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An exciting new take on Live from Rungis

Products to look out for

Fortuna, cauliflower, GOLD kiwi, courgettes, air mango, Jerusalem "˜choke, broccoli, lemons various, radicchio Castelfranco, tiny Galante potato and thin white mooli.

Fruit and Mushroom

Last week felt like Spring and although colder temperatures have returned in the North, there are positive signs of change on the market. Wild Garlic Leaves from France, (and  Cornwall), are one of the first products to influence seasonal changes on menus, not to mention the new scent in the lanes and woods! Wild mushrooms are still thin on the ground and we are really waiting for Morel from Turkey to start later this month. March sees the start of French soft fruit and arguably the most famous variety of strawberry - Gariguette. They have now reached a size, colour, and flavour grading to be classed as Extra. This special grade above Class I is packed in a two kilo tray. Another French strawberry is Clery which is classed  as a round because of its traditional shape. Both, especially at this time of year, are true SOFT fruits and should be handled with great care. In other news - melons are coming down in price and Moroccan fruit has returned; air pineapples, in particular bottle and Victoria, are very scarce; a great selection of plum; bargains to be had on mangoes both air and sea-freight (PLEASE ASK); and what about dates? Fresh Medjool is finishing for a bit, Deglet Nour are good and Barhi on the branch are here.

Vegetable and Salad

This is the second week that we are offering the new season French green Asparagus. All on our list are at least 20 centimetres long and come from the same grower in Gers - a region in the south of France between Toulouse and Bordeaux. The next region that will start will be, the famous, Les Landes. The good weather in the south of France is having positive effects on our salads - the heads are getting bigger and brighter and the prices are coming down too! Our three favourite artichokes are now available - Calico - perfect to use for its heart, - Salambo - for its wonderful purple colour and the heart, and finally baby violet in bunches (also from Spain) are still in perfect condition and getting better value. Tomatoes have always carried great importance with us and we are always checking and adding to our list of colourful and FLAVOURSOME varieties. Why not try the French cherry vine, Marmande, Coeur de boeuf, San Marzano, Coeur de pigeon, Noire de crime, Torino or one of many more that will come in the future? Finishing with the sad news - Romanesco Cauliflower has left the market for a little while as the Spanish season came to an end. They should be back from Brittany at the beginning of April. We have no more than one or two weeks left on the Sweet onions A.O.C  from Cevennes before we swap to the Chilean production. Our source for cauliflowers assures us there will be no problem with volumes for a few weeks.

Dairy

We list and sell many of the Isigny Ste Mere products so I felt we should give you a brief resume of this famous French marque. Not only do they produce outstanding butters and creams but they also produce some of France's most renown cheeses ranging from camembert to Pont l'Eveque It all began in 1932 when the first Isigny-sur-Mer dairy co-operative was formed. In the beginning there were just 42 dairy farmers who joined forces to promote and defend the good name of the Isigny terroir, famous for its milk and butter. In 1945 the co-operative had 180 members, which rose to nearly 800 by 1970. But it was in 1979 that Isigny Sainte-Mère came into being, following the merger with neighbouring Sainte-Mère-Eglise Dairy co-operative. The two co-ops had interlocking zones for their milk collections; they shared the same drive for ever higher quality standards, the same ambitions: everything was bringing them together. Both were built on a respect for skills passed down the generations, a respect for the terroir and the men who shaped it before passing it on to later generations. The Isigny Sainte-Mère dairy Co-operative has become a world famous dairy group and today exports account for over 40% of the total business. Located between the sea water of the English Channel and the fresh water of the Bessin and Cotentin marshes, the Isigny terroir enjoys a damp and mild climate, as well as a soil rich in clay and silt. The bocage has lush and varied vegetation: the grass is particularly abundant and enriched by the alluvial deposits. The milk from these pastures gains from such generosity on the part of Mother Nature: it is rich in trace elements and has high butterfat levels, which gives all the Isigny Sainte-Mère products their distinctive flavour, starting with the butter and crème fraîche.It was important to protect the authenticity of these products and to have the Isigny region officially defined. So, very early on, the Isigny milk producers syndicate invested in applying for the protection of Appellation d'Origine Controle (AOC) status. This was granted in June 1986, when Isigny's butter and crème fraîche were recognised as AOC products. The Isigny AOC zone comprises 193 communes: 110 on the Cotentin and 83 in Bessin. In 2000, as in 1990, the Isigny Sainte-Mère co-operative received the Prix d'Excellence at the French national agriculture show in Paris. This prize is awarded to the dairy manufacturer which wins the most medals from its successive entries to the Concours General Agricole (national food industry awards). How can we explain such acclaim? The key in the words a quest for the roots of quality. This quest includes preserving traditional skills and manufacturing procedures, respecting product manuals for AOC, Red Label and Organic Agriculture products to the letter, as well as traceability. One result was that Isigny Sainte-Mère became the first integrated French food producer to quality for ISO 9001: 2000 Quality Assurance accreditation in January 1990. Today, this level of certification is an assurance to the consumer that from the milk intake to finished product, every input has been positively identified and checked before going on sale. What is more, in 1998, the co-operative has invested in certification for Agri Confiance. This project is just as innovative and will integrate the supply chain even more tightly. The Agri Confiance standard means complete traceability: it sets standards for every participating farm, with a very rigorous accreditation manual. This gives consumers an additional safeguard for their food. In time, this will allow the progress of milk to be followed from the farm to the table. This is a new pledge of quality, authenticity and provenance.

Featured Fruit Products

The first Wild Strawberries arrived from Spain this morning. They have a very good flavour but they are fragile and due to limited quantities, they are only sending once a week at present. These are Argentinean Red William pears that are re-packed by the Italians with  very attractive red waxed stalks. Charentais melons are back from Morocco again after a few weeks of absence. We are trying to select fruit that is deep orange inside with a good strong flavour. There are many plums around at the moment as some varieties finish and new ones such as Gaviota start. Large Chilean Larry Anne offer an alternative to South African fruit.

Featured Vegetable Products

The first naked French cucumbers. Only small calibres available now but large ones are just around the corner. Peas in pod are really sweet and we should be able to follow the seasons through Spain, Italy, France and  the UK. A good reason to include them on a menu with this sort of consistency. Broad beans are coming into their own now too and with the same supply as for the peas in pod, they too are a long term bet. New season fresh French Grelot onions in bunches. A much smaller bulb than the Italian, they are ideal for all sorts of things or just for eating pretty much as they are!

Special points of interest

• Large Irish ox cheek is very good value
• Chocolate and chocolate products for Easter in the next couple of weeks
• Wild boar season is now at an end
• A two week promotion on Poule de Bresse
• Anniversary edition in two weeks!