Duchess's Favourite

An attractive apple with a sharp strawberry flavour.

Origin: Surrey UK, 1800

Pollination: Duchess's Favourite is self-sterile and would require a pollinator to produce a crop. Pollination partners

Duchess's Favourite apple trees produced to order

Closing date for custom graft orders: 14 Jul 2024

We do not stock this variety, but we can produce custom-graft trees for you. Trees can be grafted on any of the following rootstocks:

Form	Rootstock	Price
Maiden	M9Dwarfing	£39.00
Maiden	M26Semi-dwarfing	£39.00
Maiden	MM106Semi-vigorous	£39.00
Maiden	MM111Vigorous	£39.00
Maiden	M25Very vigorous	£39.00

Custom graft trees would be supplied in December 2025. More details of our custom grafting service here.

History and description of Duchess's Favourite

Duchess's Favourite was raised in about 1800 by Mr Cree, nurseryman of Addlestone, Surrey and named after the Duchess of York who lived nearby. A popular Victorian garden apple. Widely grown around London and in the Vale of Evesham in the 19th century and in Kent in the early 1900’s.

An attractive, colourful apple. Small to medium-sized fruit. Round to flat- round shape, slightly ribbed. Bright red flush and faint red stripes over a pale greenish yellow background. Firm white flesh, sometimes tinged red. Quite sharp with a strawberry flavour.

Characteristics of Duchess's Favourite apple trees

Use	Dessert
Colour	Red
Flavour	Subacid
Fruit size	Small
Picking time	Early Sep
Season of use	Sep
Tree vigour	Moderate
Tree habit	Upright-spreading
Fruit-bearing	Spur-bearer
Cropping	Heavy
Pollination date	10
Pollination group	C
Self-fertility	Self-sterile
Pollinators	Pollination partners