How to grow and train apple trees

Branch lines
Piers drilled into the wall for each hole before fixing in some fat rawl plugs, about a foot apart. Then we twisted in some vine eyes before threading them through with wire (we used green, plastic-coated galvanised wire - the uncoated silver kind can get too hot in the sun and potentially damage the plant).
Having created the espalier frame, we chose some lateral branches to train against the walls. This was the most painful part. Piers instructed me to be both patient and quite harsh: the branches that aren't fastened back need to be lopped off in order to concentrate all the energies into the others.
I had a Sophie's Choice moment before opting for a long, straight branch over an awkwardly angled one with three pretty apples on it.
Then we set about fixing the chosen branches along the wires with Flexi-Tie, an elastic string which allows for growth. Both my apples are small trees and will remain fairly dwarfed in their handsome urns, but we still had to cut them back to about 7ft in height.
Proof of the pudding
Having organised the rest of my fruit trees to best effect in the small space (I will have to keep my eye on the citrus, which will need to be swaddled or brought inside when the frosts start), we take a break.
I look rather sadly at the three eating apples that were sacrificed for the espalier. "Why don't we have a tasting?" Piers suggests, remembering that he has some apples, brought back from Wiltshire, in his van.
My heart sinks further when he returns with a perfect, glossy, blush-red apple - exactly the type that got Snow White in trouble. Next to it, my apples look small, yellowish and rather unsophisticated.
We sit at my garden table and munch. Piers's apple tastes just like it looks - rosy, sweet, with just a hint of drunkenness. I bite into mine, imagining that it will taste of grey pavements and parking tickets.
"How funny," says Piers. "Yours is rougher, but crispy and tangy, I prefer it. Somehow, it tastes more of the countryside."
Key points
Most fruit trees grow best in sunlight - if you keep your apple tree warm it will encourage more fruit. Walls are ideal and espalier training means they are nicely tied in, as well as sheltered.
Apple trees don't need much pruning, but small amounts at chosen times help with productivity. Autumn is when your trees are in fruit so they are best left shaggy and full.