I never imagined that I would return home from our short road trip and write a tale about the humble Bramley apple, but so often you come across the unexpected when you are out and about exploring?
Over 200 years ago in 1809, Mary Ann Brailsford, a young girl living in the small town of Southwell, Nottinghamshire, grew the first ever Bramley apple tree from a pip she had planted in the family's garden. She sowed several pips from apples already growing in the garden and one of them years later produced the Bramley apple we know and love today.
In 1856, Henry Merryweather, a 17 year old youth came across a gardener in Southwell carrying some of the apples, and enquired as to where they had been grown. By this time, the garden containing the apple tree belonged to a butcher called Matthew Bramley.
Mr Bramley agreed that Mr Merryweather could take cuttings from the tree and grow them at his family's plant nursery, provided that they were given the name Bramley's Seedling. In truth, perhaps, the name should really have been Mary Ann's Seedling! but by this time the little girl was long gone.
Today there are now more than 300 Bramley apple growers in England.
It is universally acknowledged that the Bramley cooking apple is the perfect apple for pies etc - in my own humble opinion the Bramley reigns supreme
On our first night away we stayed at a very contemporary hotel situated within Nottingham University's campus, strangely called 'The Orchard' with a restaurant called
Being of a curious nature I was interested to discover more.
In 1991 the original Bramley's Seedling apple tree in the Southwell garden was under attack on two fronts - old age and honey fungus.
Biologists from the University of Nottingham saved the tree from the fungus and it still continues fruiting to this day. But they also ensured the future of the Bramley apple, by using modern biotechnology methods to clone the original tree, thereby preserving it's unique fruit.
Now, 12 of the cloned trees are thriving and fruiting in the Millennium Garden at Nottingham University Park behind the hotel. This guarantees that future generations of gardeners will have access to the original form of the "Bramley's seedling", even after the ancient tree inevitably stops fruiting.
The Orchard Hotel thus pays homage to the Bramley Apple by naming it's restaurant 'Bramleys Brasserie', which happens to serve delicious food too!!!
This week the Bramley apple blossom was picture perfect in the university orchard
On our first night away we stayed at a very contemporary hotel situated within Nottingham University's campus, strangely called 'The Orchard' with a restaurant called
In 1991 the original Bramley's Seedling apple tree in the Southwell garden was under attack on two fronts - old age and honey fungus.
Biologists from the University of Nottingham saved the tree from the fungus and it still continues fruiting to this day. But they also ensured the future of the Bramley apple, by using modern biotechnology methods to clone the original tree, thereby preserving it's unique fruit.
Now, 12 of the cloned trees are thriving and fruiting in the Millennium Garden at Nottingham University Park behind the hotel. This guarantees that future generations of gardeners will have access to the original form of the "Bramley's seedling", even after the ancient tree inevitably stops fruiting.
The Orchard Hotel thus pays homage to the Bramley Apple by naming it's restaurant 'Bramleys Brasserie', which happens to serve delicious food too!!!
This week the Bramley apple blossom was picture perfect in the university orchard
