Written by Tom Moggach
November 02, 2017
As the British growing season winds down, November also marks a shift - from Dutch to Spanish - for many staples.
“The Spanish train is rocking,” says Mark Gregory, salesman at wholesaler P & I. “Peppers, tomatoes, Iceberg, Little Gem, Cos, broccoli, celery ...”
Citrus - often Spanish or Italian - is a highlight: from clementines to Navel oranges, via rarer treats such as bergamot.
Apples and pears are the best of British, with the Braeburn joining Cox, Gala, russets and Bramley.
Note that English sweetcorn is coming to an end; and not long now for the first Yorkshire forced rhubarb.
Other British lines available include squashes, cauliflowers, Rainbow chard, onions, kale, cabbages, celeriac, swede, turnips, bunched carrots (also Chantenay), sprouts and tops, parsnips (including Piccolo), beetroot and purple sprouting broccoli (pictured below). The first January King cabbages have also arrived.
Soft fruit is tricky: English strawberries are over and supplies of local raspberries and blueberries will dwindle in the cold. Redcurrants are Dutch. Blackberries are imported from far and wide.
Cranberries and walnuts bring a festive feel to Buyers' Walk. There are still a few lovely French figs - but get in fast.
More exotic fruits include pineapples, mangoes, pomegranates, kumquats and kaki fruits - a pallet of the latter pictured below.
The display below from the French Garden gives you a vivid glimpse of some of the seasonal gems from the Continent.
From France, Spain and Italy, you can expect specialties such as radicchio (including Tardivo), fennel, courgettes, Romanesco, radish (black; red heart; blue; breakfast), Jerusalem artichokes, aubergines, chervil and parsley root, coloured carrots and cauliflower, puntarelle, chicory, crosnes and much more.
I couldn't resist a picture of the sparkly ice plant (try French Garden or European Salad Company) - a truly amazing plant.
It's also a fine time for wild mushrooms - and the first copies of The Mushroom Cookbook, the debut from Michael Hyams of wholesaler The Mushroom Man.
“It was worth the wait and all the hard work and sweat. It certainly looks good,” he says. “For any of us here finding a little project that gets us out of this environment is a good opportunity - to see something different. I learnt a hell of a lot - that’s for sure."
This month, the abundance of chillies also caught my eye - some varieties detailed below.
I'll be back with a fresh report in December - always a busy and buzzy time here on the market.
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