As we embrace not only a new year but a new decade, January sees continued supply of our charming, locally harvested fruit and veg and an abundance of seasonal appearances from our friends further afield. A perfect blend of home grown and exotic produce to grace your kitchens during this cold and dreary month!
Fruit
We are delighted to have Yorkshire forced Rhubarb back in stock this month. Grown in complete darkness within the ‘Golden Triangle’ in Yorkshire, and picked by candlelight so as to not disturb the growing process, with it’s more tender and paler stalks than outdoor grown rhubarb, it certainly is a product not to be missed! We anticipate the season to last until the end of March.
Braeburns are available, with ample supply from Fiona and Hugh Boucher at Newlands Farm, and Conference and Comice pears are continuing to prove ever popular from Tom Hulme at Hoaden Court Farm! We are thrilled that these are being showcased by one of our customers as their produce item of choice this month, we can certainly see why!
Vegetables
Locally, we are pleased to see the return of Swiss Chard from Paul Vasey-Wells at Walmestone Farm, and are happy to report that Trevor’s Cauliflowers at Boundary Farm are proving to be less challenging, thankfully! The fields have had chance to drain during the drier weather and we do not anticipate any further shortages of supply in the coming weeks. Sprouts and Sprout Tops will be coming to an end shortly, a true sign that the festive period is certainly behind us for another year.
Cavolo Nero and Russian and Curly Kale are still bountiful and spectacular, along with Savoy which is always a seasonal favourite and a delight to offer. We are expecting a triumphant return of Purple Sprouting Broccoli toward the end of January which is very exciting!
Roots (including Carrots, Turnips, Celeriac, Parsnips, Beetroots and Swede) are proving to be resilient and fruitful, with no anticipated issues and good supply. In addition, red and brown Onions,coming from Suffolk, have kept well, so we anticipate the good season to continue as they come out of store.
The damp cold weather may not be to everyone’s taste, but Mushrooms love it! We have some beautiful varieties in our Wild Mushroom mixes, including Trumpet Noir and Pied De Mouton!
Potatoes
Supply and pricing has stabilised once more, as potato growers know exactly what the yield has been and what they have for the rest of the year. As previously reported, some potatoes were lost during the wet autumn, but the market has settled now. We should only see marginal price changes, in line with the increased cost of storage, later in the season.
Our Provenance chippers, locally farmed from Mongeham Farm, Deal, are being received fantastically by you, as our locally grown alternative, and a real competitor, to Maris Pipers and Chippers Choice.
Salad
The Spanish season for salad is continuing to flourish, and their Heritage Tomatoes are looking and tasting superb. Do you remember the nightmare 2 years ago when there was snow on the Spanish beaches and security guards in the UK for salads? Touch wood, none such weather this year!
The British season isn’t too far off and the plans of our local growers are well underway. At this time of year we sit down to discuss which products will be grown and decide on programmes for the year. We are currently in talks with our local tomato farmer and are very excited about a much broader range of fruit varieties, which will be available come the summer.
Further Afield
We are pleased to report that Spain are recovering from their wet weather issues as well as us, so issues with Broccoli are thankfully minimal. We have some delightful Seville Oranges available, perfect for making marmalade with!
Our Italian Blood Oranges are now available, much to your pleasure! Did you know that they can only be grown in the colder months, as that is what gives them their red streaks? They are available for a short season, so let’s hope Italy stays colder just a little bit longer!
Having picked the leafy Clementines for Christmas, we can now offer Clementine Noir and Easy Peelers from Morocco.
Agretti (Monks Beard) also greets us from Italy this month, which is an absolutely perfect pairing for your fish dishes.
The Avocado saga continues. As mentioned previously this is unlikely to change anytime soon, as demand outstrips supply. This also means pricing can be temperamental, which we will keep you fully updated with.
Grapes, Lemons and Blueberries are now Peruvian, and as previously forecast, prices are much more stable than before Christmas.
The Egyptian Strawberry season is now in full flow, with Raspberries and Pineapples all now being sourced from South America. We can happily foresee no availability issues or sharp pricing increases.
Melons remain in good supply, with stable pricing, we are pleased to report.
There will be plenty of other changes as produce comes in and goes out of season over the next few weeks so keep an eye out for the immediate updates on our social media channels!