Cleopatra (Ortley)
Fruit ripening time: March - April

Extremely crunchy and juicy, with a mild sweet flavour, considered lightly acidic, with hints of pineapple flavour. The flesh is creamy white, tender and juicy. A pale-green skin with patches of red.
The exact parentage of this apple is unknown, and it is likely a chance seedling. Known by a variety of names, including ‘Ortley’, the commercial name ‘Cleopatra’ was adopted in 1872.
This apple stores well, although the thin skin bruises easily, which is probably why you won’t find this variety on supermarket shelves. Vigorous and tends towards being a biannual cropper
Uses: A fresh eating apple, dried apple rings, apple butter and apple pies. Excellent baking apple, as it becomes fluffy when cooked
Pollinators: Akané, Braeburn, Cox’s Orange Pippin, Granny Smith, Mutsu, Worcester Pearmain, white flowering Crabapples. Flowering Group 3.