2016

Week 30, 2016 THIS WEEK: You can tell that we are reaching high summer by the fruit being promoted in supermarkets: it’s all about strawberries, peaches, nectarines, cherries and watermelons. These are in plentiful supply, generally very good quality, and should be tasty as well. The stone fruit, in particular should be at its best. […]

Week 28, 2016 THIS WEEK: An alarming headline in The Times caught my eye today: ‘Why supermarkets are full of bad apples’. The word ‘bad’ was obviously chosen to pique the reader’s interest, but is entirely misleading as no shop would knowingly sell a bad apple. However, the point about long-term storage of apples is

Week 27, 2016 THIS WEEK: Summer fruit are approaching their peak in stores, but also in back-gardens as harvest begins on raspberries and tayberries. The pigeons are greedily eying-up the fast colouring red currants, so time to get some netting out! FOR MY FRUITBOWL, I WOULD BUY: Spanish peaches and nectarines Blueberries, particularly Kirra, Celeste,

Week 24, June 2016 THIS WEEK: If you walk into a supermarket or greengrocer this week, you will probably be confronted by stacks of strawberries or watermelons, but look beyond and there is any amount of wonderful fruit on sale at this time of year. FOR MY FRUITBOWL, I WOULD BUY: Spanish peaches, including flat

Week 22, June 2016 THIS WEEK: An editorial in the Telegraph on fruit is a rare phenomenon, but last week there was a short commentary on the lack of lemons in the world! Indeed, the effect of reduced supply from Argentina and South Africa can easily be seen in shops with most lemons on sale

Week 20, 2016 THIS WEEK – More New Than Old: It’s late May and the tipping point between seasons has finally swung behind the new and freshly harvested fruit.  Spanish melons, blueberries, peaches, nectarines, cherries and apricots; and home-grown blackberries, raspberries and strawberries are all becoming abundant in the stores. In addition, delicious Indian mangoes,

Week 18, 2016 THIS WEEK: The pace of change in new season fruit picks up in May, most notably with mangoes, top fruit and stone fruit. It’s an exciting time for mango-lovers with the Indian and West African seasons in full swing, as well as varieties from Thailand, Brazil and the Caribbean. For flavour, head

Week 16, 2016 THIS WEEK: Satsumas from South Africa or Argentina are now pretty much in all stores; the late season Powell Navel is making an appearance as other Navels diminish, alongside widespread sales of Valencia oranges; Brazilian Gala apples, usually quite flavoursome, have popped up in Morrisons; but best of all, the Indian mango

Week 15, 2016 THIS WEEK: There is still no widespread sale of new season Satsumas, but they can’t be far away! The new Forelle pear season is underway though, and will appear in more stores over the next week or so. Strawberries are plentiful, including those home-grown, and there are some lovely blueberries on sale