It is generally agreed that Tom Putt apples commemorate an eighteen century Devonshire landowner, who was nicknamed 'Black Tom' and notoriously won prizes for his apples at agricultural fairs. There is some debate as to whether he was a barrister or a clergyman! Nicknamed the cottage apple, it was to be seen in gardens of Somerset and Devon throughout the nineteenth century, and was originally best known for its distinctive flavour in cider. Tom Putt is also now grown for cooking and has even been used as a dessert apple because of its attractive appearance, but it does have a sharp and slightly astringent taste. In appearance the apples are medium to large, flat round and with a handsome crimson flush over green skin.