Archive for April, 2010

English asparagus has arrived at Natoora – one of the greatest of Spring treats. We searched far and wide to find the absolute best that this country has to offer and in South Lincolnshire we found it!

Nick and Ros Loweth at Abbey Parks Farm have been producing asparagus for 10 years and it is truly some of the finest asparagus we have ever had the pleasure of tasting. We’re obviously not the only ones who think so as they also supply the prestigious London restaurant The Ivy!

Each spear is individually cut by hand whilst still young and tender so however you decide it cook it, it’s going to taste fantastic.

We recommend you peel the asparagus’ outer skin down about 2″ from the tip, cook for a couple of minutes in boiling salted water until slightly tender, and then serve with creamy melted butter and a dash of lemon or try quality extra virgin olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground pepper.

Another great way to dress your asparagus, brought to us by Stevie from Dock’s Kitchen, is to make a light anchovy sauce. Mash some anchovies in a pestle & mortar with excellent olive oil a dash of vinegar, salt and pepper. Then pour over your cooked asparagus. Simply superb!

Find out more about our English asparagus and buy online today!

Our peas are so young and fresh at the moment, you can even eat the pod! Raw, it is sweet and crunchy with a delicate pea flavour. They are also fantastic in this light tempura batter…

100g Cornflour
150g Plain Flour
10gr Baking Powder
Iced Perrier or Soda Water, around 250ml to make the batter
Roughly 250g Peas in their Pods
Handful of Fresh Mint

Split the pea pods in half, removing the peas (click here for some tasty pea recipes). Wash the pods thoroughly and dry on a kitchen towel.

Only make the batter when you are ready to cook. Mix togther the flours, baking powder and water. Mix quickly, adding enough water for the batter to coat your finger. Don’t over mix it as it will get gluey – it is ok to have a lumpy batter!

Finely mince some mint and mix into the batter. Immediately dip in the pods and deep fry in hot oil. Once the batter is gently browned remove and dry on kitchen towel. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Serve with mayoinnaise or tzatziki. Click here to buy fresh peas online!

There’s plenty of things you can do to make your fresh produce last longer. Our last blog post focussed on how to store your fruit and veg. To help them last even longer, you can now buy “The E.G.G“, an ingenious device that easily fits into the crisper drawer of your fridge and can reduce the premature aging of fruit and vegtables. For a limited time only, we are offering a FREE pack of two E.G.G.s* with your next order!

How to claim your free E.G.G pack:

1. Place an order before 16th May 2010
2. Enter the code ETHYEGG at checkout
3. Receive your FREE E.G.G.s!*

Click here to get shopping!

*Terms and Conditions:
Offer valid once per account holder or delivery address. Valid until 16/5/2010 while stocks last. No cash alternative. We reserve the right to refuse or restrict orders.

What does it do?

The E.G.G. absorbs the ethylene gas emitted by some fruits and vegetables. Ethylene exposure can cause pitting on beans and lettuce, yellowing of broccoli buds, cucumbers and sprouts, and bitterness in carrots.

Eliminating ethylene can reduce premature aging of fruits and vegetables.

The E.G.G. fits easily into your fridge and will lasts for up to 3 months.

How do I use it?

It’s as simple as placing an E.G.G. in the produce bin of your fridge! You should replace the E.G.G. after 90 days.

Can I recycle it?

Yes! You can also refill the egg and use the old contents as fertiliser. Just open the egg, remove the packet inside and put its contents on the soil of your houseplants!

And now for the science…

Some fruits and vegetables produce ethylene, and others absorb it. It is absolutely harmless to humans but can have adverse affects on the taste and appearance of your produce. The E.G.G. helps to reduce spoilage losses by destroying the ethylene trapped in your fridge.

The primary active ingredient is Potassium Permanganate (KMnO4). This is an oxidizer which reacts with the ethylene gas to produce carbon dioxide and manganese dioxide. The manganese dioxide remains in the packet and makes a good soil fertiliser!

The active ingredient in the E.G.G. is approved by the Organic Material Review Institute for use in organic food production.

Read more about ethylene absorption here.

Things to keep in mind when shopping:

General rule: Buy vegetables often and in small amounts that can be consumed quickly, preferably according to season to ensure best quality.

Fruit and vegetables are not meant to last for months (there are a few exceptions)! If they do, there’s something not quite right with them! Here are some tips on how to store your fruit and vegetables…

Your fridge

The temperature in your refrigerator should be kept between 1°and 4°C. Most refrigerators have “crisper drawers” to store fruits and vegetables, often with a slide mechanism to control the humidity. Some vegetables need a drier environment (e.g. squashes), whilst others need moist air (e.g. leafy greens). With more than one crisper drawer, you can group vegetables by their temperature and humidity needs.

Useful gadgets

Ethylene Guardian Egg:  Ethylene can be a real problem for some vegetables, especially since others emit the stuff! We’ve included with your order a “Guardian Egg” – a really useful tool to help minimise the problems of ethylene emission. You can now buy the E.G.G online!

A combination thermometer/humidity gauge is useful to check temperature and humidity in different parts of the refrigerator.

Sensitivity to Ethylene

Many vegetables are sensitive to ethylene, a chemical emitted by many fruits and some vegetables. Some effects of ethylene exposure include pitting on string beans and lettuce; yellowing of broccoli buds, cucumbers, and Brussels sprouts; bitterness in carrots.

Odour Absorption

Some fruits and vegetables emit odours that can affect the taste of other foods. Always try to keep your fruit and vegetables bagged to avoid the spreading odours. Some interactions include:

Tips

A box of baking soda in the fridge absorbs both odours and moisture: remove the top layer of soda periodically to maintain its effectiveness.

Clean your fridge periodically.

When cleaning, a damp cloth with white wine vinegar helps to neutralise odours.

So now you have all the hints and tips, have a look round and shop online today!

These are amazingly fragrant and buttery. Don’t be put off by the rosemary – this woody herb adds a special something!

340gr Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
85gr Sugar
2 Tablespoons Fresh Rosemary
290gr 00 Flour
65gr White or Brown Rice Flour

Cream the butter in a large bowl until pale yellow and light. Add the sugar, and continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy. Mince the rosemary and add it together with the two flours and the salt, to the butter mixture. Mix well and refrigerate for one hour.

Heat the oven to 190ºC. Roll out the dough 1/2 cm thick, then cut into your favourite shapes. Place them about 1cm apart on the prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle them with sugar topping if desired, and bake in the center of the oven until they are gold at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven, and transfer them to wire racks to cool. Pack in an airtight container. The cookies will keep, their flavour improving, for at least a week.

Try them today!

Recently we sent out a survey to see how we were doing. A big thank you to so many of you who replied with such useful feedback! We received lots of suggestions and some lovely comments.  In a few cases, we’ll be in touch to find out more about your experiences, but please be assured that each and every comment and response has been read and duly noted – good or bad!

Based on the feedback, we wanted to mention a few things…

1) Favourites Shopping List: Many of you wanted a quicker way to shop and in the coming months we are aiming to launch a “favourites” list. Here you can select your favourites and pop them in your basket every week, with just one click. We’ll let you know when it’s ready, but in the meantime, remember you can repeat any existing order and adapt as necessary. Simply log in, view your account and press “repeat order” next to any of your old orders.

2) Saved Baskets: If you get interrupted mid-shop, you can come back to it at any time. Your basket is automatically saved so just log back in and pick up where you left off.

3) Premium Delivery Slots: For those of you outside our London delivery zone, we will soon be introducing a premium morning delivery slot so you can get your delivery in a shorter time slot. Due to courier fees, this will carry an extra unavoidable charge, which we have kept to a minimum. There is still the usual 9am to 6pm slot which we feel is a good balance between price and convenience.

4) Free Delivery: Delivery is free for orders over £80 in our London postcodes. For more information, visit our delivery FAQs.

5) Packaging Dilemmas: We are always looking for the perfect balance between keeping your shopping fresh and in great condition and supplying you with the minimum amount of packaging. For deliveries outside of London, the inflatable liner protects the contents whilst in transit and can be pierced and easily disposed, and the cardboard box can be recycled. Read more about our packaging here.

6) Freshness and Expiry Dates: Your whole order is prepared the same day as we send it out. That includes the fresh meat from our butcher and fish from our fishmonger – it simply couldn’t get any fresher! Sometimes the expiry dates are shorter than supermarket equivalents, but this is a testament to the freshness and quality and are the dates recommended by our suppliers. Most items can be frozen on the day of delivery – check the product descriptions for more information.

7) Quality Fresh Fruits and Vegetables: Our speciality! We supply you with the same fruit and vegetables that go to some of London’s top restaurants. The River Cafe, Theo Randall at the Intercontinental and The Greenhouse all use our produce to create their outstanding dishes. We select our fruit and vegetables based on taste and quality, unlike supermarket varieties which are often specially engineered for cosmetic appearance, longevity in storage and to prevent bruising. We have a strict quality control procedure,  so please let us know if you ever have any problems and we’ll be happy to help.

8 ) Value for Money: We pride ourselves on not only sourcing top quality fresh produce and groceries, but also pricing them competitively. Not only are we often cheaper than the supermarket’s so called “premium” brands, we are much, much better quality. Read our Real Food blog for the latest price and quality comparisons.

9) Product Range: We received lots of product suggestions from our survey, old and new, and we’re working hard to source those products you are hunting for! Keep a look out in our What’s New section where you can find all the latest additions to the Natoora range.

If you didn’t get a chance to take our survey, please give us your feedback using the comment box below!

Today we’ll all be out celebrating the biggest event of the year…National Garlic day! This wonder bulb really deserves a day of it’s own. Think of all the benefits eating garlic has…

Helps to fight off colds and flu
Lowers blood cholesterol levels
Repels vampires
Cures warts and can even be used as a treatment for acne
Used for toothache

Of course, it also tastes really great! For real garlic fans out there, try our pickled garlic recipe below or click here to get garlic shopping!

Recipe: Pickled Garlic

Get your garlic hit with this mellow recipe

2 Garlic Bulbs, Cloves seperated and peeled
125ml White Wine Vinegar
125ml Dry White Wine
1 Dried Chilli
1 Sprig of Thyme
1 Sprig of Rosemary
1 Bay Leaf
10 Mixed Peppercorns
2 tsp. Sugar
1/2 tsp. Pickling Salt (or use plain table salt)

Place everything except the garlic into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Gently boil for 5 minutes, then add the garlic. Return to the boil then cover the pan and remove it from the heat. Leave to stand at room temperature for 1 full day.

After this time, bring to the boil again, then transfer to a jar. Leave to cool before covering tightly with a clean cap. Store in the fridge for 5 days before eating. It should then keep for months!

Asparagus is so delicious, it’s very easy to cook and to make a simple, delicious meal. All you need to do is trim off the woody ends – some people say you should take the spears individually and gently bend the tops over until they snap – and use them in salads. With older asparagus the best thing may be to throw the tougher ends away, but I tend to save them for adding chopped to a pasta dish or a soup, taking advantage of their distinctive taste more than their looks.

Steam the plump green spears and drizzle them with some olive oil and lemon juice, or make some homemade mayonnaise to dunk them into – a few dark green spears can make a simple supper or light starter. As well as the oil and the creamy homemade mayonnaise complementing the crisp spears, slightly soft-boiled eggs and shavings of Parmesan cheese turn them into a delicious indulgent-tasting salad, into which I’ve thrown some chopped fresh dill – I’m somewhat obsessed with this fresh herb at the moment, but you could equally add fresh parsley, or coriander, for a herbal zing.

Many recipes for asparagus and egg salad partner it with small pieces of pancetta, but I find that this can be a little too greasy (and would by the way take the fat level of the salad pretty high), so I prefer to get the smoky meat flavours from thin slices of San Daniele ham (from which I trim any excess visible fat). If you can, buy wafer-thin pieces of this Italian ham and then it will melt in your mouth. English roast ham can work well too – everything fresh asparagus needs to make it into a delicious lunch or supper.

I think one trick with asparagus is, the same as with all vegetables, not to overcook it, as then it turns mushy –it’s best to undercook it if anything, so that you have some crunch when you bite into it. And of course, nutritionally, the less you cook it the fewer vitamins and minerals you will lose; this is especially the case with the water-soluble vitamins such as vitamin C, so you’re best to steam or chargrill your asparagus to maximize how much vitamin C you have left when you bite into the spears.

Nutritionally asparagus is rich in fibre , especially a soluble fibre called inulin, which is what we call a prebiotic – a type of fibre that encourages the body to grow good bacteria such as acidophilus and bifidus, which may have benefits for reducing heart disease and certain cancers as well as help relieve IBS symptoms. Asparagus also contains Vitamin C, a little iron, a small amount of vitamin E and some B vitamins.

But back to eating the delicious stuff-a good asparagus based nibble can be simply popped together by wrapping the lightly cooked spears in wafer-thin slices of ham or smoked fish, or mashing them with some ripe avocado and lemon juice and serving them rather like guacamole – although I would only tend to do this when I’ve picked up a few cheaper bunches, which you may be lucky enough to do at a roadside or market stall, or when I have some cooked spears left over from a meal, as it’s a pity not to take advantage of asparagus’s attractive fronds.

Asparagus Salad with San Daniele Ham and Soft-Boiled Egg

This salad is also delicious if you use roast chicken instead of the ham, or different young raw vegetables, such as baby carrots, fresh crisp fennel (sliced), ripe tomatoes, rocket or radishes – it’s an all-round delicious salad that works throughout the spring and summer, depending on what you have around.

Serves 4

500g asparagus
300g broad beans
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 x 300g bag of watercress
8 slices of San Daniele ham

In a large pan of slightly salted boiling water, cook the asparagus for a couple of minutes before adding the broad beans. Let them simmer for a further couple of minutes until both beans and asparagus are tender but not mushy – you want them still to have a bit of bite, otherwise the salad can taste a little mushy. Drain them well and put to one side. Some people like to remove the skins from the broad beans, and this is a fun thing to do with little ones, as they literally squeeze them slightly and out pops the dark green bean, but if the beans are very fresh and young it’s fine to eat them as they are, with their skins on.

Next bring a large pan of boiling water to the boil for poaching the eggs. People poach eggs in different ways, but I tend to crack the egg into a teacup and gently tip it into the water. Do the same with the remaining eggs, then simmer them all very gently for 1 minute. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and leave them to sit for 5 minutes, until the eggs are just set. Meanwhile, make your dressing by mixing together the oil, lemon juice, mustard and dill.

Put the watercress, asparagus and broad beans into a bowl and mix lightly with the dressing. Season with plenty of freshly ground black pepper. Serve the salad on a large platter or 4 individual plates, top with the eggs and slices of ham, and tuck in.

With the sun shining, the birds singing and the days getting longer, we’re really feeling it’s time for some refreshing foods. Our courgettes are so fresh you can even eat them raw, they’re perfect in salads and are really superb quality! Read on to find out why they taste so great…

Taste: Crunchy, sweet and refreshing, this versatile vegetable is used in many recipes and can be cooked in many ways. Boiled, fried, stewed, grilled… and when courgettes are at the beginning of the season, they are fantastic eaten raw.

Quality: We only source the finest grade available on the market. Our buyers only select what is looking and tasting best!

Growing: Although courgettes are now available all year round, they are best enjoyed in the summer, when they are at their best.

Cost: We always let you know the price per kg so you can easily compare our prices. Our courgettes are not only superior in quality, but they are also better value than what is usually found in the supermarket:

Natoora “Courgettes“ £3.36/kg
Abel and Cole “Courgettes” £3.98/kg

(prices checked on 15/04/2010)

For more information and to buy, click here.