Market Report - UK seasonal update 11 December 2015

Last week's market report from Wild Harvest features Trompette, pied de mouton and chanterelle mushrooms, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Clementines and Choux de Bruxelles as well as a whole host of other fruit and vegetables currently in season which you can see below:

Wild Mushrooms & Truffles

Easing of the drought in South Africa has brought a flush of South African cep.

Cep flushes are incredibly temperamental, the SA variety is even more delicate than European ‘shrooms.

One to enjoy as a special rather than list on a menu, unless you are happy to adapt to using frozen or dried cep.

It is still mild enough in the warmer corners of Europe to allow for mushroom growth.

Spain, Portugal, Bulgaria & Southern France are all cropping classic autumnal mushrooms. Trompette, pied de mouton and chanterelle.

The warmth loving girolle is now almost exclusively coming from the US & Canada, who will corner the wild mushroom market when temperatures drop further in Europe.

White truffles are still excellent and traditionally just make it through to NYE celebrations.

Winter truffles from Perigord and Italy are up and running. Availability, price and quality will all in improve in January.

The nose is certainly building and I would not agree with Frenchman, Grimod de La Reynière, who said: "Truffles are only really good after Christmas...So let us allow ignorant fops, beardless gourmands, and inexperienced palates the perry triumph of eating the first truffles."

Fruits

We have some top quality lychees in our chillers this week. Supplied on the twig from that little bit of France that hangs off the end of Madagascar known as La Reunion.

There is an argument to say we shouldn’t be buying apples from the Southern Hemisphere, but these treats surely represent exotic imports at their finest.

We’re all busy chasing our own seasonal tails so here’s a brutal, bulleted pointed list of fruits worth fighting for:-

• Clementines


• Cranberries


• Bergamot oranges


• Kaki


• Muscat grapes


• Comice pears


• Quince


• Chestnuts


• Cox apples

As it’s still relatively mild veg is not solely about roots yet. Many shoots and leaves are still in excellent shape.

Here’s a small selection of vegetables perfectly worthy of plate space:-

• Coloured carrots


• Rainbow chard


• Purple sprouting broccoli


• Iron bar & potimaron squash


• Jerusalem chokes


• Crapaudine beet


• A range of radish varieties. Ideal for the still fashionable pickle jar.


• Crosnes


• Chervil and parsley roots