Pink Lady in the UK

Roving Apple Ambassador Dr. Helen Cripps Reports

Helen has been continuing her research on the success of the Pink Lady Brand overseas as she pays homage to her late father, John Cripps. This research and information gathering is unpaid but valuable to the legacy of the WA apple industry.  Helen is highly motivated by understanding the impact of her dad's work worldwide, which she increasingly understands in her travels.

Helen's tour of Pink Lady apple growers in Europe ended with a surprising discovery. Although she knew Pink Lady apples were grown in the UK, she didn't know where exactly. Being a thorough investigator, she searched for "pink lady apples grown in England" on Google and found Scripps Orchards upon arriving in the country.

Fortunately, Tom Christensen from Scripps responded to her request and invited her to visit the orchards in Kent, where she could see the Pink Lady Apples. Despite being extremely busy in late September with the harvest of Braeburns and Red Pops, Tom, and James Simpson still took the time to show her around the orchard. Scripps had recently licensed the growth of Pink Lady trees from Star Fruits but faced difficulties with the trees during the first few growing seasons. However, the trees are now thriving.

Currently, the Pink Lady apples sold in the UK are imported from outside the country. Tom and James aspire to offer Pink Lady apples grown locally as an alternative for consumers who prefer to eat locally-grown produce to support their local growers, just as in WA. This will also help in meeting the high demand for locally sourced fruit.

It's interesting to note that the Scripps orchard is situated less than 100 km away from the place where Helen's father, John Cripps, was raised. Moreover, the orchard grows some original Pink Lady apples, which Helen considers the best. According to Helen, her father wasn't fond of the apples that grew in his family's garden in Steyning. This led him later to establish a breeding program in Western Australia to create a better apple.

Helen thinks her dad would be 'tickled pink' that the apple he bred is now grown in the country of his birth - the story coming full circle.

Helen remains dedicated to promoting the apple industry in Western Australia and will be continuing by working on a heritage and produce trail for apple growers.

Nardia Stacy