Veg News 1st Feb

It’s our pleasure this week to welcome back local heroes Glebelands Organic Produce after a much deserved new year’s break with the return of their lovely local salad leaves. The winter mix is looking fabulous and we’re delighted to see them back on our shelves alongside some crisp Lancashire littlegems, and an enticing array of French batavia, oakleaf, and butterhead lettuces. Last year Glebelands lost forty beds of growing space at Woodbank park that was returned to the Kindling trust, space that had previously been used to supplement our supply of salad leaves through the chillier parts of the year. Unicorn helped fund the purchase of some portable poly tunnels, and with some clever planning from Glebelands we’ll be able to keep salad leaves available throughout these colder months. That we’re able to work with our growers in this way, and have the opportunity to support them in what they do is something we’re all incredibly proud of. It goes beyond simply keeping a wonderful local product in supply for our customers: it’s at the heart of our desire to build stronger relationships and more sustainable food systems. On the European side of things, you may have already noticed the wonderful selection of berries we’ve got on offer at the moment! Strawberries are coming in from our friends at Agricoop, Sicily, as well as punnets of blueberries and raspberries from Spain, all of which are tasting exceptionally good for this time of year!