Monty's Surprise is a late-season dual-purpose apple from New Zealand, primarily used for eating fresh.
The apples are typically quite large, often 300g-400g per apple, with a pale green skin extensively covered wtih red flush.
All apples have anti-oxidants in the skin and flesh and pips, but Monty's Surprise apples typically have very high levels of these compounds, which are thought to be beneficial for human health.
The apples do not keep for long, and juicing is perhaps the best way to preserve the valuable anti-oxidants - the juice can easily be frozen.
Monty's Surprise has average disease-resistance but it is not widely grown so its track-record against scab and canker is not established. It appears somewhat susceptible to fireblight. The skin also bruises extremely easily, and bruised apples will not keep. Even the act of picking the apples by hand needs to be done gently.
Next deliveries: December 2025
Let me know when Monty's Surprise apple trees are back in stock.
If you do not hear from us by March you can contact us to pre-order for next autumn.
The original Monty's Surprise apple tree was found growing as a chance seedling in New Zealand at the end of the 20th century. The lone tree was estimated to be roughly 80-90 years old at the time - so the pip it grew from must have fallen to the ground around the period of the First World War.
You can find out more about the interesting history of Monty's Suprise from Mark Christensen, who helped discover it.
At the end of the First World War the town of Le Quesnoy in northern France where our nursery is now located was liberated by New Zealand troops, who stormed the Middle Age ramparts of the town. Since then close ties have been maintained between the town and New Zealand, and Le Quesnoy is one of two towns in France where ANZAC day is commemorated. In 2018 a Monty's Surprise apple tree was planted at a ceremony to mark 100 years since the event.
