English Apples

As I'm sure you all know, finding a decent range of English apples in a supermarket, is almost as hard as finding a free-range Chicken at the moment. If we believe what the supermarket buyers tell us, the English apple season lasts from September (tasteless, unripe Discovery's) to December (tasteless, unripe Cox's), and there's simply no demand for a ripe, tasty, home grown apple with an old-fashioned name, at any time of the year. Unless you're prepared to buy chill-stored Cox's or Bramleys, that's about it for most supermarkets, though if it's a South African Granny Smith, or Chilean Braeburn you're after, these are always in plentiful supply.

Which begs the question, if supermarkets can't source a decent range of English apples at any time of the year, how is it that Smith's Farm Shop of Wisbech, can offer over half a dozen varieties of their own apples throughout the Spring, and even as far as early Summer. This traditional roadside fruit & veg stall is another good reason to visit Wisbech at this time of year, and I always buy a couple of their well-filled bags of apples when passing. It's also another good reason to avoid shopping in supermarkets which, it seems to me, will always be too big and inflexible to meet the increasing demand for quality English produce.

Smith's Farm Shop is located on the Cromwell Road, just off the A47 south of Wisbech.