Judges report “very good” quality depsite difficult growing season, with 2026 Show marking Ali Capper’s final day as BAPL’s executive chair
Jazz apples have once again been named the UK’s Tastiest Apple at the 2026 National Fruit Show, extending the variety’s impressive winning streak.
The branded variety has claimed the title 10 times in the last 11 years, making it the most successful branded variety in the award’s history.
Established in 1933, this year’s National Fruit Show took place on Wednesday 4 November at the Kent Showground, and attracted its highest visitor numbers since moving to a one-day format.
Growers, advisers, researchers and suppliers gathered to exchange knowledge, catch up with industry contacts and visit over 70 trade stands. The competition’s central display of British apples, pears and nuts remained at the heart of the event.
This year’s winning entry for Tastiest Apple was grown by the team in Newlands Farm in Kent. The Boucher family have been farming in Kent for over 130 years, with 2026 marking their first entry in the category.
The win coincides as the new British Jazz season get underway, which kicked off in late-October with an orchard event hosted by Kent grower Chandler & Dunn.
Tony Harding, technical and procurement director at Worldwide Fruit, said growers had persevered through a “challenging” season, with the summer sunshine helping produce fruit with strong colouration, favourable sizing and high sugar levels.
He said the quality was comparable with that typically associated with apples grown in more continental climates, such as France and Italy.
Hannah McIlfatrick of Worldwide Fruit added that the victory reflected the growing popularity of the brand, highlighting its consistency, taste and flavour.
Claygate Farms also secured two awards, taking the best Gala and best Braeburn categories, while J L Baxter & sons won best pears.
Beatrice Ashdown, exhibiting Braeburn from Chandler & Dunn, took the NFU South East Prize for Best Fruit Exhibit in Show.
Nick Dunn of tree nursery Frank P Matthews was awarded the Jon Jones memorial trophy for notable contributions to the UK fruit industry.
Dunn was recognised for his propagation skills, the introduction of new varieties to the UK and willingness to share knowledge and expertise across the sector.
Hail, heat and drought
Despite the tough growing season, the 2026 competition attracted over 90 entries from over 33 entrants.
Although entries were down on 2025, they remained above the number received in 2024.
Annette Bardsley, chair of competitions, said: “The 2026 season was fraught with weather issues from hail to drought, and we were not surprised to see that reflected in the number of commercial top fruit competition entries this year.”
Jonathan Blackman, chair of judges, highlighted some seasonal issues as a result of conditions, such as fruit softness, greasiness and pest pressure, although scab was less evident following the summer’s dry conditions.
“Given everything growers have faced this year, the standard of fruit entered into the competition was very good,” he added.
BAPL calls for greater collaboration
Ali Capper, who opened the show on her final day as executive chair of British Apples and Pears Limited (BAPL), praised growers as “a pretty resilient bunch”, urging the industry to maintain the “collegiate” spirit demonstrated over the past year.
She expressed confidence in the future of British topfruit production, pointing to growth in British apple sales over the past decade despite a largely stagnant overall market.
Capper highlighted initiatives including the publication of monthly sales data and smart orchard workshops as examples of progress driven by the organisation.
According to BAPL data, combined sales of British apples and pears reached 180,506 tonnes in the 2025/26 season, up 10.4 per cent year on year.
At BAPL’s annual British Apple Harvest Event in September, Tesco took the award for highest sales of British apples, recording 34,436 tonnes – just 190 tonnes ahead of Aldi’s record total of 34,246 tonnes.
Sainsbury’s led British pear sales with 6,012 tonnes, an increase of 13.7 per cent on the previous season.
September sales data also highlighted the strong performance of discounters Aldi and Lidl, which accounted for a greater proportion of British apple sales than their respective shares of the overall grocery market.
Capper stressed that the industry was “at a pivotal moment,” with work underway on the new Horticulture Sector Growth Plan, which she described as “the best chance we’ve had” to secure the sector’s future growth.
Reducing audit burdens on growers was identified as a key barrier to investment and expansion, alongside calls for closer collaboration to increase British apples’ share of UK retail sales from 40 per cent to 60 per cent by 2035.
She added: “Growers need confidence in the policy environment and confidence in their commercial relationships, together, before they will commit to growth. Get both right, and the investment will follow.”
