Autumn is well and truly upon us and we've tweaked what goes in our fruit boxes to reflect the passing of summer.
Joining bananas, satsumas, kiwis, plums and grapes are two of England's finest fruits – Cox's orange pippin apples and conference pears.
The Cox's orange pippin is widely regarded as the finest of all eating apples and takes its name from retired brewer Richard Cox who in 1820s retired from Bermondsey to Colnbrook, near Slough, to pursue his hobby of horticulture.
He took a Ribston pippin, pollinated it with a Blenheim orange, and waited for a decade, before as minor miracle slowly unfolded in his garden.
The Cox's orange pippin is known for its superb balance of sugars with tartness and a wonderfully honeyed aroma. It has a firm texture but is not hard and has good levels of juice.
The conference pear, meanwhile, has a long, thin shape and a russet-coloured sweet and juicy flesh.
Again these are a traditional English fruit and complement many a winter dessert.
The conference accounts for well over 90 per cent of the commercially grown English pear crop, and was bred by Thomas Francis Rivers at his family nursery in Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire.
He first announced it to the public at a pear congress in 1885, which had been advertised as a Pear Conference, and from which he adopted the name.
The fruit was an immediate success being hailed for its taste, texture and keeping abilities, and was awarded a first-class certificate.
Both apples and pears are naturally sodium free and reducing consumption of this contributes to maintaining a normal blood pressure.
These fruits are also free of saturated fat which also helps to keep blood cholesterol levels normal.
If you'd like to know more about fruit boxes from Countrywise Water Coolers contact our sales team on 0800 061 2193.
