The biggest piece of shop news in recent weeks got to be the weekly delivery of organic veg & fruit. Something we have wanted to do for a quite a while (heck, we had a veg stand made a year ago!) but have tiptoed around taking the plunge for even longer. Now the time for organic veggies has come!
It all comes via the friendly Organic North cooperative who source most of the produce directly from the growers.It's all certified organic, British grown whenever possible and supplemented by European produce to add variety and extend the seasons. Delivery is late on Wednesday afternoons; for the freshest produce and best variety plan your shopping for Thursday and Friday (or even last thing on a Wednesday).
The selection changes weekly with the seasons taking advantage of what's best in flavour and value. We are bang in the middle of British asparagus season as I write this, and definitely making the most of it! British greens & salads are also coming on strongly at the moment after a late start, and so are tomatoes from the sunny Isle of Wight, while we are in a waiting loop for new season carrots and potatoes. We will have to look to Europe to fill these gaps soon, and most fruit comes from over the channel too at the moment.
We are so pleased with the many comments on great quality and flavour (cucumbers, avocados and garlic seem to stand out) from those of you who have had a taste already - a very good reason to say no to bland and boring supermarket veg! We hope the word will spread further in the next few weeks - the more interest we get, the more colourful and exciting a selection we can offer.
On the list for this week (delivery late on 23rd May):
asparagus (more of it!)
leeks
cucumber
tomatoes
mushrooms
avocado
courgettes
nectarines
strawberries
Carrying over from last week (basics we aim to keep in stock):
carrots
potatoes (robinta)
lemons
garlic