2019

Counting The Days: We seem to be constantly counting the days at the moment. First, it was Brexit; now it’s the General Election, and Christmas soon after; then it will be Brexit again – possibly! Just take your mind off the manic nature of present life with some beautiful fruit, just coming to perfection at the

The Nights Close In:  Sitting in front of the TV on these darkening evenings, battling rising anxiety about the election, I reach for crisp and crunchy Brazilian grapes which seem to suit my nervous demeanour. Switch off the news, marvel at the contestants on Masterchef, I relax with smooth and sweet new season Spanish clementines.

Top Topfruit:  Apples and pears are the main focus of the fruit world as the European harvest is concluded and the choice and range available to consumers is as wide as it will be all year. Though don’t forget that newly harvested fruit is popping up all over the place to bring fresh, new, tantalising

Mellow Fruit:  Chilly, mellow and damp accurately describes the atmosphere at the moment, though perhaps not in all walks of life. The produce of a long summer accurately describes the most interesting fruit of the moment, though perhaps not from all sources. Here in the northern hemisphere, the bounty is of autumn tree crops: apples,

Meditative Fruit:  Our mood is influenced by so many things, mostly our personal circumstance, but the times we live in seem to emphasise how much our environment affects us, and not just our natural environment. Autumn always brings a sense of ending, of closure, of the need to preparing for adverse conditions. However, the state

Announcing Autumn:  As we basked in the beautiful heat of late August, the fruits of autumn were stirring with the first new season apples and signs of wild blackberries ripening here and there.  The late summer harvest of figs and plums also filled the shelves with abundance bringing fresh new tastes to replace the bounty

August Blues: Rain, wind and cold weather: right on cue for the beginning of the English apple season! Never mind, there are plenty of sumptuous fruit available to enhance your mood and divert attention. For the best advice on flavour, don’t forget to download the Good Fruit Guide app (it’s free), either from Apple App

Vacation Values: Holiday planning, keeping a semblance of healthy eating in the mix, hungry children, hot summer days, a yearning for treats: how can some thoughts about fruit help? Well, there is an abundance of choice, riches beyond measure, to tempt even the most reluctant: greengages, cherries, lychee, berries, Nadorcotts, to name but a few