Introducing the tom-apple: Crisp, juicy and red all the way through (but the Redlove variety won't be in supermarkets for a year)



From the outside it appears to be just another apple.

But on deeper inspection the fruit reveals its true colours.

Take a bite and you will find the Redlove's distinctive hue runs all the way through to the core.



Deceptive: It may look like a tomato, but this is the world's first red-fleshed apple that has gone on sale in Britain

Not only is the apple said to be extremely tasty – it has a 'berry nuance' – it is even healthier than your average apple as its red flesh is richer in antioxidants.

The new fruit will even keep its colour after being cooked or pressed, producing cider that looks more like cranberry juice – or an unusual looking apple pie.





It also has the advantage of not turning brown, making it better than normal apples as an ingredient in a fruit salad.

Natural: The rosy-red apple has been grown without the use of genetic modification techniques

The Redlove is the result of 20 years of painstaking work by Markus Kobert, a Swiss fruit grower.

He has cross-pollinated a number of varieties – including one that has pink flesh but no taste – to come up with the Redlove.

Seed and sapling company Suttons has secured exclusive rights to sell the fruit trees in Britain, with 1,500 orders taken from amateur gardeners already.

Orchards across Europe are being planted with saplings so the apples can be produced on a commercial scale.

British supermarkets are expected to start selling them within the next few years.

Tom Sharples, spokesman for Suttons, which is based in Paignton, Devon, said: 'This is the very first red-fleshed, fine-tasting apple in the world.

'It has a delicious sweet and tangy taste with a hint of berries to it if eaten raw and is also ideal for cooking.'

He added: 'This has been a natural breeding process and no genetic modification techniques have been used.

'The trees were grown in tunnels rather than outdoors so that there would be no random pollination from bees.'

Two varieties of Redlove have been produced. They are the Era, which can be harvested from September and stored up until Christmas, and the Sirena which are harvested from August and stored until October.

As well as the eye-catching fruit, their trees produce beautiful deep pink blossom in the spring. The saplings are available from Suttons, costing £24.95.'