Cameo apples are set to come onto the market in volume this week, following the identification of the variety as the tastiest apple at a press tasting session with Professor Tim Jacob of Cardiff University.
The event, held at London’s Soho House, followed Cameo’s triple recognition as the Tastiest Apple at the National Fruit Show in 2008 and 2009 and Best Exhibit at the 2009 show, based on appearance.
The press session, held with journalists from consumer magazines including Good Housekeeping, Eat In and House & Garden, as well as FPJ, took in the five key tastes - salt, sweet, sour, bitter and savoury, otherwise known as umami - as well as practical demonstrations.
As part of the taste test, the journalists were asked to blind taste three apple varieties including Cameo and a selection of other favourites. All the participants picked out Cameo as their preferred apple.
The variety, which is a distinctive red dessert apple with gold speckles, is now available in commercial quantities and arrived in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, The Co-operative, Budgens and Booths on Monday.
Adrian Barlow, chief executive of English Apples & Pears, told freshinfo: “It has been really interesting to find out just how sensitive people are to taste and as today has shown, consumers should find Cameo to have an extremely pleasant taste and be the preferred apple - it is not just a marketing claim, Cameo really has got something.”
