She described the taste of the new apple as excellent for making pur\u00e9e. She said its flavour changes considerably as it ripens, “from sharp to lovely, before becoming slightly wine-like when overripe”.<\/p>\n
Deppe said DNA testing showed that the new apple’s probable parent varieties were two 19th-century apples: Newton Wonder and James Grieve.<\/p>\n
“Newton Wonder grew from a tree found in the thatched roof of a pub in King Newton, Derbyshire, in about 1870, while James Grieve is a Scottish apple dating from 1893,” Deppe said.<\/p>\n
The current owner of the tree, who wished to remain anonymous, said they were “glad to be part of this wonderful discovery”, but who planted the tree, and why, remains a local mystery. <\/p>\n
Deppe said research by a family historian, along with conversations with previous residents, has not yet provided an answer.<\/p>\n
“Fruit trees were once common in Luton gardens, and the area around the tree is shown as containing fruit trees on historic Ordnance Survey maps,” she added.<\/p>\n
Luton Orchards has drawn up a shortlist of names for the new apple, with the public invited to vote. <\/p>\n