MARKET REPORT FOR JANUARY 2024

A lot of people think you are in the wilderness in January but they are just plain wrong. People overlook Seville oranges as they have a very short season. Only around for three weeks or so. We have been working Chocolate Oranges for weeks but in my opinion the best is Cara Cara which is on the horizon. Other citrus includes Newhall unwaxed oranges, Buddha Hand, yuzu, Kalamansi, Sicilian mandarins and Bâches leaves.

For pears, we are about to get the wax-tipped Passe Crassane – a very fine and very special pear. The wax is there to slow down the loss of moisture. Traditionally growers would keep them in a cool drawer in a garden shed until Spring.

This is the month when blood oranges and Yorkshire forced rhubarb starts. My message is to be patient: the best quality does not arrive until late January. With the rhubarb, the early varieties look great but the flavour is not quite there. Same with blood oranges - last year we didn’t get a good blood orange until the end of January and it has been a very mild winter in Italy and Spain.

We have the Spanish onions, the calcots – they are lots of fun. I have never understood why they are haven’t taken off in the UK. There are loads of good apples about. Serge at Mouneyrac in France recommends the Goldrush in January. It has a rich and spicy flavour.

Airfreight fruit includes lychees and Charentais melons. Gariguette strawberries are also available.

From Italy, we are now into winter tomatoes like the Marinda and Camone. Monk’s beard / agretti is in season and we have excellent artichokes (baby, spikey), fennel, aubergines and courgettes. All the Italian radicchios are in season along with red and white chicories plus puntarelle and cime di rapa.

On the mushroom front, there is not much going on. Pied de Mouton and Chanterelle are the only ones of value and quality.