Market Updates
🌿 In Season This December 🌿
“The Winter Feast.” ❄️✨
There’s something special about December produce. The cold, frosty nights make sure that British roots are at their sweetest, European citrus becomes its brightest, and the winter leaves have that wonderful depth and crunch that only this season brings.
For kitchens gearing up for Christmas menus and year-end events, it’s a welcome moment of reliability - good ingredients, steady supply, and flavours that really shine at this time of year.
Fruits:
Clementines, Satsumas & Easy Peelers – Peak season now. Spanish and Moroccan fruit showing great sweetness and colour.
Oranges & Lemons – Consistent quality and excellent flavour. Blood oranges begin late December into January.
Grapefruits – Bright, juicy, and beautifully balanced — a standout citrus for December.
Bergamot – Intensely aromatic and pristine; ideal for pastry, syrups and infusions.
Green Mandarins – Fragrant, sharp-sweet and highly prized.
English Apples – Gala, Braeburn, Bramley and Russet all storing beautifully.
Pears – Conference, Comice and Williams performing exceptionally well.
Pomegranates – Deep red seeds and vibrant flavour from new-season Turkish fruit.
Quince – Golden, fragrant and ideal for slow cooking or poaching.
Persimmons / Sharon Fruit – Spanish fruit at its sweetest and most consistent.
Cranberries – Fresh North American berries in full swing.
Kiwis – Green & Gold both steady.
Salads, Leaves & Speciality Greens:
Radicchio – Castel Franco, Tardivo & Treviso – Stunning winter quality with exceptional structure and colour; premium but spectacular.
Puntarelle – Excellent Italian supply: crisp, fresh and beautifully bitter.
Cimi di Rapa (Rapini) – Vibrant, leafy and full of authentic winter character.
Iberiko (Black Winter) Tomatoes – Premium Spanish tomatoes with remarkable depth and colour — the best seasonal tomato option.
Round (Butterhead) Lettuce – Clean, crisp and surprisingly strong for December.
Rainbow Chard – Recently switched to imported, but quality remains excellent: bright stems & crisp leaves.
Swiss Chard – Strong winter performance with good texture and colour.
Kale & Cavolo Nero – Deep, robust winter leaves in excellent condition.
Speciality Radishes (Bluemoon & Watermelon) – Incredible colour, crisp texture and fantastic plate appeal.
Vegetables:
Brussels Sprouts & Sprout Stalks – Peak season sprouts at their sweetest; sprout stalks now starting and looking excellent.
Brussels Tops – Tender, sweet and great for sautéing.
Celeriac – Dense, aromatic and beautifully clean — outstanding right now.
Delica Pumpkin – In superb condition: velvety, sweet flesh perfect for fine dining.
Crown Prince & Onion Squash – Consistently strong with sweet, dense flesh.
Carrots – Heritage, Chantenay and standard English carrots performing very well.
Parsnips – Sweet, nutty and at their winter peak.
Swede – Scottish crop excellent.
Beetroot – Red, golden, candy and bunched all vibrant and reliable.
Onions – Spanish white onions are clean, firm and excellent for high-volume kitchens.
Potatoes – English maincrop varieties at their best.
Jerusalem Artichokes – Nutty, earthy and in full seasonal flow.
Leeks – English leeks improving week by week.
Kohl Rabi – Crisp, firm and consistent.
Purple Sprouting Broccoli – Early supply strengthening steadily.
Romanesco – Excellent heads with structure and colour.
White-Flesh Sweet Potatoes – Sweet, clean and reliable.
Chillies – Excellent Dutch supply with stable pricing.
Wild Mushrooms – Trompette, Chanterelle and Pied de Mouton all steady and flavourful.
❌ Finishing / Out of Season ❌
Fruits:
Figs
Strawberries
Mixed Berries
Melons
Plums
Peaches & Nectarines
Lychees
Passionfruit
European Grapes (now transitioning)
Vegetables:
English Spring Onions
English Courgettes
English/Dutch Peppers
English Cucumbers
English Broccoli
Sweetcorn
English Aubergines
English Lettuces (season finished; Spanish now starting)
Tomatoes (English finished)
Padrón Peppers
