Kindly supplied by Oakleaf European

An exciting new take on Live from Rungis

Fruit and Mushrooms

It must all be about stone fruit at the moment! Cherries are everywhere although there never seems to be enough and it is a mad scramble to get the best fruit each morning. A local grower has defied the predictions and we can now offer his produce in a +34 calibre - it looks more like a small nectarine! Rainier bi-coloured fruit appeared today too. The best peach and nectarine continues to come from North Africa, Tunisia and Morocco while apricots are now a complete mix of Spanish and French fruit. Some lovely full blush fruit can be found with superb flavour although we are not offering large cell-packed fruit yet as it is not as good as the loose. Melons improve each day and both Spanish and French offerings are now sweet and perfumed. Soft fruit is great with the strawberries stealing the show. We have Mara, Gariguette and "˜round' varieties from France, England and Belgium - something for everyone!

 Vegetables and Salads

Still no sign of rain over here but some products seems to be showing their best with this weather - the fine frizee from our grower in the north of France is really large and comes with a nice and tender yellow heart. Spanish broccoli has now come to an end and is already replaced by the one grown in Brittany. The summer cauliflower season is now open too and is arguably the best cauliflower of the year. Italian Borlotti seems to be more popular at the moment but supply is always difficult with Italy, however the quality is great. From this week we decided to swap to French peas in pod from the Loire Valley instead of the Italian. The French are now sweeter as the Italian campaign is coming to an end soon. Our leafy celery is now coming from Provence and the quality is stunning, while courgettes are also coming from there and are really nice too. Our local grower has started his new campaign of yellow bunch carrot.

 Featured Products

Fresh almonds have a soft green outer shell and a creamy nut in the middle. Large or small? Spanish large and smooth flavoured, French are smaller but fuller flavoured - the choice is yours. Spanish black fig have started but they lack a little colour inside and the flavour will only get better. Not bad for the first though. The only good pictures of girolles seem to be studio shots! Spanish offerings now pretty good. Hand packed and looking a liitle like an artists pallet, these mixed tomatoes are coming up from Provence. Tiny new potatoes from Provence. Linzer Delicatesse has a flaky skin making it a classic new potato. Summer cauliflower are stunning, bright white and have much less leaf - a classic summer vegetable at its best. Borlotti beans seem to increase in popularity year on year and are stunning at the moment (if the Italians let us have them).

 Featured Product - Comté

Comté is a French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France. The cheese is made in large flat circular wheels which can weigh up to 50 kilograms. The fat content is around 45%.The rind is usually a dusty-brown colour, and the internal pâte is a pale creamy yellow. The texture is relatively hard and flexible, and the taste is strong and slightly sweet. The manufacture of Comté has been controlled by AOC regulations since it became one of the first cheeses to receive AOC recognition in 1958, with full regulations introduced in 1976. We currently offer a 1/8th cut of around 4kilos or a specially cut piece of a little over one kilo of selected cheeses. Please ask if you would like a whole wheel.