Best Hazelnut Varieties for UK Gardens

Choosing the right hazelnut variety — or more accurately, the right combination of two compatible varieties — is one of the most important decisions you make for a productive planting. Varieties differ in nut size, flavour, shell thickness, ripening time, vigour, and disease resistance. Here is a practical overview of the most widely available and well-performing options for UK garden conditions.

Cosford Cob

One of the most popular and reliable hazelnut varieties for UK gardens. 'Cosford' produces long, thin-shelled nuts with excellent flavour and a relatively early ripening season (late August to early September). It is moderately vigorous and relatively compact compared to some varieties. Its flowering period overlaps well with several other varieties, making it a reliable pollinator as well as a good cropper. It is widely available from UK fruit tree nurseries.

Nottingham Cob (Pearson's Prolific)

'Nottingham Cob', also sold as 'Pearson's Prolific', is another classic UK cobnut variety. It produces medium-sized, round nuts in clusters of three to five, ripening in September. It is reliably heavy-cropping and has good disease resistance compared to some older varieties. Its flowering period is compatible with 'Cosford', making the two a frequently recommended pairing. Compact habit makes it suitable for smaller gardens.

Webb's Prize Cob

'Webb's Prize Cob' is a traditional variety producing large, well-flavoured nuts in September. It is more vigorous than 'Cosford' or 'Nottingham' and needs more space, but the nut size and quality are excellent. Compatible with 'Cosford' and 'Gunslebert' for pollination. Often found in older UK gardens where it has been growing for decades — a sign of its reliability and longevity.

Kentish Cob (Lambert's Filbert)

'Kentish Cob' is technically a filbert (Corylus maxima) with the nut fully enclosed by the husk. It is the traditional variety of the Kentish cobnut orchards and produces large, elongated, richly flavoured nuts ripening in September and October. It is vigorous and can grow large without management. Pollinated by 'Cosford' and 'Gunslebert'. The name "Kentish Cob" is confusing given its filbert classification, but it is the variety most growers in southeast England associate with the word cobnut.

Gunslebert

'Gunslebert' is a Continental variety widely used in commercial hazelnut production as a polliniser. It produces medium-sized nuts of good flavour with an early to mid-season flowering period. It is compatible with a wide range of other varieties and is particularly useful for growers who need a polliniser that overlaps with both early and mid-season flowering companions. Less commonly offered in UK retail nurseries than the classic cob varieties but worth seeking out from specialist fruit nurseries.

Choosing Your Combination

The safest approach for a UK garden is to plant 'Cosford' paired with 'Nottingham' or 'Kentish Cob'. These three varieties cross-pollinate reliably with each other and ripen at slightly different times, extending the fresh nut season through September. If you want only two plants, 'Cosford' and 'Nottingham' is the most widely recommended pairing for reliability, compact habit, and flavour.