Allington

I've got two Allington apples today: one large, the other slightly smaller. They are classically shaped, long stemmed and nearly unribbed. ¶ 

The apples wear a semigloss skin of yellow that is almost a spring green, with a partial red blush that comprises darker red steaks and specks in an orange wash. ¶ 

There is some russet in the mix around the stem well, but the kind of textured, subdued olive-toned red you can see in my photos is mostly just the thin blush, with its streaks and spots, spread over the underlying green-tinged yellow.

Every apple has lenticels, but Allington's are faint and most easily detected by their shape, rather than color. Under close examination in bright light, they present as tiny indentations or holes in the cuticle tissue.

The apples are quite firm.

Interior assessment

Allington is one of those apples that manages to be both fairly dense and reasonably juicy. The flesh is fine-grained and off-white. 

Allington's sugar-acid balance favors tart but is in the zone, and the flavors are rich and very good: citrus, cane sugar, cream soda, and spice with perhaps a hint of pear.

Other resources describe pineapple, which I do not find, and tender flesh, so perhaps a month or so would mellow Allington and bring other flavors forward.

Origins and lore

Orange Pippin tells us that Allington was another Thomas Laxton apple, circa 1870, originally called South Lincoln Beauty. It was subsequently popularized by the owner of the Allington Nursery.

(Update: A reader has a bit more about Allington's owner.)

Keepers Nursery calls Allington "a dual purpose apple with a strong sharp, bitter-sweet flavour."

The National Fruit Collection (UK) has more, including the full original name, "Browns South Lincoln Beauty," and others. 

These accounts locate Allington as a high-quality Victorian desert apple. A very enjoyable one, I add.

Many of these sources, and others, say Allington keeps into the winter.