Written by Tom Moggach
January 08, 2019
This month, highlights include blood oranges, Seville oranges, pink Yorkshire rhubarb and vibrant radicchios of all kinds.
Blood oranges from Sicily are now full colour. (They require cold nights to darken). Moro has the boldest colour - find out more about this fruit in our Product Profile. Seville oranges have landed, too - with their distinctive bumpy flesh.
Yorkshire forced rhubarb is a truly amazing ingredient - both in appearance and flavour. First boxes are now arriving on the market and are an essential for every menu. Spare a thought for our growers - mild winters makes their job even harder. (Meet leading growers and find kitchen inspiration in our Chef's Guide).
From the Veneto region of Italy, this is prime time for all radicchios including the late-season Tardivo, pictured below. More info on the amazing production process here. Below is the rare Grumolo - a smaller type of radicchio.
For British veg, this is a prime time for hardy veg such as cauliflowers, cabbages, Romanesco, leeks, purple sprouting and kales. Here's a decent order packed and ready to go.
Sprouts are not just for Christmas! Support our growers by not forgetting this brassica, too. Tops and purple sprouts also available.
For a splash of colour, don't forget British-grown Rainbow chard.
Root veg includes carrots, beetroots, turnips, swedes and decent Jerusalem artichokes.
For something more exotic, how about agretti (a.k.a monk's beard) from Italy - a highly fashionable ingredient these days and available from traders such as French Garden and European Salad Company.
Other Continental specialties include puntarelle, salsify, cime di rapa, radishes of all kinds and offbeat roots such as crosnes and oca.
As for homegrown fruit, apples and pears are still going strong. Some of the best fruit is released from cold store in January. Varieties include Cox, russet, Braeburn, Comice (pictured below) and Conference.
From Italy and beyond, other varieties are muscling in, too - such as these red Williams pears.
Other fruit on form include clementines - moving now to the later Nardorcott variety. Other citrus in season, too, such as leafy lemons and cedro.
Pomegranates and kaki fruit are a good call.
Excellent cherries are available, typically from Chile, but they are not cheap.
It's coming towards the end of the season for fresh chestnuts and walnuts.
Wild mushrooms include Trompette, Chanterelles, Pied de Mouton and truffles.
Here is a novel idea. Last year we met leading asparagus grower Andy Allen from Portwood Asparagus. (See our Chef's Guide to Asparagus). He is now testing the market for frozen asparagus, which is ideal for soups. This is sold by Side Salads on the market.
I love seeing our growers show their flair as entrepreneurs. As ever, feel free to get in touch with any comments or questions.
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