Chillies from Barry Ward and Yvonne Thompson in Lancashire are looking and tasting brilliant at the moment. There are many varieties on offer, from scorching Ring of Fire to the milder Jalapeno and Hot Wax, these small beauties really celebrate what we value so dearly about our local suppliers. Barry and Yvonne have been growing commercially from their small 3.2 hectare site in Lancashire since 1984. In order to promote bio-diversity in the soil and surrounding environment they grow crops on a rotational basis; this helps keep a balance of flora and fauna in the soil, as well as providing us with a really interesting and often-changing range of tremendous quality. Regular customers will already be fans of their lettuces but keep an eye out for their pak choi and dark green bunches of curly parsley this week too, really special stuff!
We’ve finished unseasonably early on washed carrots from Nick Bagthorpe down in Norfolk – his later crop sadly failed due to the heatwave this summer. In their place we’ve a selection from Gielty in Lancashire, including some very good value rainbow varieties and dirty carrots from the Wasses in Yorkshire. Don’t be put off by the effort of scrubbing and washing these carrots, they have a sweet, well-pronounced flavour with great juice and a satisfying crunch.
From elsewhere in the UK we’ve an incredible range of cabbages and kales still on offer, 12 varieties of spuds are making their way through the building this week and we’ve some very handsome fennel bulbs from Strawberry Fields in Lincolnshire. Apples keep getting better and better, but more of those next week as we gear up to celebrate Apple Day…
