Those regular readers of Wetherspoon News out there will hopefully recall my total dismay at being given the seemingly thankless task of writing 700 words on 'the apple', while colleagues jetted around writing about European brewers, cocktails and so on. Seems like I am just all out of luck, as guess who received 'assignment apple' again this year - yep - yours truly.
While the task is daunting, I respect you readers too much to sneak in last year's fabulous article and so off I go again to find tales worth telling. Mind you, this flash-back intro has cleverly used up around 100 words, so life just got easier!
You will also recall that, last year, I ate my words, as well as my apples, as, once I had peeled away the skin of the apple, I was astonished at just how many facts, figures and (quite frankly) history lay behind this humble fruit.
It seems that you all agree, since the demand for the Bramley soared during 2007 and shows no sign of slowing, recently receiving a boost, following Bramley Apple Week. Just a thought - do you think that anyone has ever researched how many official 'weeks' there are in the UK? By the way, one for your diary: 5 - 12 October 2008 is Bramley Apple Pie Week.
Yes, the Bramley is definitely deserving of the tag which it was given as far back as 1883, when none other than the Royal Horticultural Society's Apple Congress proclaimed the Bramley's seedling to be 'The Apple of the Present and the Future'.
The fact that the apple is here at all owes as much to a butcher as to a gardener or cider-maker. It was butcher Matthew Bramley who, in 1846, purchased the cottage in Southwell, Nottinghamshire, where a young girl called Mary Ann Brailsford grew an apple tree from pips.
Now, I really don't want to get involved in a 'pip or tree' argument equivalent to the 'chicken and the egg' - but surely the tree whence little Mary's pip derived was the original Bramley? ..or the tree from which that pip came - but then, where did that pip come from? Enough.
The facts are that Matthew Bramley purchased the garden with the then 'Southwell Apple' flourishing and allowed a local nurseryman (Henry Merryweather) to take graftings from the tree and start to sell the apple, on the condition that (go into 19thcentury language) the apple shall be henceforth known as the 'Bramley Seedling'.
Despite a few traumas along the way, including getting blown down during the great storms of 1900, the tree is still bearing fruit today.
From the first graft, the Bramley really did flourish - so much so that the 1944 fruit census showed that, of the 6.5m trees of cooking apples in commercial plantations in England and Wales, more than one-third was the 'Bramley Seedling'. Today, those trees provide enough apples for the 64.5m apple pies consumed by the Brits annually.
Apple - the healthy choice
Apple is a good source of dietary fibre: a medium-sized apple contains about one-fifth of the daily amount of fibre thought to be good for the body.
Of the fibre in an apple, 80% is watersoluble - credited with helping to reduce blood cholesterol levels and preventing cancer.
The apple's pectin helps to fight cholesterol by trapping bile (a digestive chemical made from cholesterol).
An average apple has less sodium than does a stalk of celery, a carrot or even an ordinary glass of tap water. Reducing sodium in the diet is proven to help with combating high blood pressure.
Apples are rich in flavonoids (vitamin-like compounds which protect against the cell damage which causes heart disease and cancer).
Apples are one of the best sources of boron (a mineral believed to prevent osteoporosis and increase mental alertness).
Apples contain a natural sugar called fructose (this triggers a gradual rise in blood-sugar levels, producing a long-lasting energy boost).
100g of Bramley apple contains 12mg of vitamin C.
DID YOU KNOW?
• The word 'pie' was coined after 'magpie' - a collector of miscellaneous objects.
• Although the apple pie, as we know it, is considered to be typically American, it was the British explorers who took it across the Atlantic to the USA.
• The apple pie, in Britain, was introduced by Vikings who invaded England in the 9th and 10th centuries, bringing with them basic pie recipes. So, the long and short of it is that it's Scandinavian'ish. Sorry gran!
• The early apple pies contained whole unpeeled apples, covered by an extremely thick crust. Kinda basic approach, but then I suppose that the first Sunday roast was more crude than we have today.
Bramley - best for cooking
- and it's not just pies you know.
Bramleys are the most popular cooking apple in the UK, largely
because they contain a unique mix of acids and sugars (compared
with other apples), resulting in a stronger, tangier taste, retained after
cooking, unlike eating apples which tend to lose their natural flavour
during cooking.
Bramleys can liven up savoury dishes, such as soups and grilled meats, as well as exotic dishes - like tortillas, curries and kebabs.
You can find a whole host of recipes at www.bramleyapples.co.uk, but I have picked out a couple which caught my eye - a fresh twist on another British classic 'the bacon buttie' and an east-meets-west 'hot and sour noodles' - enjoy.
Enjoy Bramleys at Wetherspoon:
Bramley apple pie
A menu favourite - sweet shortcrust butter pastry, filled with Bramley apples, served warm with vanilla ice cream or hot custard.
Suitable for vegetarians
New from 7 May - Bramley apple, pear & raspberry crumble
Bramley apple, pear and raspberry, topped with an oaty butter crumble and served with vanilla ice cream or hot custard.
Suitable for vegetarians
Bramley & bacon buttie
Serves: 2 Preparation: 5 minutes Cooking: 10 minutes
Ingredients
1 Bramley apple, quartered, cored and sliced
1tsp vegetable oil
25g Stilton or similar blue cheese, crumbled
4 slices thick white bread
6 rashers back bacon
butter for spreading
Method
Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the bacon and cook over a medium heat for 6 - 7 minutes, turning once until golden and crisp. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
Add the Bramley apple slices to the pan and sauté over a medium heat for 3 minutes or until tender and golden. Remove from the heat.
Butter the bread and top two slices with the bacon and apples. Crumble over the stilton.
Hot and sour noodles
Serves: 4 Preparation: 5 minutes Cooking: 5 minutes
Ingredients
1 red chilli, chopped
1 tray (290g) Chinese-style stir-fry vegetables
150g large king prawns, cooked
1tbsp sesame oil
1tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp vegetable oil
2 Bramley apples, quartered, cored and sliced
250g medium egg noodles
Method
Soak the noodles according to packet's instructions, drain and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, add the Bramley apple slices and stir fry for 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate.
Add the chilli, stir-fry vegetables and prawns to the pan and stir fry for 2 mins. Return the apple slices and noodles to the pan, stir well. Finally, add the soy sauce and sesame oil and toss to mix. Serve in bowls.
The Competition
Win a day's spa pampering! Revitalise in the county home of the Bramley. Win a revitalising day's spa experience for two, at Eden Hall, with gift vouchers worth £350.
Check it out: www.edenspa.co.uk
For your chance to win this fantastic prize, simply answer the following question, complete your details and click on Submit below. Closing date for entries: 30/5/08
Terms and conditions:Competitions open to all UK residents over the age of 18, excluding employees of the promoter, their respective families and agents or anyone directly connected with these competitions. Acceptance of the rules is a condition of entry. No purchase necessary. Entries must be received no later than 30/5/08, except for the Fetzer competition, where entries must be received no later than 1/5/08. Proof of dispatch is not proof of receipt. The winner will be the first correctly answered entry drawn. Where multiple prizes are offered, the winners will be the first relevant number of correct entries drawn. Where the prize requires travelling to or from a venue, transport costs and incidental expenses will be the responsibility of the prize-winner(s), except when detailed otherwise in the prize description. The judge’s decision is final; no correspondence will be entered into. One entry per household. The winner/winners will be notified by post. No cash alternative available. The prize(s) will be delivered to one UK address (where the prize(s) are goods for delivery). The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend this promotion, owing to events arising beyond its control. The promoter is not responsible for any third-party acts or omissions. Promoter: J D Wetherspoon plc, Wetherspoon House, Reeds Crescent, Central Park, Watford, WD24 4QL
