"lost" apple varieties hiding unsuspected in orchards around the UK, and his work taps into a renewed British passion for its rich larder of heritage apples.

While you'd be lucky to find half a dozen apple varieties in any supermarket (some of those imported), there are currently around 2,200 species of apple recorded in Britain's National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm in Kent, with new discoveries being made by apple hunters around the country.

Adams' apple-detecting beat focuses on The Marches, an ancient heartland of British apple growing that takes a bite out of the counties of Shropshire and Herefordshire where England merges into Wales. It was here, in a neglected orchard, that a single tree bearing mysterious bright yellow apples stirred his curiosity. No one knew when it was planted and neither Adams' expert eye nor archival records could quickly identify the variety. 

It took deep delving in the archives plus gene testing before the mystery apple was finally identified as a Bringewood Pippin. "It's a late dessert/cider apple originally raised around 1800 by the horticulturalist Thomas Andrew Knight – a cross between Golden Pippin and Golden Harvey," explained Adams. "It was also quite possible this was the only remaining tree of its kind left in the country."

This single Shropshire orchard turned out to be a hotspot for apple rediscoveries, with three other "lost" varieties joining the Georgian-era Bringewood Pippin. "It was also home to what could have been the last remaining trees of Gypsy King, Rhymer and Round Winter Nonesuch," Adams revealed. "I took cuttings, and these trees have now been rescued from extinction – they are spread far and wide throughout the country.