The secrets of a British apple pie

‘As American as apple pie’, or so the saying goes. But what happens if the apple pie in question isn’t actually American?

America is the source of many of my most beloved vintage recipes, especially puddings, and particularly pies. But the knock-on effect is that sometimes they can overshadow similar dishes that come from other places. The British apple pie is not quite an underdog in this fight, but it’s certainly less celebrated than its cousin from across the pond.

It took a while for apples to take hold in the US. Only crab apples were native to America, and they were small and sour – no good for baking with. The early colonists of Jamestown brought apple seeds and cuttings with them, but those seeds took a while to turn into trees, and when they did bear fruit, it was mainly used fo