and the Loire Valley. The most famous provenance is still "Le Touquet" in Pas-de-Calais where the potatoes are cultivated in a sandy soil. Now Touquet has become a popular brand "La Ratte du Touquet" can confuse customers. We are supplying true Ratte this year from every region in different packaging; 1kg nets, 5kg and 10kg wooden boxes and we always make the distinction between each area.
And introducing...
In 1935, Jean and Jacqueline Porterie, fruit growers in Sainte Christie in the Gers, started to make homemade jams to sell off the fruits of their harvest. In 1945, they started making pears in syrup. One year later, in 1946, they had the brainwave of preserving whole white peaches to utilize the surplus from their orchard. Thanks to the variety of fruit still used in the orchards, and to the care given to its processing, they have obtained an exceptional taste. Thus was born Vergers de Gasgogne preserves.
Today, the peach harvest is the highlight of the year. The factory opening time still echoes round the village thanks to the whistle stolen from a German train during the Liberation by the factory's first foreman. The emphasis is on the ripeness of the fruit and because of this most is sorted and peeled by hand (60 tones of peach each year!) All the fruit is chemical free and preserved in a light syrup. Some of the most delicate fruit has a little complimentary alcohol to bring out the flavour. We will be offering a range of six varieties of fruit, packed in 2.2kilo tins. If early indications from samples are anything to go by, we think you will be very enthusiastic about these products.
Featured Fruit Products
I think that apples can be over looked at times so here is a section singing their praises! Starting on the left we have Golden Delicious. Don't be put off by the English idea that it is a soft cotton wool waste of time. They are golden and sweet with a light freckle and colour through to a Rosée. By contrast, Granny Smith is a crisp, sharp fruit and we can source deep green examples for a super contrast in colour. Rubinette is a colourful apple with its red blush. It is also a sweet fruit with a traditional apple flavour. The last two are similar. The top variety is Reinette Clochard, or
just Clochard, and the lower one is Chantecler. The flavour has a very slight acidity to it and both are very nice to eat, but their strength is in the cooking, particularly Clochard that remains slightly firmer making it ideal for tartes.
Featured Vegetable Products
Here they are the broad beans from Tunisia talked about previously, they look good, ta
ste good and the beans are nice and small. Golden onions Grano from Spain have now started
This is our new Mesclun called Bistro. Coming from the same grower as the Japonais and the Nicois, this mesclun will be perfect to use as a side salad. It includes fine frizee, radiccio, and red chard. Seen this morning. The green version of the chestnut squash. Small size with a green skin and yellow flesh. They look lovely.
Special points of interest:
- Rabbit - plentiful supply
- Parma ham - new and interesting lower price!
- Lambs Liver - added to the meat list
- Sweetbreads - both have become much better value this week
- Guinea Fowl - the bird of the month!