Welcome to the GOOD FRUIT GUIDE
Why use the GOOD FRUIT GUIDE?
- Search the Good Fruit Directories for objective assessment of fruit varieties, including ratings
- View the blogs to get help to find the best and tastiest fruit on sale in UK
- Take advantage of the fruit seasons to get the best value
- Improve your enjoyment of fruit that you buy by learning more about the best varieties
- Find out more about the fruit on sale in UK by month
Latest Blog: The Best Fruit for August
Latest Variety Information:
- Apple: Opal (posted 30th March 2024)
- Apple: LoliPop (posted 19th March 2024)
- Pear: Angélys (posted 3rd March 2024)
- Grape: Muscat Beauty (updated 1st March 2024)
- Grape: Bebop (posted 19th February 2024)
- Orange: Onix (posted 19th February 2024)
- Mango: Ataulfo (updated 15th February 2024)
- Apple: RegalYou (Candine)(posted 4th February 2024)
- Mango: Palmer (posted 5th January 2024)
- Apple: Magic Star (Kentish Kiss)(posted 3rd January 2024)
- Apple: Rubens (updated 27th December 2023)
- Pear: Dazzling Gold (Uta)(posted 26th December 2023)
- Mango: King David (posted 12th October 2023)
- Mandarin: Sigal (posted 7th August 2023)
- Apple: Red Pop (posted 26th July 2023)
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You have been away for quite some time now, any chance of a new app update or a new blog or are you gone for good? We need your fruit advice!
Sorry for the lack of blogs: a consequence, to some extent, of the pandemic. I’m working on an alternative approach which will hopefully be just as informative.
I understand, the pandemic has been hard on everyone. I see your posting regularly now again and I can say that it is great to see you back Nick! Here’s to a hopefully better 2021 for good fruit!
Hi Nick. Great blog, it must be hard work to keep going!
Dates seem to be a mystery. Lidl had excellent Medjool dates last year, I bought a few boxes and they lasted for months.
They’re on the shelves again now, I bought a couple of boxes. OK but not as good as last year, much less consistent.
Stay well!
Why is website showing November when it is now 8 December. Otherwise as it is my first visit I found a fantastic amount of helpful info
Quite right! The December recommendations are a bit delayed, but will be posted in a day or two.
Thanks for your interest,
Nick Ball
Good to see you back in action – keep up the fruity news flowing please.
Thank you, Masayuki. I’m glad to be back in action!
Regards, Nick Ball
Hope you managed to come through lockdown unscathed, just wanted to use this opportunity to thank you so much for your fabulous fruit-bowl of knowledge, so generously offered… I don’t leave home without it (when I’m allowed to leave my home). Like Marge Simpson once said, “fruit is Nature’s candy”, and you are most assuredly the Candy Man!
Well, thank you, Camille. Your comments are very gratefully received. The Good Fruit Guide is a labour of love and it is wonderful to have some positive feedback.
Regards, Nick Ball
Thanks so much for the wonderful guide. I’ve learned so much and been eating loads more fruit thanks to you!
Thank you, Mizuki,
I am delighted to be of help.
Regards,
Nick Ball
Hi Nick,
I came across your website randomly while I was searching for a fruit variety, and really appreciate the effort you put in updating the monthly good fruit guide! Thank you so much for making eating fruits more enjoyable and affordable : )
Cheers,
E.C
Thanks, EC,
I very much appreciate your comments and am glad that the guide is useful.
Regards,
Nick
This is such an informative site, love the detailed info on which country’s apples are available when by month in the UK. 15/10 – – no exaggeration – as I have been searching for this info for ages
Thanks, Susan,
It is great to get some feedback that suggests that the website is useful.
Regards,
NIck Ball
Hi
I also just wanted to thank you for all the effort you put into this website. It’s a fantastic resource and invaluable when choosing fruit: grapes and plums in particular!
Best wishes
Thanks, Ellie,
It’s great to have your feedback, and I appreciate the time you have taken to give it.
All the best,
Nick Ball
Ah!
I hadn’t realised my comment had ever gone on!
I have a question: where have all of the Empire apples gone? They used to be delicious and everywhere but vanished about 10 years ago.
Ellie
Hi Ellie,
Your question about Empire apples is interesting. Back in the mid 90’s, I was the apple technologist at Tesco, and the buyer and I introduced Empire apples as a much better alternative to Red Delicious. We were helped by an excellent supplier called Empire World Trade, who were specialists in the variety and had perfected the import of the best quality Empires from Canada and USA (New York State). Empire is a tricky variety to handle because of McIntosh parentage which makes them prone to soft texture, which diminishes the eating experience despite the great flavour. The best Empire is very crisp, so quality standards had to be strict to ensure customers would repeat-purchase. Following the introduction of north American Empire at Tesco, the variety started to be grown in UK. I was always slightly concerned that the UK fruit would not be the same because of the growing condition here – the variety benefits from very cold winter-chill. However, for a number of years, the UK-grown fruit was sold in a number of supermarkets, and was quite reasonable to eat, though not quite as good as the US/Canada fruit. I haven’t seen Empire in a UK supermarket for 4-5 years, so I guess the UK version never performed well for the growers, and the import of the US/Canada version became hard work when compared to some of the newer varieties. It’s a pity, as it is a great variety: tangy, sweet, juicy and pleasingly crisp without being hard.
All the best, Nick Ball
I want to know more about the new grape varieties like varieties (Arra)
Hello Waleed,
There are some descriptions of new grape varieties in the fruit directory of the Good Fruit Guide, but another place to look is the websites of the main grape breeders. Some of the most well known breeders are as follows:
Grapaes (Arra) – https://grapaes.com/varieties/
Sunworld – https://www.sun-world.com/proprietary-grape-varieties/
SNFL/Sheehan – https://snflgroup.com/varieties_category/black-seedless/
International Fruit Genetics (IFG) – https://ifg.world/index.php/grapes
Institute of Agricultural Research (INIA), Chile – https://www.mels-project.eu/agricultural-research-institute-inia-chile/
Regards,
Nick Ball
This website is my go to for fruit advice as I live in Wales and is quite helpful for finding good supermarket fruit. Any new blogs coming soon this year.
Hi Robert,
Thanks very much for your comments: I’m glad the site is useful.
Currently, there are no new blogs planned as the 2020 series on each month hasn’t really changed much.
All the best,
Nick Ball
Very informative site,just what I have been looking for, thanks
This is a great website, thanks Nick!!
Thanks very much!
VORREI SENTIRE QUALCUNO NON RIESCO A FARE ORDINE.GRAZIE
Ciao,
Grazie per il vostro messaggio.
Il sito web Good Fruit Guide non serve per ordinare forniture di frutta o materiale da vivaio, ma serve solo per consigliare i consumatori sulla migliore frutta fresca da mangiare.
Saluti,
Nick Ball
Really glad that the newsletter is back – I’m back to wandering around the supermarket switching between your website on the phone and reading the tiny labels. Your recommendations on grapes were spot on for Christmas.
Thank you!
Perfect!
Thanks for your comment, Conor.
Welcome back to active updating of this. I always use it when getting my fruit.
Thanks, David.
It is helpful to know that the updates are useful.