Archive for the ‘Newsletters’ Category
Fall in love with our competition
February 6th, 2012 | 
Author: Win a recipe kit for two this Valentine’s Day
Fall in love with cooking this Valentine’s day, with your chance to win a magnificent recipe kit for two. There’s nothing more romantic than a home cooked meal, especially when it is made using the finest Natoora ingredients and with a little help from one of London’s top chefs…even better when you can receive all this for free!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER OUR COMPETITION TODAY!
Don’t forget, we have a delicious range of Valentine’s day foods available. Click here to shop
Posted in 
The Barba of Italy
The bearded wonder: Monk’s Beard is back - just £2.98/bunch
No, we haven’t completely forgotten to mow our lawns all year, what you see above isn’t a pile of untended grass, but rather a most delicious and unusual treat from Italy. Monk’s Beard, or Barba dei Frati in Italian, is also known as Agretti. It gets its name from the Cappuccino Monks who were well known for growing it.
Whatever you want to call it, the taste is incredible. Rich mineral notes, with an edge of tartness and wonderfully refreshing, crunchy texture make it well worth ordering this week.
How best to enjoy it? Remove the pink root, then blanch quickly, and finish in a pan with garlic and anchovies. Its lively flavour works well with fish, in salads or with eggs.
Why not try Stevie Parle’s recipe for Brill with anchovy sauce and Monk’s Beard -
click here
Tags: Seeing Red…
Celebrate the Year of the Dragon
Chinese New Year is one of China’s biggest festivals, beginning this year on Sunday 22nd January (Chinese New Year’s Eve) and lasting around 15 days. The lanterns are lit, red envelopes sealed…but what about the food? Stock up on Oriental essentials with our dedicated section - shop now.
Each year in the Chinese calendar belongs to an animal of the zodiac. This year is the year of the dragon, and those born are said to be innovative, brave, and passionate…
Be innovative: try dimsum…but with traditionally English ingredients. How about spiced leek and potato wontons?
Be brave: try something new – have you discovered the fragrant flavour of fresh bergamot yet?
Be passionate: try the fiery heat of our incredible Calabrian n’duja, delicious in our arancini recipe…
Don’t be bitter – Seville Oranges are now in season…
Natoora’s Market Report
It’s time to whip out the jam pot again – fantastic Seville oranges are now in season and ready to make the most fantastic marmalade. These glorious knobbly oranges have a thick skin and incredibly perfumed zest. Extremely bitter, they are best enjoyed in marmalade, but also used to create flavoured oils, sorbets, and orange curd.
They are only available for a short time so make sure you don’t miss out – buy today!
Try fragrant Kaffir Limes – now back at Natoora
Natoora’s Market Report
The Kaffir Lime might not win any beauty contests with their knobbly skin and their small size, but what they lack in looks, they more than make up for in flavour. The peel and zest are full of a rich, exotic fragrance, simply incomparable to standard limes. Usually just the zest and rind are used as they don’t yield much juice and it is extremely powerful. Their intense, perfumed flavour is best suited to Thai cooking, where they are extremely prized.
These wonderful fresh limes are almost impossible to find anywhere else!
Pretty in Pink – Enjoy Yorkshire Rhubarb, now available
Natoora’s Market Report
Yorkshire is the home of many great things – Sean Bean for example. But even more tasty (in our opinion) is the magnificent Yorkshire Rhubarb, now available and tasting superb.
The natural rhubarb season starts in April, but until then we can enjoy forced rhubarb. These blushing stems are cultivated in candlelit tunnels which provide the ideal conditions to ‘force’ the rhubarb out early. Most of the UK’s rhubarb is grown in the ‘Rhubarb Triangle’, which currently has ‘Protected Designation of Origin’ status. We source all our rhubarb from a family farm in the triangle. from David and Jonathan Westwood, who have been farming rhubarb in Wakefield since the 1800s.
Their pretty pink, tangy stems are the perfect winter pick-me-up; Firm, sharp and simply delicious enjoyed in hot winter puddings, jelly or even cocktails! Visit our blog for more recipe inspiration.
Our rhubarb is not only fantastically fresh and incredible quality, it’s even cheaper than the supermarket offerings:
Waitrose Rhubarb: £7.98/kg
Natoora English Rhubarb: £5.90/kg
Follow your nose: Fragrant Bergamots are back
The bergamot is back! This intensely flavoured and beautifully fragrant citrus fruit is best known for flavouring Earl Grey Tea and providing its alluring scent to some of the world’s finest perfumes, but its culinary uses are far more interesting. Its floral taste has a sharp citrus kick, making a wonderful alternative to lemon juice, It will add a delicious twist to sorbets and fish dishes and since our bergamots are of course unwaxed, you can also enjoy the peel in cakes and Madeleines.
Click here for some delicious recipe inspiration.
Natoora is currently the only UK supplier of bergamot. Thanks to our expert buyers in Italy, we source these fragrant delights direct from a farmer in Calabria where the best bergamots are grown. If you haven’t heard of this outstanding fruit before, you don’t need to look far for words of praise for its incredible scent and refreshing flavour.
Click here to read more about our bergamots.
SHOP NOW FOR BERGAMOT- save when you buy 1kg!
Buyer’s Choice: Tema Artichokes
The Tema artichoke has tiny spikes and is beautifully tender once cooked. We love it braised, used in omelettes or served with melted butter flavoured with lemon. Simply delicious!
It’s not that easy being green: except for the beautiful Camone Tomato
The incredible Camone tomato is back in season and fresh in from Italy. It is exclusively grown in Sardegna where the naturally salty soil imparts a wonderful flavour. Unlike most tomatoes, these green delights thrive in the colder months when the sun is still plentiful but less harsh.
With its tinges of green flesh, the Camone is a very good looking tomato. It might appear to be unripe but herein lies the key to its beautiful flavour and texture. Crunchy, crisp and with a lovely saltiness, it is simply brilliant dressed with quality olive oil and sprinkled with sea salt and oregano.
Buy now! Just £8.96 when you buy 1kg!
Buyer’s Choice: Leafy Clementines
Fresh in from Calabria this week, our beautiful leafy clementines are tasting superb. Juicy, sweet yet with a good sharpness, they are the perfect zesty pick-me-up!
See more of what’s tasting great in our weekly picks.
Are you game?
For the next 2 weeks we will be celebrating the rich flavours of the game season. National Taste of Game Fortnight is launched this Sunday and it’s a wonderful excuse to indulge in great seasonal game meats like partridge, grouse and venison.
Did you know…There are strict shooting seasons for wild game?
This is to ensure that these valuable birds are not over-hunted and continue to flourish. That’s why this is the best time of year to enjoy these amazing birds – make the most of the season while it lasts!
Pheasant: October 1st- February 1st
Partridge: September 1st – February 1st
Grouse: August 12th – December 10th
Duck and Goose: September 1st – January 31st
Recipe: Roasted Partridge with Rosemary and Brandy Sauce
Serves 2
2 partridges
60g slightly salted butter
2 sprigs rosemary
freshly ground black pepper
fine sea salt
1.5 tbsp. brandy
3 tbsp. water
Preheat the oven to 200C.
Season the birds with salt and pepper. Truss them and set aside.
Melt the butter in a cast iron casserole dish. When it stops foaming, lay the partridges on their sides and brown for a couple of minutes on a low heat, basting all the time. Then do the same on their backs for another couple of minutes.
Put the rosemary in the pan and bake for 10 minutes without the lid, basting regularly.
Remove from the pan and put the partridges in an oven proof dish. Cover with the buttery cooking juices and put the lid on. Cook for 3-5 minutes.
Take out of the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes.
While they are resting, make the brandy sauce. Add the brandy to the cast iron pan where you seared the birds, add the water and bring to the boil. Scrape the pan to get all those lovely juices. Season and leave to simmer for 5 minutes until thickened.
Then remove the trussing and serve with the brandy sauce and some seasonal vegetables.
Trick or treat…?
Well…treat of course! Place an order before Halloween and we’ll drop in a FREE DELICA PUMPKIN*!
You can do as you wish with it, but if you need some inspiration (aside from carving it into a ghoulish face), visit our blog for some delicious pumpkin recipes.
To claim your free pumpkin*:
1. Place an order before midnight 31st October 2011
2. Enter code TREAT at checkout
3. Receive your free pumpkin!
START SHOPPING
*Offer expires midnight Monday 31st October. Not valid in conjunction with any other offer excluding price discounts. No cash alternative. Offer valid once per address or account holder. Offer may be withdrawn at any time. We reserve the right to refuse or restrict orders. Subject to availability