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 season is underway, but not in supermarkets!
FOR MY FRUITBOWL, I WOULD BUY:
- Concorde or Forelle pears
- Cameo, Jazz, or Empire apples
- Indian mangoes
- Satsumas
- Lane Late or Powel navel oranges
- Florida pink grapefruit
- Sable or Muscat grapes
- English strawberries
Mangoes: Indian mangoes are starting to appear in ethnic groceries and I will report on them next week. Otherwise, try Thai Nam Dok Mae, if you can find them, or Brazilian Palmer (seen in Lidl and Tesco), usually more flavoursome than Kent or Keitt.
Pears: Crisp, sweet Forelle from South Africa and Chile have been seen in M&S and Sainsburys, along with Concorde pears (also in Sainsburys). Both are delicious, the latter can be eaten crisp or soft.
Apples: US Empire (in Morrisons and Tesco) and Jazz are great apples and are my personal choice, but I’ve recently taken to English Cameo, which is much under-rated.
Mandarins: Meditteranean mandarins (Clementines / Tangerines) are still in good condition, but giving sweetness without so much flavour. Ortaniques are probably better balanced, but remember that they are tough to peel. Satsumas, Okitsu (Argentina) and Mihowase (South Africa) are more widely available for those that like their metallic sweetness and masses of juice.
Oranges: The late Navel orange, Powell, is available (seen in Waitrose and Sainsburys) with remnants of Lane Late stocks. All stores are now selling Valencia Lates from Spain, Egypt and Morocco (or very similar Maroc Lates and Delta), which are very different to Navels being slightly more tangy and chewy (great for juicing).
Grapefruit: Florida Pink Ruby Red grapefruit: sublime.
Grapes: For flavour and sweetness, I continue to select Chilean Sable and Muscat. If you like a bit of a tang to your grapes, try Chilean Crimson or Thompson (also from India), though some will also have excellent sweetness.
Strawberries: All mainstream supermarkets have English strawberries, which have the great advantage of short lead-times from farm to shelf, making them several days fresher than those from Spain.
©Good Fruit Guide 2016. 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.