This is the main table of contents for my long-read series on the history of the ‘Beefing’ group of apples – ‘Norfolk Beefing’, ‘Striped Beefing’ and ‘Herefordshire Beefing’ – and of Norfolk Biffins: the baked, dried and compressed apple sweetmeat that was traditionally made from ‘Beefing’ apples and was hugely popular in Victorian Britain, but is sadly almost unknown today.
I’m currently – as of Summer/Autumn 2024 – in the process of editing and posting the ‘Beefing’ Apples story, a chapter at a time. So not all of the chapters shown below are available just yet. Links will be added below when each chapter goes live here on Orchard Notes. I’m also in the process of re-working the original version of the ‘Norfolk Biffin’ story, so again, links will be added in due course.
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Norfolk Biffins and ‘Beefing’ Apples
Introduction
– The Story So Far…
– Reading Guide for the Norfolk Biffin and ‘Beefing’ Apples Stories
Series One: The Norfolk Biffin Story
Original blog-post version: The Norfolk Biffin, A History, Part I – Biffin Desserts
Re-worked version (pending):
Introduction
Modern-Day Biffins
Twentieth Century Biffins
Nineteenth Century Biffins
Ancestral Biffins
The Norfolk Biffin Story: Summary and Conclusions
Series Two: The ‘Beefing’ Apples Story
– Table of Contents
– Why ‘Beefing’ Apples?
– What’s the Plan?
— Question One: Can I Solve the Naming Debate: ‘Beefing’, ‘Beaufin’, ‘Biffin’, or ..?
— Question Two: Can I Confirm the Place of Origin of the ‘Beefing’ Apples?
— Time to Get Started
Chapter One: The ‘Beefing’ Apples Story, 1900 – Today
– The ‘Beefing’ Group of Apples Today
— ‘Norfolk Beefing’
— ‘Striped Beefing’
— ‘Herefordshire Beefing’
– ‘Beefing’ Apples in 20th and 21st Century Sources
— 20th and 21st Century Source Material
— ‘Beefing’ Apple Name-Variants in 20th and 21st Century Sources
— ‘Beefing’ Apple Origin Stories in 20th and 21st Century Sources
– ‘Beefing’ Apples, Chapter One: Summary
Chapter Two: The ‘Beefing’ Apples Story, 1850 – 1899
Part One:
– ‘Beefing’ Apples in Second Half of the Nineteenth Century Sources
— Second Half of the Nineteenth Century Source Material
— ‘Beefing’ Apple Name-Variants in Second Half of the Nineteenth Century Sources
– Meet Dr. Robert Hogg, Champion of the British ‘Beefing’
— Dr. Hogg and the Naming of the ‘Beefing’ apples
— ‘Beefing vs ‘Beaufin’, the First Bout
— ‘Beefing’ vs ‘Beaufin’ (vs ‘Biffin’), the U.S. Rematch
— ‘Beefing’ (Eventually) Victorious!
– A Few Notes on the Significance of Synonyms
— Say Goodbye to ‘Winter Colman’
— The Tale of Taliesin
— Summing Up Synonym Significance
– Dr. Hogg’s Further ‘Beefing’ Adventures
— Dr. Hogg and ‘Striped Beefing’
— Dr. Hogg and ‘Herefordshire Beefing’
– ‘Beefing’ Apples, Chapter Two: Summary
Part Two:
Dr. Hogg vs. “Pyrus” – ‘Beefing’ vs. ‘Beaufin’
– A Very Gentlemanly Bout of Fisticuffs
– A Particularly Beefy ‘Beefing’?
– Can We Declare a Winner on Points?
– “Pyrus” … Unmasked?
Part Three:
Dr. Hogg and the Rediscovery of ‘Striped Beefing’
– The Return of a Forgotten ‘Beefing’
– Hogg’s Plan for ‘Striped Beefing’?
— Mr. Hogg and Mr. Rivers
– Was Hogg’s ‘Striped Beefing’ Plan a Success?
— ‘Striped Beefing’ Added to the Chiswick Garden
— ‘Striped Beefing’ in Print at Home
— ‘Striped Beefing’ in Print Overseas
— ‘Striped Beefing’ at the R.H.S. Exhibitions
– Chapter Two, Part Three, Summary and Conclusions
Part Four:
Dr. Hogg, Dr. Bull and the Origins of ‘Herefordshire Beefing’
– Introducing Dr Bull and The Herefordshire Pomona
— Dr Hogg Meets the Woolhopians
– A New ‘Beefing is (Re?)Discovered
— ‘Herefordshire Beefing’ is “Described and Figured for the First Time”
– Detailed Discrepancies and Additional Oddities
— Descriptive Divergences
— Seeking the Stroud List
— Hogg’s Oddities
— Et Tu, A.F.B.?
– Cranston’s Nursery and the “New” ‘Herefordshire Beefing’
— Passing Off, Sir? The Very Idea!
— Cranston’s Goes Marching On
– Herefordshire Biffins?
– Was ‘Herefordshire Beefing’ New or Not?
— Who Brought the ‘Beefing’ to the Meeting?
— Cranston’s Beefing?
— Bull’s Beefing?
— Bulmer’s Beefing?
— Herbert’s Beefing?
– Summary and Conclusions
— A Likely Story?
The other main chapters in this series are shown below. The series is still very much a work in progress; section headers and links will be added here once each chapter has been finished and posted:
Chapter Three: The ‘Beefing’ Apples Story, 1800 – 1849
Chapter Four: The ‘Beefing’ Apples Story, 1750 – 1799
Chapter Five: The ‘Beefing’ Apples Story, 1698 – 1749
Chapter Six: The ‘Beefing’ Apples Story – An Extended Family Tree?
Chapter Seven: The ‘Beefing’ Apples Story – Wherefore Art Thou “Beefing”?
The ‘Beefing’ Apples Story: Summary and Conclusions
Acknowledgements
Norfolk Biffins and ‘Beefing’ Apples: Additional Material
Bibliography
Appendix I – The Amazing Miss Biffin
Appendix II – Literary Biffins
Appendix III – Biffins for Sale
Appendix IV – ‘Beefing’ Apple References in Published Works, English Language
Appendix V – ‘Beefing’ Apple References in Published Works, Other Languages
Appendix VI – Extended ‘Beefing’ Apple Family – Synonyms Summarised
Appendix VII – Three Nursery Catalogue Comparisons