Check out our blog about what’s hot in our local greengrocers and what’s in season this month
August
English plums are now available so give us a call to discuss the different varieties available…
Spanish stone fruits are in abundance and taste absolutely fantastic. Peaches, nectarines and apricots are all juicy and sweet, just how they should be...
English bobby beans have now started and instead of using the Kenyan Variety you can have the home grown version for the same price...
Fresh UK corn on the cob is a highlight of the summer and perfect for the BBQ season...
As you know, where possible we source our produce from growers in the UK. These beautiful blackberries are direct from Roughway Farm, Kent. They travel a mere 31 miles from our base; the quality is fantastic...
Also from Roughway Farm, Kent, raspberries and strawberries are at the peak of their season.
English courgettes have now started and we are sourcing ours again from one of our growers: Stanhill Farm.
Jerusalem Artichokes are experiencing a blip in the season and again price and availability is not great...
Call us now for more information and prices...To find out more about stock, services, Local Mums Discounts and delivery options pop over to www.rhubarbandbramley.co.uk or call Ashleigh on 020 8669 5854
I took an early morning stroll on the market this morning to get some inspiration which I wanted to share with you all….
First french freengages are now around, slightly sour to taste but give it a couple more weeks and the season will be in full swing. English blackcurrants are also around and to be taken advantage of as the season is quite short...
English Romano Peppers are looking to be great quality and also great value...
English gooseberries are in full swing now and highly recommended...
Nettles are lovely for Summer menus...
Garlic Scrapes are something a little different...
WARNING…
Due to the scorching weather we have had recently there are some losses on crops such as Broccoli and cauliflower. This has caused shortages and price increases on these product lines. Also affected by the warm weather are lettuce heads and salads.
Oranges and limes are up in prices due to switching over to Mexican and South African crops.
Asparagus is super short; quality and price are not great at all.
Jerusalem Artichokes are experiencing a blip in the season and again price and availability is not great...
Royal Gala and Braeburn Apples have now switched over to New Zealand crop which has pushed prices extremely high. We are still a couple of weeks off English Apple season…
Call us now for more information and prices...To find out more about stock, services, Local Mums Discounts and delivery options pop over to www.rhubarbandbramley.co.uk or call Dave or Ashleigh on 020 8669 5854
June 2017
The UK growing season is well under way now and we are very busy visiting a number of our growers. We have very strong relationships with our farmers and before we place our first orders of the season we always visit to check the quality and flavour of the produce...
Yesterday we visited Pierce Mill Farm in Kent to see the first crop of UK cherries. We were delighted to see how fabulous the crop was looking. One of my personal highlights is the UK cherry seasonm so it is wonderful to go and see the fruit growing on the trees.
Now available from Roughway Farm, Plaxtol, Kent are these absolutely stunning British raspberries. This is their first crop of the season and my oh my are they mighty fine! The best thing about these beautiful berries is the fact they were growing yesterday morning, cut and delivered to us last night ready to be in your kitchens today! You simply will not get fresher….
As we are now in the summer months we are seeing an abundance of beautiful produce that will be perfect for your summer menus.... Here is a little inspiration for the week.
English fresh peas and broad beans are at their prime and these should be taken advantage of. The taste of fresh beans is just unbeatable...
Summer is definitely here when you see fresh gooseberries come around... English green variety is now available and it will not be long until the UK red variety start too. Highly recommended...
Coloured Cauliflowers are now in a more regular supply and are really vibrant. To keep the colour when cooking either steam or chargrill.
Beautiful courgette flowers are flowing through nicely...
Black figs have also started. As the season progresses prices will tumble. Normal green figs are great value for money too.
The fresh ceps or porcini season has also started. Prices are not too bad but they fluctuate daily. Best to call for a quote and to order with our sales team...
Ones to watch...
Melons have been a headache this week with Honeydew unavailable to buy for two nights in a row. Size is small and price is high, this is due to a change over in season
Purple Broccoli is still unavailable and looks like it will not be back until autumn
Wild Garlic has now finished
Iron Bark Pumpkins season is experiencing a blip in the season
Capsicum Peppers are yo-yoing in price on the dutch auction
Grapefruit and Oranges have jumped in price again. We are waiting
Call us now for more information and prices...
To find out more about stock, services, Local Mums Discounts and delivery options pop over to www.rhubarbandbramley.co.uk or call Dave or Ashleigh on 020 8669 5854
May 2017
What is the first thing that springs to mind when you think of British Summertime...? (No we don't mean rain LOL!)
STRAWBERRIES!!!!….
We have been waiting patiently for the season to properly start and we are SO excited today as we have literally just taken the first delivery of our British Strawberries grown locally at Manor Farm, Kent.
They were cut yesterday evening and we collected them at 10.30am this morning then travelled a mere 36 miles to our warehouse and ready for your orders tonight...
You simply will not get fresher!
The early variety we will be supplying are Centenary and the flavour and taste are delicious. Just add cream to taste...
We visited Manor Farm Tuesday morning to get an update on crops and to place our first orders
Just arrived in our warehouse waiting to land in your kitchens tomorrow morning...
Call us now for more information and prices for strawberries on 020 7720 4126
To find out more about stock, services and delivery options, pop over to www.rhubarbandbramley.co.uk or call Dave or Ashleigh on 020 8669 5854
Let's start off with St George's Mushrooms - only around for another couple of weeks so make the most of them while you can.
Next up is the delightful Mousseron, they have a big flavour and rich taste.
Pied de Bleu are very resonable and quality is great...
Beautiful baby fennel home grown in the UK...
English raspberries have made an appearance on the market and as the UK berry season kicks in, quality and price will improve across all varieties...
Warning
Due to colder nights cauliflowers and potatoes have been harder to harvest causing slight shortages and price increases. Purple Broccoli is experiencing a blip in the season and again we are having some shortages.
Spanish stone fruit is slowly starting to trickle through now; we saw the first peaches last week and joining the party this week are apricots, nectarines and cherries. When the season first starts the quality is not quite there and prices are very high (especially cherries) so give it a good couple of weeks before charging full steam ahead on the stone fruit.
Custard Apples were also a lovely little treat waiting for us early hours of the morning, again the season has only just started...
Warning
Pink Grapefruit has gone up in price this week due to shortages and we have been warned prices could creep up further.
Galia Melon has gone extremely short because of the change in season, expect other melons to follow.
Savoy Cabbage has changed from English to Portuguese so a good time to change over your greens as prices has risen slightly.
Due to the colder nights, Cauliflowers have not been as easy to get hold of and prices have tightened.
To find out more about stock, services and delivery options, pop over to www.rhubarbandbramley.co.uk or call Dave or Ashleigh on 020 8669 5854
April 2017
Cornish mids have now started which is fantastic news! This also is an indication that Jersey New Potatoes will start to tumble in price and should be ready to be added to you menus come beginning of May.
Fraise de Bois (AKA Wild Strawberries :) ) are looking, tasting and smelling divine. Compared to the tasteless oversized strawberries you get in supermarkets, these beauties are perfect for a summer treat...
English marrows have now started, a little early so give it a couple of weeks before consistent supply and quality.
Spanish stone fruit season has now begun with these yummy early peaches, size and price are not great so again leave it 2-3 weeks before relying on a good supply. You can expect to see nectarines and apricots start in the coming weeks.
Fresh Italian borlotti beans have literally just started. The first batch made an appearance last night. Again the price is still on the high side so give it time.
To find out more about stock, services and delivery options, pop over to www.rhubarbandbramley.co.uk or call Dave or Ashleigh on 020 8669 5854
January 2017
Happy New Year everyone! There's a lot of doom and gloom surrounding fresh produce supply at the moment so we thought we'd start off with a showcase of the ingredients that are getting us out of bed during this cold start to the year. Scroll down to the end for the news that's giving us the January blues.
Homegrown brassicas are on top form, we've had some top notch Brussel Tops, Kale, Cavolo Nero and Savoy cabbage being supplied from our Kent growers. There's a shade of green for every plate and prices are reasonable.
It's been a slow start to the season for Purple Sprouting Broccoli this time around. Volumes are now starting to pick up but this may be impacted by the cold snap due to hit this weekend. Quality is good but as supply is tight prices are a touch high.
Root vegetables are also a good choice at the moment. Celeriac, Jerusalem Artichokes, carrots (including Chantenay), parsnips and beetroots are all recommended.
In a rare bit of good news from the continent, strawberries and Seville Oranges from Spain are looking good. Prices and supply on both items are good at the time of writing but this may be about to change!
Now for the bad news.. As you may have seen in our previous posts, Spain, which grows the vast majority of fresh produce that arrives into our markets during the winter months, has been experiencing some extreme weather conditions for several weeks now. Italy has also now been hit with some freezing conditions.
Growers of ground crops, especially salad items, are facing some very challenging conditions caused by heavy rainfall and severe flooding in some areas. We expect baby salad items to be in very short supply for the rest of the Spanish salad season. Prices will be high on these and also other lettuces such as Gem, Frizze, Cos and Iceberg.
Supply of other vegetables are increasingly being impacted by this situation. Broccoli, courgette and aubergine prices are rising sharply. Cauliflowers may also be affected if the current freezing conditions in the UK affect our homegrown supply.
Other potentially affected items include Plum Vine Tomato, rocket, lemons, limes and other citrus fruits.
Please take this into consideration when planning your menus and placing your orders with us.
We'll sign off with this stunning Forced Rhubarb from Yorkshire which thankfully is still growing strong!
To find out more about stock, services and delivery options, pop over to www.rhubarbandbramley.co.uk or call Dave or Ashleigh on 020 8669 5854
December
With the big day rapidly approaching Rhubarb and Bramley would like to take this opportunity to wish all customers a Merry Christmas and extend a big thank you for your custom over the past year.
Two of our winter favourites are recent arrivals in the markets. Blood oranges from Italy have just started with a decent amount of colour. Forced rhubarb from deep inside Yorkshire's 'Rhubarb Triangle' is also available now to those with deep pockets.
Sprout update!
Scare stories of a sproutless Christmas are a little off the mark, however supply is tight so pre-ordering is advisable. Prepped sprouts are extra pricey this year too.
The rest of your Christmas staples are looking good. In particular root veg is on top form, chantenay carrots, parsnips and piccolo parsnips are our top picks.
Price warnings
Courgettes and sugar snaps are on the rise and they are likely to get even dearer over the coming weeks
You can find Rhubarb and Bramley's schedule for the coming weeks below. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from everyone at Rhubarb and Bramley!
To find out more about stock, services and delivery options, pop over to www.rhubarbandbramley.co.uk or call Dave or Ashleigh on 020 8669 5854
Christmas in Carshalton
We dropped in to local greengrocers and florists Rhubarb and Bramley this week where Christmas preparations are well underway!
There are trees for every space and every home lined up outside and this family-run local business are offering free local delivery (and set up if you ask nicely!) They've also got those all-important stands if you can’t face digging yours out of the loft or shed this year.
Owner Graham and his daughter Ashleigh told us that this year they will again be doing their popular Christmas fruit and veg hampers. The hampers can be made up to your specifications or you can choose from a carefully crafted hamper which will contain everything you need to make your Christmas dinner special. These range from £15-£35 depending on how many mouths you have to feed!
You can find out more about the contents of the boxes on the website where you can place your order and pick a delivery date in the run up to Christmas.
The stunning decorated wreaths are handcrafted by in-house florist Anne-Marie and her team; there are a range of sizes with prices starting from £29.95. Wreaths can be created to order or you can choose from one of the many that will be available in the shop already decorated.
Dave from Rhubarb and Bramley told us, "All of us in the shop look forward to the Christmas period. There's a lot to do but we know that with our years of combined experience we can handle everything and make sure our customers get what they need hassle free."
To find out more about stock, services and delivery options, pop over to www.rhubarbandbramley.co.uk or call Dave or Ashleigh on 020 8669 5854
November
The month of Guy Fawkes, bonfires and fireworks is also the month of Kale, sprouts and Black Cabbage! Check out these beauties…
Red and Green Kale are in full swing now, along with the beautiful Cavolo Nero you can see above. Both are fantastic quality and grown by brassica specialist Toby at his farm near Dartford.
Kalettes are definitely in this season, expect to see them everywhere! Also known as Flower Sprouts, this frilly vegetable is the result of crossbreeding between Brussel Sprout and Kale plants. The clever cross loses the bitterness associated with its two parents and leaves you with a nutty and sweet flavour.
Rainbow chard is the most colourful homegrown veg you are likely to see at this time of year and it's looking stunning at the moment!
Not locally grown but veg from the continent is also providing us with some colour. These Violet Artichokes and red spring onions in particular stood out on buyers walk. Romanesque and coloured cauliflowers are also looking good but as you may have seen these are likely to be very expensive so call the office for prices.
Trompette courgettes were an unusual find; if you are intrigued give us a call before ordering for prices.
Nettles have started early this year but availability is limited.
There's nothing much to shout about as far as local fruit is concerned this month but we can recommend pomegranates and persimmons (aka Kaki Fruit) from further afield. Watch out for the fabulous Christmassy and cold-busting vitamin C-rich clementines and oranges arriving next month...
Contact:
Ashleigh Kimpton
Rhubarb and Bramley
Tel: 020 8669 5854
Email: info@rhubarbandbramley.co.uk
www.rhubarbandbramley.co.uk
Rhubarb and Bramley on Facebook
Twitter: @RhubarbBramley
Local Mums Online discount code: CARMUM
