Royal Gala apple

Choose one that feels firm and has smooth, unbruised skin. A red flush over a yellow-orange background is typical, but colour alone doesn’t tell you how crisp it is.

Keep them in the fridge’s salad drawer if you want them to stay crisp; a fruit bowl is fine if you’ll eat them soon. Keep apples apart from bananas, as apples can speed up their ripening.

No: the skin is edible, so just wash the apple under running water and eat it whole or slice it. Leaving the skin on also saves time when you’re packing it for lunch.

Yes, but they’re sweet and soften as they cook, so the filling can turn quite soft. For a sharper, firmer filling, mix them with Bramley apples and use less added sugar.

Its crisp sweetness works well with mature Cheddar as a snack or in a lunchbox. Sliced apple also makes a fresh topping for porridge.

Both are sweet, but Royal Gala is usually crisp and gently sweet, while Golden Delicious tends to taste milder and softer. Choose Gala for a firmer bite.