Week 35, 2015
28th August, 2015
Fruit News This Week
Five For Fabulous Flavour:
- Wild blackberries
- New season English apples – Discovery, Estivale, Zari
- English Plums – Jubileum, Reeves Seedless, Avalon, Victoria
- Grapes – Sable, Tropical Mango, Stella Bella, Cotton Candy, Timpson, Krissy
- Israeli Mangoes – Maya and Shelley
Blackberries: Wild blackberries are free and supremely flavoursome and are in all good hedgerows now (though maturity will depend on location)! Alternatively, the fat, impressive Victoria (or Driscoll’s Victoria) blackberry is available in many supermarkets.
Apples: The new English season is underway with the fragrant, pink Discovery. These are crisp when fresh and have an evocative aroma and a pleasantly balanced flavour. Other English apples seen in stores are Estivale, Zari and Robijn, all with that freshly harvested taste. Newly picked Gala from France, Italy and Spain is also available, along side the South African, Chilean and New Zealand equivalent.
Plums: There are numerous plum varieties available from Spain, Portugal and Israel (13 at the last count!). However, the English season is well underway with the soft, sweet flavoursome varieties that are so unique: try Jubileum, Reeves Seedling or Avalon, or the well-know and popular Victoria plum.
Grapes: Grapes are still good from France and Italy, and the Greek season of Thompson seedless is now underway, while Californian grapes are available in Morrisons. Alongside the main varieties, there are some very interesting and flavoursome new varieties to try: look at punnet labels for Sable, Cotton Candy, Princess, Timpson, Magenta, Krissy, among others. Stella Bella from USA (in Morrisons) is particularly sweet.
Mangoes: The Israeli mangoes, Maya and Shelley are smooth and sweet and in most larger supermarkets. For something quite unusual, try Ataulfo from Brazil in M&S.
Other Flavoursome Fruit:
- Blueberries: great value at the moment.
- Greengages: sweet from Portugal, France and England.
- Pears: Forelle from South Africa and Buerre Bosc (Golden Bosc) from Argentina are crisp and sweet; new season Conference, Green Williams, and Rocha are steadily arriving.
- Mandarins: Dense and tasty Nova, flavoursome Nadacott, and sweet Tangold, Clemenor, Or or Orri from South Africa and Peru.
©Good Fruit Guide. Recommendations on fruit varieties and types with the very best taste are personal to the editor of Good Fruit Guide, and do not attempt to be exhaustive or supported by verifiable consumer research. The highlighting of fruit with the very best taste in the opinion of the editor is not intended as a judgement on the taste of varieties and types of fruit not mentioned.