Happy New Year everybody. Let’s hope it’s a fruit-ful one and that the gloomy doomsday predictions that the end of the world is nigh are just slightly over-exaggerated. I for one am predicting that the Mayans have got it wrong.
January is upon us and those poor parsnips that love the frost must be wondering what’s going on. The mild weather does have its plus points with unexpected delights like the English raspberries we received last week and the wonderful purple sprouting broccoli that just keeps getting better.
The first of the forced rhubarb from the legendary Rhubarb Triangle (an area in west Yorkshire where spades and trowels mysteriously go missing at this time of year) has arrived. It’s wonderfully pink and soft and much preferable to the greenish red outdoor variety. An absolute must!
Blood oranges are also in abundance now. The first to appear is the Tarocco variety. Grown on the slopes of mount Etna, this is not a full blood orange but makes a wonderful eating orange and contains the most vitamin C of any orange in the world. The much bloodier Moro and Sanguinello will soon follow.
Talking of oranges, but something altogether more bitter, it’s time to get out those kilner jam jars because now is also marmalade time. The short-lived Seville orange season is now upon us so make sure you catch them while you can. Satsumas, clementines and Sicilian leafy clems are looking great. Spanish lemons are good too but even more fragrant are the unwaxed lemons that come from Amalfi. 
Our most popular English cox and braeburn apples are still going strong as are the comice and concorde pears. Berry prices have fallen from the highs we saw in December with the Egyptians finally managing to get their strawberries out despite the troubles.
As always at this time of year, salad prices are on the up. Cos, iceberg and little gem in particular. Not to worry though, as there are so many more interesting salads to choose from. Lollorosso, biondo, oak leaf, green and red batavia, frisee, bull’s blood and red mustard to name a few. Not forgetting that winter is the best time for raddicchio and chicory. On the radicchio front we have chioggia, treviso, tardivo and the beautiful castel franco. We also have white, red and baby chicory.
Tomatoes are predominately being sourced from Morocco and Spain and have been quite good so far, but by far the best flavoured tomatoes are arriving from Italy, with some fantastically coloured yellow and red cherry vine, plum and baby plum (datterini).
Root vegetables are the best value local produce at this time of year. Parsnips, piccolo parsnips, swedes, carrots, rainbow carrots, celeriac, turnips, golden, candy, cheltenham and regular beetroot. The list goes on and on. Salsify and jerusalem artichokes are also musts.
On the brassica front, green and red kale along with black and savoy cabbage are all looking great. Cima di rape, brussel tops, both green and red, swiss chard and kohlrabi are my personal favourites at the moment. Aubergines round, white and even stripy are a good change from the norm as are the long sweet peppers that are in stock now.
We have our usual mix of wild and exotic mushrooms, in particular. Why not give our king oyster mushrooms a try?
If your trying to extend the Christmas feeling don’t forget we still have vac-packed chestnuts, cranberries, pomegranates, medjool dates, agen prunes and a variety of nuts to choose from.
A date to note this month is 9 January. Plough Monday – the first Monday after the twelfth night – traditionally marks the beginning of the New Year.

A milder than usual October has extended the season of much of the produce this year. An overlapping of the seasons has meant there is lots to choose from this month.
The market at the moment is filled with lots of oddly shaped pumpkins and squashes, so there is no better time than now to try out the various varieties that abound. Crown Prince or Potimarron would make a good starting point or for something a bit different try spaghetti squash. We also do a mixed box of squashes and boxes of beautiful mixed gourds (remember though that the gourds are not edible and are just for display).
New Covent Garden Market is a kaleidoscope of colour at the minute, cauliflowers are not just white but purple and yellow. Mixed bags of rainbow carrots as well as yellow, white and purple baby carrots, all create a wonderful picture sat alongside golden and candy beetroot (also comes baby bunched). Romanesco cauliflower is also stunning at present. Swiss and rainbow chard, cavalo nero and kale are still great buys along with cime di rape and brussel tops which have just started. Mixed colour aubergines and borlotti beans have made an appearance too.
The spanish season is now well under way with peppers, aubergines, courgettes, cucumbers and most tomatoes now coming from there. Prices should ease.
Onions and potatoes are all pretty cheap with truffle potatoes back in stock as well as smoked and purple garlic. Crossnes have just started but are a bit pricey. Jerusalem artichokes are getting cheaper all the time.
The warmer weather has proved a bit of a problem for mushrooms though this year, with only a small amount of cepes coming through, still lots of chantarelle and girolle though. For those with deep pockets white truffles with their wonderful fragrance are also available to order.
Salads are predominately still coming from the UK and I am pleased to see that castelfranco (the prettiest salad around!)and puntarelle have started early this year and should now carry through until April at least.
Surprisingly berries have all been pretty good, with english strawberries and raspberries still the pick of the bunch. Blueberries though have been arriving from further afield Canada, Argentina and Uruguay to name just a few places.
Apples and pears are now coming from closer to home with coxes, russets and spartans being the best bet on the apple front and the kent comice being my pick of the pears.
Fragola grapes have now finished but musket grapes will still be around for a bit. Baby kiwis have made an appearance although they are never around for too long.
Lemons and limes are down in price. Spanish satsumas and italian leafy clems are super sweet.
Seasonal chestnuts, walnuts, cobnuts, quinces, kaki (persimmons) and custard apples are now all available.
Finally here are a few dates for this months diary:

• its apple day on October 11th.
• British summer time ends on October 30th and the clocks go back an hour.
• October 31st is also Halloween, so don’t forget to order your pumpkins (please mention carving when ordering) in plenty of time.

The glorious weather we have had recently has made it a fantastic start to the British produce season. Although they are crying out for some rain at the moment you won’t be seeing me do a rain-dance for them. Long may it continue.
English asparagus are everywhere in the market and it is absolutely superb this year. There is so much of it around that prices are set to remain really low. It is available in all sizes from the very thin to the thicker ‘select’. Personally, I prefer the thinner stuff but please remember to specify when ordering. As well as the usual green asparagus there is also the purple variety which is sweeter, less stringy and can be eaten raw. French white asparagus is also available as is wild asparagus, though a bit more pricy.
Jersey Royals have now dropped in price. Cornish mids have also now appeared, cheaper than the jerseys and some say tastier. Italian fresh peas, broad beans and yellow beans are now available as are the wonderful French globe artichokes and baby chokes. Courgette flowers from west Sussex are available again. They really are stunning and the best you can get. Swiss chard, rainbow chard, spring greens and savoy cabbage are your best bet for greens.
On the mushroom front, look no further than the strangely shaped morels, they are coming down in price daily and are bang in season. English peppers grown in Essex are now readily available and once again as good as I’ve seen them. Heirloom tomatoes make a welcome return and come in 3kg and 5kg boxes this year. All our English salads have now started. Cos, iceberg, little gems, lollo, biondo, oak Leaf, frisse and raddicchio.
Lemon and lime prices are on the up a little and blood oranges are now finished for the year. Wild garlic, black cabbage, kale and barba di frate (monk’s beard)are also almost done.
Potato prices continue to creep up slowly as we get towards the end of last year’s stock. White cabbage is also expensive as are cauliflowers due to supply shortages.
The English strawberry season has started with a bang, quality is superb and the signs are that this will continue for the whole season. The garden of Kent is also sending us wonderful Fraise du Bois much earlier than previous years. For something different on the berry front why not try strasberries and pineberries. Strasberries are a cross between raspberries and strawberries whilst pineberries look like strasberries but are white. English raspberries have also now started.
Blueberries, blackberries and red currants are also reasonably priced for this time of year. Cherries have now started to flood the market. Spanish, French and even some English abound. Galia, cantaloupe and watermelons from Spain are really sweet at the moment. Why not try one of our yellow, yes I said yellow watermelons for a change? More honey-flavoured than the norm and well yellow. Weird! 
Nectarines, peaches and apricots as well as nespole are all arriving from Spain and are improving daily. One smell you can’t fail to notice as you walk down buyers walk is the sweet smell of Alfonso mangoes which are now in season. If we continue with the weather we are having in the UK, I wouldn’t be surprised to see these mangoes being grown locally!
It is also that time of year when the elderflower is in bloom. Please get your order in early as we need 24 hours notice on this. We have also started a full range of organic produce, dairy and bread. Please email us for a produce and price list.
Enjoy the last bank holiday for a while on 30 May, which also happens to be the same day as the famous Gloucestershire Cheese rolling. Sounds like fun. 
As always don’t forget to follow my latest updates on Twitter @eurofrutta

It may seem a touch premature but I can sense a feeling of spring in the air. In recent years February has seen us frozen by a cold snap but this time around milder weather is prevailing and the first shoots of spring are beginning to sprout.

Walking down buyers’ walk at this time of year one cannot but be amazed at the quality and diversity of produce available to us. From closer to home we have some excellent root vegetables, carrots, parsnips, turnips and swedes, which are great value. Cabbages are also in good condition with savoy, black cabbage (cavalo nero) , red and green kale being the best.

Brussel tops seem to have finished but cima di rape and spring greens make a good alternative. Candy, golden and regular beetroot are must-buys along with celeriac and Jerusalem artichokes (actually a type of sunflower and nothing to do with Jerusalem or artichokes). Purple sprouting broccoli, however, is not at its best and quite hard to get hold of at present.

In general, prices have remained quite stable but aubergines and spinach have seen a price rise and potatoes seem to be creeping up in cost too.

From further afield beans, mange-tout and sugar snaps are of good quality and prices are stable. There is a great selection of wild mushrooms available (trompettes, chanterelles, girolles and pieds de mouton) but ceps have all but dried up (if you pardon the pun). Italian truffles are also available.

Also from Italy we have barba di frate (“monk’s beard“), which is a seasonal treat at this time of year, while from Scotland we have some sea kale, although quantity is limited as there is only one commercial grower left and picking it in the wild is illegal. Crosnes are still available, though, and more reasonably priced. All our baby veg is in good condition (baby leeks, carrots and fennel in particular).

Salads have been a bit hit and miss recently but cos lettuce, rocket and baby gems are now back to their best. Chicory is also great at present. In fact, why not try red chicory for a change – it’s great pan-fried. We also have some nice Puntarella, radicchio and castello di franco in stock.

English forced rhubarb and quince are looking great (prices have eased on both), pomegranates are also nice, while blood oranges are now at their peak. And if you haven’t yet made your marmalade for the year, we also still have plenty of Seville oranges in stock. Elsewhere on the citrus front, lemons – especially our leafy unwaxed Sicilian variety – are looking great.

Apricots, nectarines and peaches from South Africa are now past their best but plums are excellent. The South American cherries are also now finished and melons are a problem – with water melons, honeydew, galias and cantaloupes generally of poor quality and at a high price. However, this situation will improve as soon as the South American season starts.

Spanish strawberries have now started so prices will come down and all other berry fruit remains good value too.

English braeburn and russetapples are looking a picture at the moment but for something truly special why not try one of our melinda apples from Trentino in Italy, they are simply magnificent. English comice pears are still around but are probably best avoided now as they have been in storage for too long, the same rule applies to conference pears.

Finally, we’d like to give a special mention to the humble bramley apple as it is Bramley Apple Week (7-14 February). Also Happy Chinese New Year to you all. It’s the Year of the Rabbit, so you should get lucky on Valentines Day…

Happy New Year to everybody and let’s hope for some better weather than we had in December.

The snow and freezing conditions we had last month really made it a difficult end to the year for fresh produce with local farmers unable to dig out crops, hauliers unable to deliver and planes unable to land. Consequently, prices went up as supply became tight.

The thawing of the snow in January means prices have generally eased. Root vegetables are the best value local produce at this time of year. Carrots, turnips, swede and parsnips (which actually improve in flavour after a frost) are all good bets. Maincrop potatoes seem to be getting smaller in size. If you require a larger potato for chipping we would recommend the Lovers brand which is slightly more expensive. Beetroot, celeriac, salsify and jerusalemartichokes are also great buys at present.

The stars of the month though are kale and black cabbage. They are both packed with vitamins and iron and should definitely be on your menus this month. Sprout tops and turnip tops (cime di rapa) are still available and let’s not forget that the brussel sprout is not only for Christmas. Broccoli and cauliflowers have come down from their pre-Christmas price high but quality is patchy. One to avoid this month is fennel, they are getting very small in size and expensive. Mushrooms are always a good winter idea with the portobello and chestnut representing a particularly pleasant variety.

Bad weather abroad has led to a sharp increase in the price of all salads, especially iceberg, cos and roquette. As an alternative why not try our bags of ready washed mixed salads, which are fixed in price for the whole year.

Micro cresses and micro herbs seem to be very popular with chefs at the moment and a full list of all the varieties we sell can be seen on this attachment.

The first of the forced rhubarb from the Rhubarb Triangle (picked by candlelight no less) has arrived early this year and is certainly one of the prettiest sights on the market.

Fruit wise we still have plentiful English braeburn and coxapples along with comice and conference pears. Satsumas and leafy clems are still tasty and sweet and the blood orange season is now in full swing with three varieties to choose from. All berries have come down in price with blueberries and strawberries representing the best value.

Apricots, peaches, nectarines and cherries are all available from further afield but Italian plums will be finishing shortly. Also for all you marmalade lovers, Seville oranges are available but please be quick as the season is very short!

A date to note this month is the 10 January. Plough Monday – the first Monday after twelfth night – traditionally marks the beginning of the new agricultural year.

November is not my favourite month of the year when it comes to fruit and vegetables. The summer has long gone and the quality and quantity of local produce diminishes.
We still have a plentiful supply of English apples to choose from (take your pick from these four we think Russet, Cox, Braeburn or Royal Gala). We also have some wonderfulMelinda apples from the Val di Non in Italy that proved such a success last year. If you have never had these before then you must, huge and expensive but probably the best apple you can get in the world at present. There are also some pears from the same area but they can’t match our own English Comice and Conference that are ripe and ready to eat now.
European peaches and nectarines are now finished and they are now arriving from South Africa. They are good but expensive. Grape prices are also on the up. Turkish figs have now finishing up and will be replaced by the much more expensive and less tasty Brazilian ones. Satsumas and Clementines are the best bet at present, with our Sicilian leafy clems the sweetest options. Custard apples are plentiful as are Quinces and fresh cranberries are also in stock. A sure sign Christmas is not far away!
English raspberries will be ending shortly along with the Dutch strawberries that we have been selling. Spain and Egypt will be the main exporter of these now.
The price of lemons has dropped significantly recently with the arrival of the Spanish and Turkish crop, but the shelf life of these early varieties is not too good so beware.
French globeartichokes are coming to the end of their season so prices are high and supply is short. Salads have also increased in price as they are now arriving from further afield. Italian roquette is cheap at the moment but that also reflects the poor quality of it as production moves from the north of Italy to the south. Fortunately we have the best growers in Italy sending us the roquette so quality is always superb.
Still great value are all our British rootvegetables. As they come into contact with frost the flavour actually improves and they get sweeter. The brusselstops that we plugged last month proved a real winner and still represent excellent value for money. Joining them this month are our turnipstops, which are my favourite of all the greens. Nutritionally they are one of the best things to eat, packed with vitamins and iron. Absolutely wonderful!
Our MarisPiperchippingpotatoes are at their best now but English mids are now finished and we have moved on to the French crop now. Crones have now dropped in price and make a great seasonal treat.
English Romanesco is also wonderful at present as are the JerusalemArthichokes and chervil and parsleyroot.
We now also stock many varieties of heritagepotatoes (Highland Burgundy, British Queen, Salad Blue, Pink Fur Apple, Arran Victory, Roseval, Dunbar Rover, Champion,Fortyfold, Red King Edward, Yukon Gold, Shetland Black, Red Duke Of York, Ratte, Mr Littles Yetholm Gypsy, and Peachbloom). Give us a call for the complete list and prices.
From Sicily we have some wonderful cherry vine and plum tomatoes, bursting with flavour. Round violet aubergines are also available and make a nice change from our usual ones. Soon to arrive are the sweet Sicilian juicing oranges that we had all winter last year.
Don’t forget November the 21st is stir up Sunday, the traditional day for everyone in the family to take a turn at stirring the Christmas pudding whilst making a wish. Not forgetting that it is always stirred from east to west in honour of the three wise men.

October is upon us and unusually for this time of year prices have remained fairly stable. Asparagus is back down to its normal prices and lemons are also falling in price daily.

There is a large choice of english apples to choose from now (too many to mention!), the most popular being coxes and royal gala. Those wonderfull piper wrapped pears we had last year are back in stock. Choose either comice or conference both really tasty and sweet.

Peaches and nectarines continue to be good quality and the italian plums (red and yellow) although not overly sweet are great value. Spanish okitua satsumas have arrived and are not too sharp and are proving very popular with the children at the schools we deliver to.

All our berry fruit (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and redcurrants) are still fairly well priced and in good condition.

Celeriac, parsnips, turnips and swedes are all improving in flavour and price and French jerusalemartichokes have arrived in great condition with the smaller English variety to follow shortly. Beetroot is also best now with the candy and golden varieties making a nice change. Brusseltops are a seasonal treat well worth trying – strip the leaves from the stalk, wash and cook in a steamer for a few minutes, drain, toss in butter and season to taste – as are the newly-arrived turniptops (cimadirappa), which are one of my favorite greens. Purplesproutingbroccoli and curlykale are all good buys.

We have various coloured carrots in stock at the moment with yellow, blood, purple and rainbow accompanying our more usual English orange variety. Did you know that the carrot eaten in Engand was originally purple until the Dutch popularised the orange variety in keeping with their national colours.

Salads have remained of a high quality and we have now moved from english and dutch tomatoes to spanish without any problems.

Seasonal chestnuts, quinces, kaki (persimmons) and cronses are all now available along with a wide variety of pumpkins and squashes.

Finally, here are a few dates for this month’s diary: its Apple day on October 21, British summer time ends on October 31 and the clocks go back an hour. October 31 is also Halloween so dont forget to order your pumpkins in plenty of time.

November is not my favourite month of the year when it comes to fruit and vegetables. The summer has long gone and the quality and quantity of local produce diminishes.

We still have a plentiful supply of English apples and the Russet is probably our best at present, the perfect apple to eat with cheese. We also have some wonderful Melinda apples from the Val di Non in Italy that proved such a success last year. If you have never had these before then you must, Huge and expensive but probably the best apple you can get in the world at present. There are also some pears from the same area but they can’t touch our own English comice that are ripe and ready to eat now.

European peaches and nectarines are now finished and they are now arriving from South Africa. They are good but expensive. Grape prices are also on the up. Turkish figs have now finished and have been replaced by the much more expensive and less tasty Brazilian ones. Satsumas and Clementines are the best bet at present, with our Sicilian leafy clems the sweetest options. Custard apples are plentiful and fresh cranberries are also in stock. A sure sign Christmas is not far away!

English raspberries will be ending shortly along with the Dutch strawberries that we have been selling. Spain will be the main exporter of these now.

The price of lemons has dropped significantly recently with the arrival of the Spanish and Turkish crop, but the shelf life of these early varieties is not too good so beware.

French globe artichokes are coming to the end of their season so prices are high and supply is short. Salads have also increased in price as they are now arriving from further afield. Italian roquette is cheap at the moment but that also reflects the poor quality of it as production moves from the north of Italy to the south. We will be keeping a close eye on it and changing to the Israeli rucola that is more robust if this continues.

Still great value are all our British root vegetables. As they come into contact with frost the flavour actually improves and they get sweeter. The brussels tops that we plugged last month proved a real winner and still represent excellent value for money. Joining them this month are our turnips tops, which are my favourite of all the greens. Nutritionally they are one of the best things to eat, packed with vitamins and iron. Absolutely wonderful!

Our Maris Piper chipping potatoes are at their best now but English mids are now finished and we have moved on to the French crop now. Crones have now dropped in price and make a great seasonal treat.

From Sicily we have some wonderful cherry vine and plum tomatoes, bursting with flavour. Round violet aubergines are also available and make a nice change from our usual ones. Soon to arrive are the sweet Sicilian juicing oranges that we had all winter last year.

Don’t forget November the 22nd is stir up Sunday, the traditional day for everyone in the family to take a turn at stirring the Christmas pudding whilst making a wish. Not forgetting that it is always stirred from east to west in honour of the three wise men.

For me, the arrival of the first chestnuts at work is the sign that autumn is finally upon us. The delivery of the first batch from France this week means that summer is over without having actually begun, but at least the chestnuts are hugely impressive. They are as big as I have ever seen them, and they will soon be followed by the Italian variety. Walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts and brazil nuts are also now in stock.

The first of the kaki (persimmons) have arrived as hard as rock so the best advice is to put them in a plastic bag with someapples to help them ripen or alternatively wait until the ready-ripened ones arrive. Kaki must be eaten when they are almost too soft to pick up and the skin is breaking. Custard apples are also here now and both these and the nuts make a great addition to your office fruit bowls.

Squashes of all shapes and sizes are in abundance too with the butternut, spaghetti and acorn featuring prominently among the many other varieties. Marrows and shapely green and yellow courgettes are also looking good and taste best when stuffed and baked.

We have various coloured carrots in stock at the moment with yellow, blood, purple and rainbow accompanying our more usual English orange variety. Did you know that the carrot eaten in Engand was originally purple until the Dutch popularised the orange variety in keeping with their national colours.

Also available are quinces which are perfectly in season at the moment and cronses (pronounced crones) have just started to arrive. They are on the more expensive side but the price will come down shortly.

Celeriac, parsnips, turnips and swedes are all improving in flavour and price and French Jerusalem artichokes have arrived in great condition with the smaller English variety to follow shortly. Brussel tops are a seasonal treat well worth trying – strip the leaves from the stalk, wash and cook in a steamer for a few minutes, drain, toss in butter and season to taste – as are the newly-arrived turnip tops (cima di rappa), which are one of my favorite greens. As mentioned in my mid-monthly report purple sprouting broccoli and curly kale are all good buys.

On the fruit side European peaches, nectarines and plums should all be coming to an end soon. So far, though, they are still surprisingly good. Spanish okitua satsumas have arrived and are not too sharp. English conference pears are beginning to taste nice just now, as are cox’s apples. Don’t forget its apple day on October 21. English raspberries continue to delight and the season seems to last longer every year. Grape prices have been on the up and we expect them to be a bit hit and miss towards the end of the month.

As always happens when we move from the Dutch to the Spanish growing season prices have been on the rise, especially when it comes to tomatoes. Beef and plum are extortionate but we have some arriving direct from Sicily which should be better value before prices ease at the end of the month.

Finally, here are a couple of dates for this month’s diary: British summer time ends on October 26 and the clocks go back an hour. October 31 is Halloween so look out for our pumpkin specials nearer the date.