Poised for Spring: The seasons for the different types of fruit are such a mixture of old and new at the moment. We have new berry fruit and stone fruit from the Mediterranean; new strawberries from English glasshouses; and new pears from the southern hemisphere, all with an attractive freshness, though often tinged with a real tanginess. Then we have late season citrus from Spain, Morocco and Italy; late plums and grapes from South Africa and Chile; and late mangoes from Peru, all with a great depth of sweetness, though sometimes dense in texture and a little flat in flavour. We are poised of an avalanche of new taste experiences……….
FOR MY FRUITBOWL, I WOULD BUY:
- Blueberries & Raspberries: New season from Morocco & Spain;
- Mandarins: Late season mandarins from Morocco & Spain;
- Grapes: Late season grapes from South Africa
- Oranges: Late season oranges from Spain and Italy;
- Pears: New season pears from South Africa.
- Mangoes: Late season Kent from Peru;
- Avocados: Spanish and Israeli Hass.
Blueberries: Super, fresh blueberries are in most stores from Morocco and Spain. Chilean blueberries should generally be avoided due to soft berries, though a variety called Freedom (in Waitrose) seems to still be acceptable. Any retailer selling soft blueberries from Morocco or Spain should be ashamed of themselves.
Top varieties from Morocco are: Mayra, Kirra, Eureka and Driscoll Stella Blue.
Raspberries: Lovely, tangy raspberries are coming from Morocco, Spain and Portugal, mostly Adelita and Lagorai. If you want sweetness, look out for Driscoll Carmina and Diamond Jubilee.
Mandarins: Late varieties Orri, Nadorcott and Tangold continue to be great quality from Israel, Spain and Morocco with a lovely balance of flavour.
Orri, often sold as a tangerine, is deliciously sweet, firm and flavoursome, while Nadorcott (or its seedless cousin, Tangold) is softer and with a slight tang, but with lovely depth of flavour. Sainsbury’s have chosen Mor as their tangerine which is also a good variety, but has been a little variable, particularly with the smaller fruit.
Grapes: The most common grapes on sale include great quality late South African varieties such as Sable with excellent flavour; Adora with large plump berries; black Melody and red Scarlotta with high levels of sweetness; and green Autumn Crisp with wonderful texture.
In search of real flavour, as well as the widely available Sable; there are ad hoc sales of Candy Floss grape, Cotton Candy; the soft, delightful Muscat Beauty; Vitoria from Brazil; and the unusual Candy Hearts and Candy Crush.
Oranges: Lane Late, the main Spanish Navel is still the main option and still wonderful to eat but also look out for varieties such as Chislett and Powell, which signify the last of the season (seen in Waitrose) and are equally satisfying. The sublime Tarocco from Sicily is also going strong (M&S, Morrisons, Waitrose), with the alternative blood orange, Sanguinelli, worth trying from Spain (in Tesco, Sainsburys).
Spanish Salustiana continue to be great value for juicing.
Pears: The pear options are a story of the old and the new! Conference and Rocha are from the September European harvest and will continue pretty much until next September. There are also odd volumes of Angelys, Xenia and Migo (in Morrisons, Tesco and Sainsburys) which will peter-out soon. Then the new South African and Argentinian seasons offer a range of varieties to rekindle our interest. Look-out for the following:
- Abaté Fétèl – Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Waitrose
- QTee – Sainsburys
- Cheeky – M&S, Waitrose
- Green Williams – widely available
- Packham’s Triumph – Morrisons, Tesco.
Mangoes: Peruvian Kent can be excellent at the moment, while some Brazilian Palmer are also on sale: a good flavoursome alternative.
Avocados: Hass avocados are mainly coming from Spain and Israel, occasionally from Morocco: excellent quality.
Plums: Of the various plums on sale, all of which are late season varieties from South Africa and Chile, seek out African Delight and Ruby Star for something more succulent. Otherwise, find relatively uninspiring sweetness and crunch in varieties such as Angelino and Southern Belle.
Strawberries: The first British strawberries are in most stores and are certainly fresh! Otherwise, all strawberries are from Spain and Morocco. It’s a struggle to find real flavour and sweetness in the fruit, even in new varieties. However, things will improve as the weather gets warmer.
Peaches & Nectarines: Any varieties now on sale from South Africa and Chile should be avoided. The new Egyptian peach season is underway with Florida Prince (in Tesco), but expect a distinct tanginess along with the fresh, light texture.
Figs: Most retailers are selling South African Evita figs which are very tasty when at the right maturity (colour should be as dark as possible). Other options are the very similar Parisian (South Africa), plus occasional Brown Turkey from India and Peruvian Toro Sentado (in Morrisons).
Apples: The apple offer in retailers has not changed over the past few weeks, except for the first Gala from the new South African season in some stores (seen in Asda, Morrisons).
©Good Fruit Guide 2019. 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.