Time to shine a light on the rest of our fruit stand this week, which is brimming with beautiful and delicious French and Spanish stone fruit, a sure sign that summer has well and truly arrived. The fruit stand really starts to pop at this time of year, and stone fruits are a real highlight in the shop at the moment.
We’ve got the full line-up: white-fleshed flat peaches, yellow-fleshed nectarines and peaches, glossy cherries and fragrant apricots.
It’s been an exceptional start to the stone fruit season, with many varieties tasting brilliant from the very first picks and they’ve only gotten better and better. Flavour and availability are peaking right now, so it’s the perfect moment to enjoy them.
Apricots in particular are having a cracking year. In weaker seasons they can be a bit underwhelming, but this year’s crop is full of flavour. We’re seeing varieties like Lido, Apriqueen, Big Red and Orange Red from our French suppliers – all sweet and floral, with a touch of tang and that signature red-blushed skin. They are the quintessential summer fruit in France.
Spanish cherries are absolutely delicious this week too. Almost black in colour, they’re rich, sweet, juicy and decadent – the perfect indulgent treat to enjoy as a snack or as the star of a dessert.
And saving the best until last: French yellow-fleshed peaches. These are an absolute flavour bomb right now. Rich, fully-rounded and intensely flavoured, with honeyed, aromatic sweetness and just the right touch of sharpness to balance it all out. Not to be missed this week. Try slicing and griddling them on a hot pan or brushing lightly with oil and placing straight on the bars to caramelise the edges and add a bit of colour. Grilled peach is fantastic in a salad with fresh basil, which we’ve got in abundance (and it smells as good as it tastes!) from our UK growers: Kindling Market Garden in Stockport and Pam at Strawberry Fields. Delicious!
