2019

So Very Wet: The most noticeable change in the last week or two has been the virtual demise of the southern hemisphere grape season and the arrival of fresh Egyptian and Mexican varieties: a big change in eating quality. We are also seeing the consolidation of the European stone fruit offer with more and more

First: The end of May is seeing many first appearances of very tasty new season fruit. We have had the start of the new Mediterranean soft fruit and stone fruit, as well UK strawberries and raspberries, South African persimmons and satsumas, Indian mangoes, and southern hemisphere top fruit. Now it is the turn of northern

Fresh: Unsettled weather, unsettled politics but everything else is fresh and optimistic. New seasons abound, and products are getting better as they get past their early tanginess and start to deliver real flavour. Flavour: the whole purpose of the Good Fruit Guide! Don’t forget to download the Good Fruit Guide app (it’s free), either from

Cool: Memories of a perfect Easter weekend are rapidly receding, so what brightness can our fruit bowls bring as we await summer sunshine? There is quite a lot happening in the fruit world: Spain, Morocco and Portugal are well into their berry seasons with some wonderful fruit, particularly raspberries and blueberries, and, with Egypt, are

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

Spring Fruit: On the one hand, early Moroccan blueberries and the first homegrown strawberries, and the other, fabulous late season citrus, mangoes, plums and grapes: flavour abounds, if you know where to look. FOR MY FRUITBOWL, I WOULD BUY: Blueberries: New season from Morocco; Mandarins: Late season mandarins from Spain and Morocco; Grapes: Late season

First Shoots: New blueberries, new pears to accompany the first signs of Spring. Fresh seasons getting underway bring fragrancy and energy with South African pears and Moroccan blueberries. However, let’s not forget the depth of flavour on offer from late varieties of citrus, particularly mandarins and oranges, and mature mangoes from Peru: all at their