One of the best apples around, James Grieve was awarded its RHS AGM in 1993 for its handsome apples and overall demeanour. The green fruit are large and attractively streaked with red while the flesh is cream and very, very juicy. Early in the season the fruit can be quite sharp and are used for cooking where they keep their shape which is useful in apple tarts or strudel. As the apple ages on the tree it sweetens but always retains that slight edge to make it so wonderfully refreshing. The texture is relatively soft, being more like a firm pear. Once picked in September, perfect specimens will store for a month or two while windfalls make marvellous juice. Importantly the predominantly pink but quite discreet blossom is remarkably frost proof so you don't lose your crop if there is an unseasonally late frost even though the blossoms is quite early being at the end of April. Another huge strength of this tree is that it is resistant to scab.