Forget shiny new iPhones, this apple store has the real thing.

Borough Market near London Bridge has opened the first 'real' apple store to celebrate the launch of the seasonal harvest and to remind shoppers of its millennium birthday.

The 1,000 year-old market brought together the biggest ever collection of apples in an exhibition of 1000 oldest, rarest and most loved British varieties.

The world’s oldest known apple, Court Pendu Plat, which was introduced by the Romans and still flourishes today, was displayed in a prestigious Perspex box whilst 999 other varieties were presented on sleek white plinths and shelving units.

Varieties included the Ananas Reinette with its distinct pineapple flavour, the unattractive Knobby Russet which, covered in knobbles, shows beauty is in the eye of the beholder with its strong, firm but delicious flesh, the Robston Pippin, a favourite of Charles Dickens, and the Victorian Adams Pearmain which recalls a bygone era with its autumnal colouring.

David Matchett from Borough Market said: “This country’s love affair with the apple is no secret - we have been eating apples for centuries. However, there are some varieties under threat and we risk losing the diversity of this delicious fruit. This exhibition is not only a celebration of the British apple but a chance for us to raise the profile of these little known varieties and campaign to save them. At Borough, we’ve always been known for the variety of fresh produce on offer. Apple Day is an extension of that.”

The festival, held every year in the Green Market, sees growers, traders and producers come together to share their knowledge and enthusiasm for the much-loved fruit from seed to marketplace to plate.