Wild harvest | Market report

This week's market report from Wild Harvest features girolles and trompette mushrooms, clementines, rainbow chard and forced Yorkshire Triangle rhubarb as well as a whole host of other fruit and vegetables currently in season which you can see below: Wild Mushrooms & Truffles Winter truffles are at their peak now. Whether it be from Italy or Perigord. If you are considering preserving, now is the time. Whilst it would be abusing my role to suggest that wild mushrooms are at their best in January, our fungal offering is in seasonal good shape. Portugal is dominating the market pushing US crops largely out of the picture. This always helps price & quality, not to mention air-miles. South Africa is producing sporadic offerings of worm free cep. Portugal provides girolles, pied de mouton and yellow/grey legged chanterelle. America is shipping trompette for a gothic garnish. In short, lots of options to garnish your venison or perk up your poultry dish. Fruits

The very limited Seville bitter orange season has started. Rather like much of Italy I’m a great fan of bitter leaves and beverages, so this treat is right up my culinary cul-de sac. Whilst the fruit’s high pectin levels make it perfect for mighty marmalade I think they are lovely in a toothsome sorbet or ice cream. I’m sure people who create dishes for a living will be curing gravlax with it, and playing with all sorts of clever concepts. Buy them now as it’s normally game over by early Feb. Without further waffle, here’s a list of some other fruits in fine fettle:-

Passe crassane pears
Finger limes
Clementines
Blood oranges have hit entry level
English apples

Vegetables Barba di Frate (Monk’s beard in English-Sounds so much better in Italian) aka agretti has hit our shores. This salt tolerant succulent has a delicate mineral flavour, and crunchy texture. Enjoy it in a simple pasta dish accompanied by a great oil and lemon juice, or as a side to fish. Time is short, and attention spans are shorter. As with fruits here’s a staccato list of just some of the good stuff:-

Forced Yorkshire Triangle rhubarb
Alexanders foraged in Norfolk
Rainbow chard
Cavolo nero (Black cabbage. The Italian’s win the sexy name prize again)
January King cabbage

As usual, this is just a small selection of what we have on offer. Call in on 020 7498 5397 to speak to the team about what other treats we have in store for you today. Visit the website here.

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