Dear Chef,
The hot, dry spell across Europe is bringing a wealth of seasonal produce and early starts, including a long, glorious asparagus season. The heat has ended some crops earlier than expected, but we enjoying the benefits of the spring season with a heaving warehouse.
Here is what will be flowing through the fridges this week:
Wild Mushroom & Truffles
Morels are still coming in fast and strong from Turkey. They are a consistent price and quality and are the very best available; graded, super and fresh. Simply the best. Better than all the rest.
Mousseron and St George’s mushroom are in full flow from Bulgaria, and we have a price drop as they move further into the season. Again lovely quality; St George’s mushroom is clean, dry and a good small size and mousseron are delicate and dry.
We are hoping for Girolles by the beginning of next week, but we still have great clean, small frozen girolles to tide your customer’s appetite
Don’t forget our great range of cultivated mushrooms including the colourful Pied Bleu, which can add great shape and colour to your dish, and our wonderful collection of Japanese mushrooms including Shimeji, Enoki and King Oyster
The season has now come to a close for South African Cep, American Trompette and Grey Chanterelle.
Italian Summer Truffle are reaching a peak as the temperatures soar; good nose, delicate marbling and a great price have been encouraging all of our chefs to be using them on the plate.
Seasonal Fruit and Vegetables
Summer Strawberries are in full swing! Fraise des Bois (also known as wild strawberries) have started in Kent, almost a month early. We are buying in small quantities on a weekly basis, as it is so early in the season, so please call your account manager to place your order. French Gariguettes are still excellent with a heady, sweet aroma and bright colour. We are hoping to have an office tasting of Mara du Bois strawberries next week, we shall let you know how it goes!
Poivrades are beautiful, graphic gems of the vegetable world. Incredible colour and pattern and a wonderful addition on the plate, and prices are already beginning to drop.
Asparagus is enjoying a long-lived season this year and English asparagus is still coming in strong from the Cotswolds. In addition, we also now have wild French asparagus and consistent white French asparagus. I enjoyed some white asparagus last weekend grilled on the barbeque with St. Georges mushroom and poached duck egg; I don’t think summer can taste any better.
Our forager is still bringing wild garlic, and is the best we have seen of the season, with beautiful, delicate flowering. Sweet cicely is a lovely garnish, soft anise flavour and a leaf similar to baby fennel with a strong, and edible, stalk. We are still receiving coastline favourites, including sea beet, sea purslane and alexanders.
Please note the following crops have now finished for the season; blood oranges, barba di frate, heritage coloured carrots, golden and candied beetroot, wild leek and Scottish seaweed.
Chocolate
As some of you may know, my personal favourite. I am pleased to announce we are now offering a 20% discount across the whole Cacao Barry range, including couvertures, cocoa powder and finished products. I will send out further information later this week with tasting notes and recipe ideas. Please contact your account manager to order and make the most of this great promotion, which runs until the end of May.
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter to keep up to date on special offers, new produce and Wild Harvest gossip.
As always if you have any questions please do get in touch, or contact your account manager; have a wonderful week chef,
Louise Thomas
Account Manager
Wild Harvest
[email protected]
+44 (0) 207 498 5397
