Market Report - UK seasonal update 6 October 2014

The Staff Canteen

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Wild-Harvest-logo   Muscat Grapes   We do have very few shifts in our offering this week, see last week’s update for what is hot right now but I thought I would spend some time charting expected start dates for just a few of our favourite seasonal lines, due to kick off until January 2015. The weather can make a mockery of these exercises. We proud ourselves on reacting quickly to new lines and exceptional quality, so this list is by no means definitive. Wild Harvest are careful to choose entry dates on seasonal lines to represent a healthy quality to price ratio.

Mid October

  • Fresh UK pheasants become plump and abundant enough for us bring them in.
  • South African cep is due to hit town this year in the next week or so, providing an infestation free porcini prize.Crosnes
  • Apples & Pears in a multitude of forms peak.
  • Clementines hit entry level and stay with us until the end of January.
  • Crosnes aka Japanese artichokes arrive from France. My colleague enjoys his cooked in the Christmas bird’s roasting juices, which is an idea I’m stealing this year.
  • Puntarella begins from Italy, and the chicory family really starts to excel.

Late October

We start to buy fresh cranberries to sit alongside our frozen, pureed, dried and jar versions.

Early November

  • Like Jerusalem artichokes but find the flavour a little too dominating? We start to offer what the French call Helianthes. A milder mannered cousin.
  • Castelfranco with it’s gentle (for an endive) flavour and stunning pink flecked yellow leaves arrives on our shores.

Mid November

  • Goose and Turkey bolster our poultry offering.
  • Fancy a bletted medlar?
  • Colourful oca tuber originally from Peru, but now cultivated in France arrive.
  • Delightful Radicchio Treviso hits it’s much sort after “Tardivo” or Winter stage.

Late November

Perigord Truffles The mince pie and Christmas pudding fruit are plucked from their tropical palms.  

Mid December

We expect an amicable exchange of the baton between the Italian Autumn and the Winter truffle (from both Perigord and Italy).

Early January

  • Citrus is king. Blood, Seville and Bergamot oranges rush in from Spain and Italy.Blood Oranges
  • Yorkshire Triangle forced rhubarb is picked after it’s 2-3 years of growth.
 

As usual, this is just a small selection of what we have on offer. Call in on 020 7498 5397 to speak to the team about what other treats we have in store for you today.

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The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 6th October 2014

Market Report - UK seasonal update 6 October 2014

IN ASSOCIATION WITH