Season: October to December

Russet is a classic English apple from the Victorian era and remains popular with apple lovers who appreciate its unique flavour and appearance.

This is an apple that dares to be different! It is a variety with a dry flesh - a style of apple that has not attracted the attentions of mainstream apple breeders, but seems to have a dedicated following.

Despite its unique appearance, Russet has many of the characteristics which mark out a good apple: a harmony of flavour and texture, and a good balance between sweetness and sharpness.

Appearance: the shape is flat round. The skin is rough with a light brown/golden yellow colour, frequently with some brown russet. A medium sized apple with colouring of an attractive dull gold flecked with yellow, the flesh is moist with a more delicate flavour than most varieties whilst being quite sweet. The flavour and the soft flesh are reminiscent of a firm pear. Yet russet is surprisingly versatile, working well in savoury salads for example, and a popular partner for cheese.

Russets are very distinctive apples both in terms of appearance and taste. The flavour is very distinctive being nutty and sweet. The skin is relatively thick and the flesh is crisp, fine-textured and firm. This variety is by far the most important russet grown commercially in UK and it is available from late September until early February. The variety represents about 6% of the total volume of the commercial production of eating apples grown in UK.