🌰 Cobnut and hazelnut

Cobnuts, the cultivated forms of hazel, are the English nut and especially popular in Kent. Fresh green cobnuts in late summer are sweet and milky, and fully ripe hazelnuts keep for months. Plants are hardy, reliable and long-lived.

Hazels are wind-pollinated, with catkins in February, so plant at least two different varieties for cross-pollination. They also make excellent hedging and provide wildlife habitat.

Varieties to try

Kentish Cob (traditional, large nuts)Cosford Cob (thin shell, good flavour)Webb’s Prize Cob (heavy)Hall’s Giant (large, pollinator)Pearson’s Prolific (pollinator)

Plant bare-root trees from November to March in fertile, well-drained soil in sun or partial shade. Plant two or more varieties 4–5 m apart. Stake and mulch; protect from rabbits and squirrels.

Avoid very rich soils, which produce leaf at the expense of nuts. After planting, cut the main stem to 60 cm.

Top tips

• Plant at least two varieties.
• Avoid over-rich soil.
• Protect from rabbits.
• Cut back after planting.

Train as a goblet-shaped bush with 8–10 main stems on a short trunk. Prune in late summer (August) by ‘brutting’, snapping side shoots part-way, and in February, cutting them back to 3 buds after pollination.

Water newly planted trees. Mulch each spring. Squirrels are the main enemy; netting or cages may be needed. Nut weevil and honey fungus are minor concerns.

Top tips

• Prune in late summer and February.
• Protect from squirrels.
• Mulch each spring.
• Keep the centre open.

Watch out for

SquirrelsNut weevilHoney fungusBirds

Pick fresh green cobnuts in late August to September when the husks turn pale. For storing, wait until nuts turn brown and fall, in late September to October. Collect from the ground daily before squirrels.

Dry fully before storing, in a warm, airy place for 2 weeks.

Squirrels and jays can strip a tree in a week, so keep an eye on the tree from August and pick fresh ‘green’ cobs a little early rather than lose them. Ripe nuts fall easily from their husks; nuts that sink when put in water are good, and floaters are empty.

Top tips

• Collect daily.
• Pick fresh green cobs in August.
• Dry before storing.
• Beat squirrels to it.

Eat fresh green cobnuts raw. Roast hazelnuts, chop in cakes, praline, chocolate spread, pesto and salads, or grind into flour. Their flavour is superb.

Dried nuts in shells keep for a year in a cool, dry place. Shelled nuts keep 3–6 months in the fridge or freezer.

Toast hazelnuts in a dry pan or a 180°C oven for 8–10 minutes until golden, then rub off the papery skins in a clean tea towel. They are wonderful in chocolate brownies, with roasted vegetables, ground in biscuits and cakes, and blended into a rich nut butter.

Top tips

• Roast to deepen flavour.
• Store in shells.
• Freeze shelled nuts.
• Make praline.