Dear Chef
Wild Mushrooms & Truffle
Small, clean Girolles are still available due to mild weather in Eastern Europe. Lovely Mousserons are coming in from Bulgaria, with a wonderful liquorice flavour, we’ve been eating them raw in the office. Grey-legged Chanterelles are still going strong from Finland, less flimsy than their French cousins and with a bright colour will stand well on the plate. Trompette is becoming easier to find but in very small quantities from France. Cauliflower Fungus rears its twisted head again; a beautiful light, nutty flavour to this unusual mushroom.
Pied de Mouton and Cep are rare at the moment and we’re finding it difficult to buy due to heavy rain or warm climates and still tracking movements day by day. We’re crossing fingers, thumbs and toes to see an early start to the South African Cep season.
White truffles are excellent quality now and available through pre-order; please speak to your account manager for further information.
Autumn truffles remain good value for money and are coming in larger than the recent past weeks due to more rainfall in Umbria. Winter, Perigord and Tuber Melanosporum are due to start in the first weeks of December.
Seasonal & Foraged Produce
Medlars are coming from our picker in Norfolk. Best when ‘bletted’, which is when they are left to become soft and blacken. These bramble scented fruits are a medieval cross of a pear and an apple and have a high pectin content, making them great for jellies and pastes. Medlars from my parents’ farm have been reserved for a rose hip and medlar paste for the Christmas table.
Chickweed is also now available from our forager; a large grass-like leaf with a similar flavour profile to lettuce, spinach and cabbage, with a fresh pea and corn sweetness. The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked and make a beautiful garnish. I’ve managed to forage some on the canal banks in East London and, after a good wash, I made a pesto that works very nicely with cheddar cheese for my sandwiches.
Season end:
French figs (Turkish figs are still available)
Coco beans
Borlotti Beans
Bullace Plum
Sosa
After our Sosa demonstration, held on Monday and Tuesday this week, we are currently offering 10% discount across the entire range, which is available until the end of November. Here are the new lines from Sosa; please contact your account manager for further information.
Blackberry paste
Wet-proof Crispies: we currently have passion fruit & yoghurt in stock.
Freeze dried crispy pieces packed with flavour that will retain their crunch whilst immersed in liquids
Concentrated beef & chicken fonds, available in 600g tubs
Pro-Mochi (aka Kuzu) A gluten-free thickener derived from the root of a Japanese plant akin to arrowroot. This will create a texture when added to any liquid akin to bone-marrow; perfect for fake gnocchis, both sweet and savoury.
Game
Our Scottish offering remains strong. Only grouse is proving hard to find.
Pig Update
Bacon, Sausage and Chop have been sent to the market. A butcher, in the village nearest to Mum and Dad’s farm, showed Dad how to butcher the pigs and taught Dad (a previous city slicker) how to make sausages. I have half a pig and a string of chipolatas with my name on it. Apart from a bacon buttie, I have never cooked pork, having spent 15 years as a vegetarian (Wild Harvest’s A-grade foie gras on pain d’epice turned me), so any suggestions would be welcome.
As always, if you have any further questions please do get in touch and myself or your account manager will be happy to help. And don’t forget to follow us on twitter to keep to date with our managing director’s Italian truffle road trip this week.
Have a fantastic week; best wishes,
Louise Thomas
Wild Harvest: +44 (0) 207 498 5397 / [email protected]
