The Fruit
‘Pilgrim 400’ is a medium-sized apple, round in shape and of rosy appearance. It is most suitable for culinary purposes although it sweetens with age and can keep through winter. This makes it a versatile apple with a good flavour whether eaten soon after picking or kept for later. When cooked, it holds its shape and can be used for a variety of sweet apple dishes. Or, quite simply, you can fry slices in butter with a sprinkling of cinnamon and nutmeg to make a mouth-watering treat!
The Tree
The original ‘Pilgrim 400’ tree was grown from a pip planted about 1970 in a residential garden in Southwell, Nottinghamshire. One of its near neighbours is the original Bramley Seedling tree. Fifty years later, the tree shows good disease resistance and is a regular cropper. It flowers mid-season and produces much fruit. Tree lovers in Nottinghamshire and Plymouth have been allowed to take material from the original tree by kind permission of the owner and are growing a number of young trees for the Mayflower commemorations in 2020.
