Red Foxwhelp cider apple trees

(Herefordshire Redstreak)

• Check pollinators >

• Self-fertility: Not self-fertile
• Flowering group: 5

Red Foxwhelp is a highly-regarded traditional English cider apple.

Cider produced from this variety often has a red tint and is capable of achieving a high alcohol content.

Red Foxwhelp organic cider apple trees for sale

Next deliveries: January - February 2025

• 1 yeartree on MM111 rootstock23.25€
  Large tree (3m-5m after 10 years) Bare-root
  

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If you do not hear from us by March you can contact us to pre-order for next autumn.

History

The Foxwhelps are a group of old cider varieties originating from the traditional cider-growing areas of Herefordshire and Gloucestershire.

In 2016 DNA testing showed that Red Foxwhelp was identical to another well-known west country cider variety, Herefordshire Redstreak, which is known to have been raised from a pip by Lord Scudamore, who owned an estate in Herefordshire in the 17th century. It is possible that he obtained the pips from France, since he was the ambassador of King Charles 1 in France from about 1634.

Redstreak quickly became a very successful and popular cider variety, on account of its both attractive red juice, and its ability to produce cider with a high alcohol content.

This article by Lily Waite gives more insight into the Foxwhelp cider apples.

Red Foxwhelp characteristics

• Gardening skillAverage
• Self-fertilityNot self-fertile
• Flowering group5
• Picking seasonVery late
• Food usesHard cider
• Summer average maximum temperaturesCool ( 20-24C / 68-75F)
• Country of originUnited Kingdom
• Period of origin1650 - 1699
• Fruit colourOrange / Red

Similar varieties

• 
  Amere Nouvelle
  Amere Nouvelle is a traditional French bittersweet cider apple.
• 
  Dabinett
  Dabinett is a traditional English cider apple variety, producing a bittersweet juice.
• 
  Kingston Black
  Kingston Black is one of the premier English cider varieties and produces a bittersharp juice.
• 
  Michelin
  Michelin (or Normandie Blanc) is a traditional French cider apple variety producing a bittersweet juice.

More about cider apple trees

Cider production in Europe is traditionally associated with three main regions - Asturias in north west Spain, Bretagne and Normandie in north west France, and the "west country" area of south-west England. These regions all face the Atlantic ocean and have cool temperate maritime climates.

Cider can of course be made with any variety of apples, but in these three regions apple varieties have evolved which are specifically intended for cider production - they have high levels of tannins which give "body" to the resulting cider, but which make them very unpalatable to eat fresh.

Good quality cider is almost always made with a blend of different apple varieties, using bitter, sweet, and sharp flavour components. It is quite common to mix in regular cooking and dessert apples to lend extra flavours.

If you are in an area with a hotter continental climate (with average summer maximum temperatures routinely over 30C) then you might want to consider using apple varieties that can withstand warmer temperatures, but still have good juice qualities. In this case rather than using European varieties you might want to seek inspiration from the very different "hard cider" traditions of North America, where dessert and crab-apples are widely used.

We have a good range of traditional English and French cider varieties, as well as a number of mainstream apple varieties with good juice qualities that lend themselves to cider production.