This week we are welcoming our first direct delivery of the year from Rosemary Wass at Newfields Farm on the southern edge of the North York Moors. They have 20 acres of high altitude land dedicated to organic vegetable growing and they excel in brassicas. Despite having to deal with a surge of pests this year, farm manager John will be sending us some much-anticipated broccoli and lots of cauliflowers in time for the weekend, which are reported to be beautiful and plentiful, finally!
On the herb front there will be a gap in our supply of parsley for a couple of weeks, but thankfully one of the most versatile herbs is abundant right now: basil. This aromatic plant has a very distinctive taste – perfect for pairing with tomatoes or blitzing in pesto. We will have some lovely bunches coming in from Strawberry Fields in Lincolnshire and Ward & Thompson based in Poulten-Le-Fylde.
Potato varieties are increasing by the day – we have some beautiful, flaky red-skinned Alouettes in from Bagthorpe Farm down in Norfolk, and also a small amount of Marfonas, a favourite all-rounder from the Wasses. Also worth a mention are Bagthorpe’s dirty carrots which are very tasty.
Sadly our supply of main-crop strawberries from Carey in Herefordshire is almost finished, a short but sweet season indeed. We’ll have small amounts trickling in from Carey’s “ever-bearer” plants which fruit intermittently until the end of summer. This will also be the last week of the sensational cherries from Joe Pardoe too, grab a handful while you can.
From France, Charentais melons have hit their peak – they have an incredible scent and beautiful flavour, as well as offering excellent value for money.
