Apple Variety Laxton's Epicure
The Laxton brothers raised several other apples e.g. Laxton's Superb and Laxton's Fortune, and a few plums as I recall. Laxton's Epicure is a 'second early' variety i.e. not the very first apple to come ripe but just after the earliest sorts, and before the main crop comes in during September and October.
It was raised in Bedford in 1909 from a cross of Cox's Orange Pippin and Wealthy.
I like it very much, and it is ripe as I write (3rd week of August) but tends to be at it best more like 1st and 2nd weeks September further north-we are on the south coast and have ligth sandy soil, so our apples ripen very early most years.
It needs thinning, can give a branch-breakingly heavy crop. A good apple, one of my top 20. Will keep a littel longer than teh very early fruits lke Miller's Seedling and Irish Peach, but you want to eat ripe from the tree or store cool and eat within 2 weeks or it will start to go soft. Share with friends.
A really great idea has just entered my head, why not form an 'apple ring' with neighbours, if several of you only have space in your garden for one tree, why not plant co-operatively a number of varieties whch ripen one after another and share the fruits in sequence as they ripen? The apples which are ripe in August are gone in September, the September apples will be gone by the time the October aples are ripe, and you can still enjoy naturally late keeping aples like Sturmer Pippin and Suntan into teh new Year, but they are unripe until stored for a month or two.
That would be so much bettter than having too many apples for 2 weeks and then none. Its a sort of co-operativist socialism! (thinking about president Obama and the NHS probably made me think of that!?!) but I promise it won't turn you into a commie.