On Friday we’ll receive our first direct pallet of the season from Francis Sampson in Cornwall. His farm in Penzance occupies two adjacent pieces of land; one of the areas is very exposed to the regular south-westerly winds but significantly, remains virtually frost free. The value of this mild coastal strip becomes apparent around this time of year as his production of brassicas starts when other farms begin to tail off. There’ll be cauliflowers as well as green and Russian kale to look forward to, and plenty of other delights as his season gets under way.
We’re happy to see sprout tops back among the brassicas too. These handsome, leafy heads don’t always make it to the supermarket shelf, and many farmers are forced to leave them to compost in the field, a true loss in our minds. They saute much like other leafy greens and have a sweet, mild flavour, much less divisive than their Brussels namesakes, so if you’re a sprout doubter why not give these a try instead.
We have some remarkable UK-grown walnuts from Windmill Orchards in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Previous to this supply we had never come across someone growing and kiln drying walnuts before. They are deliciously creamy, with the perfect texture and we were really lucky to secure the small supply we did after heavy rains damaged a lot of the crop. Pick up a handful to try, we promise they will not disappoint. Winter wonderland kale is new to the range and we’ve a really good supply of loose rainbow and Swiss chard as well as a plentiful supply of little gem lettuces from Duncan Gielty in Ormskirk. On the fruit side, we can’t get enough of the Conference pears, try them for breakfast with some crunchy muesli.
