Pick a rosy apple from Tesco and it's likely to be grown in Kent. The county once known as the 'Garden of England' is our largest traditional apple farming area and supplies 70 per cent of British apples in store.

With four Kent farms on Sutton Valance Ridge, south of Maidstone, Nigel Bardsley belongs to one of the larger fruit grower groups and was voted Tesco Grower of the Year 2007.

'Kent's warmer springs mean its climate and light intensity has improved for developing early fruit during the blossom and petal fall periods.' he says. 'Over in the South of France, where they also traditionally grow fruit, it's getting a bit too hot.

'Britain has 70,000 hectares of orchards. As an apple orchard's life is about 20 years, we replant between 10 and 20 per cent of ours each year. It takes around four to five years before they crop properly; we are an industry that is constantly changing.'

Apples are harvested between August and October and sold when they are at their best.

Nigel explains, 'We supply Bramleys to Tesco throughout the year – they're the best cookers in the world and unique to Britain.

'Coxes are available all the way from September to March; Discovery apples from August; followed by Worcester, then Spartan; Rubens till January and finally Cameo until the following April. We and our marketing company Norman Collett have a long-term, strategic partnership with Tesco to trial new apples, plus some pear varieties to offer customers something different.

'I was one of the first growers to introduce the Rubens variety to the UK. It's a lovely, large red apple, going on shelves this autumn, a cross between an Elstar (once popular in Belgium and Holland) and a Gala.

'Cameo, another new variety, is three years ahead of Rubens and already on the shelves. It's a good English red eating apple and has had a positive reaction from Tesco. Modi, our latest eating apple trial variety, is still at the research stage. It has a lovely taste and we're currently trying out residue-free growing methods, which are better for the environment. Also, as orchards today have shorter trees and branches, we can easily hand thin them to get the largest, best coloured apples. The best quality fruit grows closest to the trunk.'

Bardsley and Sons is a real family fruit business with the fourth generation currently in charge. Manager Nigel grows the fruit, his wife Annette manages the staff, while sister-in-law Lesley runs the packing house, a separate business in itself, used by several other fruit growers.

'At the end of the day though,' says Nigel, 'we want customers to enjoy our fruit. Look out for the Union Jack sticker on every one so you know you're buying British.'