Veg news 22nd November
As the evenings draw in and daylight hours dwindle we turn this week to the bright orange hue of the humble carrot – a firm customer favourite and Unicorn staple par excellence. We’ve a terrific supply of washed orange and rainbow carrots from Lancashire farms Royal Oak and Duncan Gielty, and our first arrival from Scottish suppliers Skea in Dundee. There’s also a delicious-tasting dirty option from the Wasses in Yorkshire.
Customers often wonder why we stock dirty root vegetables alongside a washed option. Firstly, not all of our smaller growers have access to washing apparatus, which can be costly to purchase and maintain. ‘Dirty’ – or unwashed – roots also keep much better, retaining their moisture for longer and not drying out in the same way a washed root would.
Leafy-wise, we’re still short of a regular true spinach supply until the French season takes off. We’ve plenty of UK chard to make up for it, both Swiss and red will be available throughout the week. We’re also limited on lettuces but there’s loads of really good value Little Gems from Duncan Gielty and loose salad leaves from Glebelands to satisfy your salad needs.
UK quince from Windmill Orchards has unfortunately come to an end, but we will still be buying their remarkable UK-grown and kiln-dried walnuts until the end of the year. This is the first supply of UK walnuts that we’re aware of, and they taste fantastic too; creamy and rich with a delicate nutty flavour, we recommend trying a few.
Fruit-wise, the Nules clementines are a firm staff favourite this week – sweet, juicy and easy-to-peel. The latest arrival of pears from Mole End farm in Kent are eating well and there’s a broad range of apple varieties too, consult the apple boards for guidance on sweetness, crunch and flavour. You might have seen on the news that French transport strikes are affecting trade routes from the continent, we may experience a few delays and gaps in the range as a result but we’ll try our best to keep disruptions to a minimum…
