.

In October, a Southwell race meeting will be held and Barlow says that this event will hopefully bring in a different clientele for Bramley. There will also be a Bramley float at this year’s Lord Mayor’s show in London.

Some 25,000 tonnes of fresh Bramley apples are sold each year, and a further 58,000t are used commercially in apple products from pies to juice. Bramley supporters say there is the potential to use the variety in even more products and on many more menus in the future.

Retailers, processors and producers alike are hoping that the extra attention paid to Bramley this year will result in an uplift in sales. In terms of market share, Tesco accounts for 31 per cent of Bramley sold by retailers, followed by Sainsbury’s with a 24 per cent market share and Morrisons with just under 16 per cent.

Barlow reported strong fresh sales in late January and anticipates that there will be sufficient volumes to see the sector through until the new crop comes on stream in September. “There will not be much slack and with the bicentenary, it could be a tight situation as we anticipate increased demand this year,” he adds.

Insufficient stocks during the March-April 2008 period meant that growers, marketing desks and multiples worked together to de-list some packs, limit shelf space and dampen demand.

“It has taken until mid-January for the sector to recover, but we anticipate sales will continue on an upward trend,” Barlow tells FPJ.

Towards the end of 2008, sales were down by five per cent compared to the same period in 2007, although they were 14 per cent higher than the same period in 2006.

However, the processing market is proving challenging, says Barlow, due to the world demand-supply balance. “Sales are relatively modest and we are not expecting much change in the immediate future,” he tells FPJ.

There is no doubt it is going to be an exciting year for Bramley apples in 2009 and the sector is pulling out all the stops to celebrate in style.

BICENTENARY COUNTDOWN

FEBRUARY 1-8: Bramley Apple Week: The official launch of the Bramley bicentenary.

MARCH 21: The unveiling of the first new stained glass window in Southwell Minster since the millennium.

APRIL 14: Final of the Bramley Bursary, a nationwide competition to find the best new young Bramley chefs.

JULY: The Bramley Awards, celebrating the best manufactured Bramley products and those retailers and foodservice companies that have supported the cause of the Bramley.

SEPTEMBER: The arrival of the bicentenary crop of Bramley apples.

OCTOBER 4-11: Bramley Apple Pie Week.

OCTOBER 18: Bramley Race Day at Southwell racecourse.

NOVEMBER 14: Bramley float in the Lord Mayor’s Show.

Source: Bramley Campaign 6th Feb 2009