MARKET REPORT FOR OCTOBER 2024
Citrus is a headline this month. We have the first ‘Mon Cheri’ clementines (‘The ‘Tout Miel’ marque starts a little later) which join the Miyagawa with the green skin, plus bergamots and cedro.
Citrus specialist Baches are now sending us specialist lines such as green yuzu, wild Kaffir lime and two types of citron caviar (find out more here). Also bergamot leaves, cedrat leave and combawa leaves. We are also proud of our Tahiti limes, which are picked with order and with us in five days - as opposed to months via sea freight. Our buyer Andy has also sourced some very early blood oranges from South Africa. It’s the very start of their citrus season so much more to come.
Chestnuts have started and wet walnuts are still available.
We’re getting into the season for wonderful pears now. Our green Williams pears are absolutely wonderful. Apples are getting better and better. English Cox have started but the quality will improve further into October. We also have excellent apples from France, including the Kissabel variety - great fun and they do eat well.
For potatoes, we are now offering the ORIGINAL Ratte potatoes from Le Touquet - ‘La Ratte de Touquet’. This variety is grown all over France but the crop from this area is the best, grown in the marine climate of this beautiful bit of coast. Other recommended potatoes include Linzer, Pink fir, Yukon gold, Jazzy, Celtiane, Roseval and Purple.
We’ve been selling volumes of Sollies figs from France. They have had a lot of rain so the fruit is a little smaller recently. We will move over to Bursa black figs from Turkey when these have finished.
It’s a good month for grapes including Muscat and Chasselas from France and Strawberry grapes from Italy. We also recommend Lovita red-flesh plums.
A fresh find this month is a new supplier of Butternut squash from near Valencia in Spain. These squash are superior quality. You’ll notice a darker skin and flesh. Only Le Marché supplies these in the UK. We love taking stock ingredients like this to the next level.
This same philosophy applies to our leeks, which we source from a farmer called Philippe Seuru in France, whose attention to detail is second to none. 80% of each leek is white; 20% green leaf.
For roots, chervil root, parsley root and French Jerusalem artichokes have started. We have fantastic bunched carrots including red-flesh. Also bitter leaves from Italy such as cime di rapa and puntarelle. Tons of wonderful squashes including terrific Potimarron, Delica and a rare variety called Delicata - see photo below.
For wild mushrooms, Scottish girolle are finishing but trompette remain reliable. Ceps are always tricky as the quality goes up and down. We work very hard to source only the best.
