Author name: Nick Ball

Week 40, October 2016 THIS WEEK: It never ceases to amaze me that, whatever the time of year, there is always something exciting happening in the fruit world! Right now, it is the start of the Spanish mango, persimmon, satsuma and clementine, and Israeli grapefruit seasons, but also the consolidation of fresh British apples and […]

Week 38, September 2016 THIS WEEK: The fruits of the harvest are upon us! New apples, new pears, new mangoes, new persimmons and new Satsumas are all arriving on store shelves to add to such late summer delights as Bursa figs, Mediterranean grapes and the last greengages and Charantais melons: a fruit choice for everyone.

Week 36, September 2016 THIS WEEK: An Indian summer beckons, but autumn is in the air with the first signs of turning leaves. Autumnal signs in the fruit world are all about as well, with apple and pear harvest in full flow, wild raspberries in abundance, and local plum harvests drawing to a close. It’s

Week 34, 2016 THIS WEEK: Apples, Pears, Plums and Figs: In common, a significant change in availability. Discovery apples from England, Gala from France and Spain, and Williams pears from Italy signal the start of the European topfruit harvest; the peak of English plums is reached with soft, sumptuous Victoria; while Turkish Bursa figs will

Week 32, 2016 THIS WEEK: The week is notable for many price promotions for melons, peaches and nectarines, grapes and various berries, all, coincidentally, in peak season and at their best: a feast of fruit to be enjoyed while it lasts! Gold Medal Mango Retailer: This week’s winner is Tesco for a great range of

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