colour is still a little green! Clementines, however, are superb already and the early variety ClemenRubi is proving a real winner
. Today saw the first arrival of grapefruit from Florida. A pale pink at present but with very little acidity. It might also be a good time to incorporate citrus into other areas of the menu with the finger limes or lime caviar. Inside the hard skin are small, pale green citrus pearls that burst in the mouth when crunched.
Spanish mangoes are in full season and we are offering three different varieties - Kent, Manzanillo and Osteen. All are sweet and full of flavour, with little fibre; the first two in particular.
The offering of apples and pears continue to grow each week. Particularly good this week is a Golden Delicious from a grower near Nantes which is both colourful and great to eat being sweet and crunchy.
This is also very true of our tomato offering that sees the list shrinking in varieties and being replaced with Italian fruit. Datterino is a great example as it is an unusually shaped vine tomato, just a little larger than a cherry vine and packed with the flavour of sun ripened Sicilian fruit. It is one we try to offer throughout the winter.
Another Italian favourite is the round purple aubergine. Larger and spherical not elongated l
ike the black ones, it has a slightly different flavour too.
It is a squash festival at the moment and there are plenty of different varieties to choose from. It is hard to say which is the best as they all have different flavours
roducts
Cherry apples are tiny apples complete with the stalk. The flavour is, however, pretty tart.
One of the many varieties we are offering from Spain at the moment - these are Kent. Lovely sweet flavour with no fibre.
A lovely selection of radish available now. In the left picture we have the green meat and in t
he right one we have the red meat, sometimes known as watermelon radish and the Rose de Chine. The heat is in the Rose while the other two are "˜sweeter' and less peppery.
Sitia Olive oil was brought to our attention by a chef a few weeks ago and we were so impressed with how good it was we have now added it to our list. We believe that the Cooperatives' farmer-members have a passion to produce the world's best Extra Virgin Olive Oils. Although they are not yet as famous as some of the Italian brands, once discovered, it won't disappoint.
The Union was established in 1933 and today totals 43 cooperatives and over 8,700 farmer-members. This represents almost all of the farming families in the province of Sitia, on the island of Crete.
SITIA 03
This oil is distinguishable by its golden-green colour, its intricate fresh aromas of unripe fruit and green herbs, the balance between sweet and bitter, the magical taste on the tongue and the amazing duration of its after-taste
Both in 1998, in the competition organized by the Spanish National Council of Olive Oil as well as in the 5th SOL Exhibition in Italy, in 1999, this exceptional extra virgin olive oil, SITIA 0.3 was awarded the 1st prize, confirming and rewarding in this way the endeavours of the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives of Sitia.Built by Chefs. Powered by You.
For 17 years, The Staff Canteen has been the meeting place for chefs and hospitality professionals—your stories, your skills, your space.
Every recipe, every video, every news update exists because this community makes it possible.
We’ll never hide content behind a paywall, but we need your help to keep it free.
If The Staff Canteen has inspired you, informed you, or simply made you smile, chip in £3—less than a coffee—to keep this space thriving.
Together, we keep the industry connected. Together, we move forward.
