The Savvy Shopper

HOW TO SHOP FOR BRITISH FOOD IN SEASON

UK-grown vegetables and fruit

New breeds, modern storage and the wider (and controversial) use of polytunnels and glasshouses mean that the season for UK-grown produce is now greatly extended. British tomatoes, for example, are available from February onwards. Supermarkets sometimes stock UK produce in preference to imports (e.g. apples, strawberries and raspberries) but unless they can buy in large quantities throughout the whole UK season for a particular vegetable or fruit, they tend to source imports, which are often cheaper. For this reason there is more chance of buying a wider variety of UK-grown produce through ‘box schemes’, which are more economical if bought direct from the farm where they are grown. Best value is to be had during the ‘glut’ – the natural window when outdoor-grown produce peaks and is at its most abundant.

Fish and shellfish

There is an optimum time to buy fish and shellfish, namely outside the spawning period of each species. This gives the fish a chance to reproduce and reduces the catch of egg-bound females. But a seasonal approach is not all a shopper needs to adopt when buying fish. Always choose large, mature fish and ask the fishmonger about the catch method: ‘line caught’ is preferable to trawled, for example. Fish from UK inshore fisheries, which tend to fish for shorter periods in smaller boats by more sustainable means, are the best choice.

Game

The season for game birds is short, but take advantage. Some species, such as grouse and woodcock, are rare and expensive but during the height of the pheasant shooting season there is a glut well worth buying into. Other, naturally wild game such as rabbit and wood pigeon are available fresh for most of the year. Wild venison has ‘close’ seasons when it can be shot but not sold; these differ between Scotland and England and Wales. The open seasons are marked on the chart that follows.

Seasonal meat and dairy produce

While most fresh meat and cheeses are now available all year round, there are still a few festive and traditional specialities that have a short season. Lamb deserves special attention. We could reduce our dependence on imports of New Zealand lamb by tapping into the supplies of the light ‘upland’ lamb and mutton available direct from farms and traditional butchers throughout the autumn and winter.

SEASONAL CHART

UK-GROWN VEGETABLES AND FRUIT

Apples (August to March)

Asparagus (May to June)

Aubergine (May to September)

Cabbages (all year round)

Carrots (June to April)

Cauliflowers (all year round)

Celeriac (October to February)

Cherries (June to July)

Courgettes (June to October)

Cucumber (February to September)

Curly kale (all year round)

Farmed blackberries (July to October or until the first frost)

Fenland celery (November to January)

Fennel (May to October)

Forced rhubarb (December to March)

French beans (July to October)

Fresh herbs (April to November)

Garlic (August to December)

Gooseberries (June to July)

Grapes (September to October)

Green celery (March to November)

Jersey Royal and Cornish Early new potatoes (February to June)

Jerusalem artichokes (October to March)

Kentish cobnuts (September to October)

Leeks (August to April)

Lettuce and salad leaves (January to November)

Mangetout (May to September)

Marrows (August to October)

Morels (March to April)

Mushrooms (all year round)

New potatoes (May to September)

Onions (July to May)

Oyster mushrooms (May to June)

Parsnips (July to March)

Pea shoots (May to August)

Pears (September to April)

Peas (June to September)

Plums (August to September)

Potatoes (all year round)

Puffballs, chanterelles, ceps, fairy ring and other wild mushrooms (September to October)

Pumpkin and squash (September to February)

Purple sprouting broccoli (November to April)

Quince (September to October)

Radishes (January to November)

Raspberries (June to October or until the first frost)

Red, white and black currants (July to August)

Runner beans (August to November)

Seakale (January to February/March)

Sloes (September)

Spinach (all year round)

Stinging nettles (March to April)

Strawberries (April to October or until the first frost)

Summer rhubarb (April to October)

Swede (November to March)

Sweet chestnuts (October to January)

Sweetcorn (August to October)

Tomatoes (February to December)

Turnips (July to April)

Walnuts (October)

Watercress (February to November but can run on in a frost-free winter)

Wild blackberries (August to October)

Wild garlic (March to May)

FISH AND SHELLFISH

Anchovies (September to May)

Brill (October to May)

Brown crab (February to November)

Brown shrimp (February to October)

Brown trout (March to October)

Cockles (September to May)

Cod, line-caught from Bristol and English Channel (May to January)

Dover sole (August to May)

Gilthead bream (January to October)

Haddock (August to February)

John Dory (May to February)

Langoustines/Dublin Bay prawns (October to April)

Lemon sole (September to March)

Lobster (April to September)

Mackerel from Bristol and English Channel (August to February)

Megrim sole (May to December)

Monkfish (July to March)

Native oysters (September to April)

Plaice (April to December)

Red gurnard (September to April)

Red mullet (August to April)

Sardines/pilchards (August to March)

Sea bass (July to February)

Sea bream (June)

Sea trout (April to October)

Spider crab (August to March)

Sprats (September to April)

Squid (April to November)

Turbot (September to March)

Venus clams (July to April)

Whelks (February to August)

Whiting (May to February)

Wild Atlantic salmon (February to October)

Witch (October to April)

SEASONAL MEAT

Christmas goose (December)

Christmas turkey (December)

Light lamb or hill lamb (September to December)

Michaelmas goose (September)

Milk-fed lamb (March)

Native grass-fed beef (December)

Salt marsh lamb (July)

Spring lamb (March)

Suckling pig (December)

GAME

Black game (12th August to 10th December)

Capercaillie (1st October to 31st January)

English and Welsh hind (doe) venison, red, fallow, roe and sika (1st November to 30th April)

English and Welsh red stag venison (1st August to 30th April)

English and Welsh roebuck venison (1st April to 31st October)

Grouse (12th August to 10th December)

Hare (August to February)

Mallard and other wildfowl (1st September to 31st January)

Partridge (1st September to 31st January)

Pheasant (1st October to 31st January)

Scottish fallow stag (buck) venison (1st August to 30th April)

Scottish hind (or doe) venison, red, fallow and sika (21st October to 15th February)

Scottish red and sika stag venison (1st July to 20th October)

Scottish roe doe venison (21st October to 31st March)

Scottish roebuck venison (1st April to 20th October)

Snipe (1st September to 31st January)

Woodcock (1st September to 31st January)

APPLES

Eating apples should feel only good but now presents the conscientious shopper with myriad anxieties. On the one hand, eating fruit, any fruit, is undeniably beneficial to health; and an apple is a definite candidate for the recommended five-a-day the Food Standards Agency asks consumers to eat. But with reports that this perishable orchard fruit could be contaminated with agricultural chemicals, or that the crunchy southern hemisphere varieties snapped up eagerly by British shoppers have gobbled up an astonishing number of food miles, that oh-so-good-for-you apple can stick in your throat. Then there’s the question of which apple to buy, given no ready British supply. For some, preference for, perhaps, US fruit over French, or New Zealand over Chilean, comes down to old and new loyalties; a case where the wallet becomes a voting slip.

Are there chemical residues on apples?

Yes. First, be aware that while it is in the interests of supermarkets to control the level of pesticide and post-harvest fungicide drenches applied to apples from the ‘dedicated’ British farms that supply them, they are less able to monitor all imports. In 2005 the government-backed Pesticides Residues Committee sampled 63 apples, finding chemical residues on all but seven. No residues were found on the four organic samples taken. Residues were found on all EU-originated apple samples. Two samples contained residues at levels unacceptably high for children. Many apples are waxed to protect them and enhance their appearance; this wax may contain fungicides, so wipe off as much as possible before eating. Concerned parents should peel imported apples before giving them to children.

Are organic apples the right choice?

Not always. Organic apples from supermarkets, organic food shops and even box schemes are often imported, and the food miles they clock up negate any environmental gain. Buying British-grown organic apples is ideal but you will have to look hard for them. Growing a disease-free, good-looking apple without pesticides is a tough task in the British climate. Old trees that have never been treated with agricultural chemicals tend to produce abundantly without problems, but organic farmers say that new orchards can develop disease/pest problems after just a few years, which are very hard to control.

When are apples at their best?

Apples are at their best eaten just a few weeks after picking, when the sugars have developed yet the fruit is still juicy and crunchy.

Is it true that apples in shops can be up to a year old?

After picking, British apples are stored for up to six months at 2–3°C in a ‘controlled atmosphere’ with nitrogen gas and ammonia to reduce oxygen levels. But not all apples are stored this way. In 2005 the chemical 1-methylcyclopropene was approved for use in Europe, a gas that when pumped into cold rooms or shipping containers halts the release of ethylene, the natural hormone in fruit that ripens it. This means the apple you buy can be up to one year old. 1-methylcyclopropene is music to the ears of long-distance exporters (such as the US and New Zealand), because the apples retain their ‘just-picked’ looks, flavour and juice. Previous storage techniques would see the apples mellow in flavour and become drier in texture during storage. So that’s great – crispy apples all round? Well, no. While this development could pay high dividends for exporters and retailers, there is little in it for us consumers. There is evidence that the chemical is carcinogenic in very high doses and its use is a threat to the survival of our own orchards and to the seasons themselves.

When are British apples in season?

The season for apple growing in northern hemisphere countries runs from August to March but, with the exception of a few varieties, the more unusual ones are available for only some of this time. This is either because they are in short supply or because they do not store well. Our cooler summers delay the arrival of British apples in the shops, with little but Discovery available in August and the first Cox’s Orange Pippins hitting the shelves in late September. Thanks to ‘controlled atmosphere’ storage methods, British apples are available until March (although the supply is limited). The southern hemisphere season kicks in neatly in April, lasting through the British summer and into autumn. Savvy shoppers beware – it can encroach on the start of the British season, the time when loyalty to British farms is paramount. New Zealand apples are in shops until November.

How can I know where an apple comes from?

By law, labels on bags, trays or boxes and the shelf-edge information must carry a country-of-origin sticker. Information on those annoying individual stickers is provided voluntarily but they typically identify the apple type and, in the case of British apples, will often helpfully show a Union Jack symbol.

Is a red, shiny apple bound to be a good apple?

No! A tight, shining skin may belie woolly flesh underneath. Smell the apple – a fusty, wet-cardboard aroma is an indication of this.

Where should I buy apples?

Buy British in season, to support growers competing against lower-priced imports. The UK could be self-sufficient from the Cox harvest and supplies Bramley apples year round, but continued demand for popular imports, among them Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Gala and Granny Smith, inhibits loyalty to British orchards. Meanwhile, new nations join the fray: apples from Chile, the Czech Republic and Poland are here; the Fuji variety from China in the northern hemisphere is a particular threat to our growers. Outside the British season, it is best to choose apples that have travelled the least distance and have been shipped rather than air freighted. Customer service departments at supermarkets should supply this information if asked.

What the supermarkets say

Waitrose has a commitment to selling 70 per cent British produce when in season and stocks Cox’s apples in all stores from October to March, grown on their own Leckford Farm in Hampshire. During the autumn months Waitrose sells heritage varieties from the Brogdale Horticultural Trust, plus organic apples. Leckford Farm also sells apples at the ‘farm gate’ in autumn – the farm is located on the A30 between Stockbridge and Sutton Scotney.

Booths sells as many British apples as it can possibly find in season and has a policy to source locally where possible. Willington Fruit Farm in Cheshire supplies specialist varieties to this northern supermarket chain and the stores host occasional apple tastings.

Budgens banned all French apples from their stores when the French stopped importing British beef after the BSE crisis and has never reintroduced them. In the British season, it buys 65 per cent British apples and no imported variety that can be grown in the UK. It also sells a number of traditional varieties, including Worcester Pearmain, Egremont and a North American-bred apple, Cameo, from a longstanding Kent supplier.

Sainsbury claims to prioritise English produce if it deems the quality acceptable. It also imports, and therefore transports by air, apples from all over the world. However, it states that it only imports apple varieties that are not grown in the UK, according to customer demand. It does offer an organic supply of apples.

Marks & Spencer imports apples from five different continents but states that it has a preference for UK-grown fruit when the quality meets customer expectation.

The Co-op sources its apples primarily from Europe and is working with UK growers to use crops whenever they are in season. The packaging is biodegradable and compostable. All apples are delivered by road and sea freight

Tesco sources apples from the UK, US, New Zealand, China, Australia and South America but states it prefers to buy UK produce if it meets their specifications. It claims to buy more UK apples than any other retailer (but this is probably due to its size). It sells organic and also claims to sell a fairly traded apple ‘when available’.

Where to buy British apples

Farmers’ markets are a good source of apples during autumn, and the place to find those elusive British organic ones. For details of your nearest market, check www.farmersmarkets.net (tel: 0845 458 8420), or www.lfm.org.uk (tel: 0207 833 0338) for London. Alternatively, find a source of local apples through www.bigbarn.co.uk – put in your postcode and apples and suppliers will be displayed on a map.

Broomfield’s Apples, School Plantation, Holt Heath,Worcester WR6 6NFTel: 01905 620233www.broomfieldsfarmshop.co.uk

Grower Colin Broomfield will send a 5-kilo box of apples anywhere in the mainland UK. Unusual varieties include Winter Gem, Crispin, Lord Lambourn and Jupiter.

Charlton Orchards, Charlton Road, Creech St Michael,Taunton, Somerset TA3 5PFTel: 01823 412959sally@charlton-orchards.co.uk

Traditional good keeping types include Orleans Reinette, Ashmead’s Kernel, Adam’s Pearmain and Egremont Russet. They will send out a 56-apple crate (four varieties).

Crapes Fruit Farm, Rectory Road, Aldham,Colchester, Essex C06 3RRTel: 01206 212375

150 different apple varieties, available at different times throughout the season. Home delivery available.

Park Fruit Farm, Pork Lane, Great Holland,Nr Frinton-on-Sea, Essex CO13 OESTel: 01255 674621www.parkfruitfarm.co.uk

Choose from 40 apple varieties, including D’Arcy Spice, George Cave and King of the Pippins, packed carefully in layered boxes. Mail order available.

Yorkshire Orchards, White House Farm, Bolton Lane,Wilberfoss, York YO41 5NXTel: 01759 305079www.yorkshireorchards.co.uk

A new orchard with over 60 apple types, both traditional and modern. The website includes an Apple Chooser, which selects alternative varieties to favourite supermarket ones. Farmer Richard Borrie recommends Rajka, a new red apple developed in the Czech Republic that has a hint of strawberry in it; also Topaz, an extra crisp and juicy James Grieve. Apples can be posted to most UK locations. Apple tree rental available – a treat for the apple-passionate who do not want to tend their own tree. An annual fee will guarantee home delivery of all the fruit from one well-tended mature tree or three years of fruit from a young tree.

ASPARAGUS

Sometimes the British climate has its benefits. Our spring emerges out of winter so slowly that plants struggle to get going, battling against unexpected droughts, frosts or freak torrential rainfall. With asparagus, the outcome of growing in such crazy conditions is a vegetable with a feistier flavour than its southern European rival. But that’s not the only reason to buy British…

Why should I buy British asparagus?

Before our season begins, the majority of our spring asparagus comes from an earlier growing season in Spain. Spanish asparagus is also grown outdoors but, while some can be very good indeed, it grows faster in Spain’s warmer climate and its taste will never be as intense as that of British asparagus. All asparagus must be cooked as soon as possible after picking or the stems will become tough, so imports, which of course take time to travel to the UK shops, are at a disadvantage. Asparagus from Spain can have several centimetres of tough, inedible stalk.