NATIONAL Bramley Apple Week takes place from next Monday — and that most English of apples is likely to be taking pride of place in dishes served in pubs, restaurants and hotels throughout West Devon over the next few days. Grown specifically for cooking, the Bramley apple was developed by Henry Merryweather, the great-grandfather of West Devon resident Celia Steven, who lives in Buckland Monachorum. Bramley apples retain their flavour once cooked, unlike many eating apples, but produce a light and fluffy texture which gives them a very special quality for many recipes. The Dartmoor Inn at Lydford will be celebrating the apple all week with a range of special dishes featuring the Bramley. Proprietor Karen Burgess said: 'It's such a fantastic apple, we use it a lot in our recipes, so we'll definitely be celebrating it during the week.' Karen said Andrew Honey, the head chef at the Dartmoor Inn, had put together a delicious collection of recipes with a Bramley feel, including slowly cooked belly pork with fennel seeds and roasted Bramley apples, caramelised Bramley apple sponge pudding with vanilla sauce and clotted cream, a Bramley apple custard and honey tart, Bramley bread and a Bramley ice-cream with walnut biscuits.
