4°C Market Report

Published Weekly

January 23rd 2012


	It’s not just those of Chinese heritage who’ll have something to celebrate this week. On 26^th January Aussies everywhere will be spending the day in quiet, sober and dignified reflection as they commemorate Australia Day, which marks the arrival in 1788 of the first fleet of eleven British convict ships at Sydney Cove. When I say “Aussies everywhere”, I am of course referring specifically to the countless thousands of ex-pats who currently work as chefs, bar tenders, sales reps (you know who she is) and dentists throughout the length and breadth of Britain. It’s ironic that the very same country which resorted to such lengths in order to cast-out its undesirables from its shores seems to attract their descendents in such seemingly vast numbers. In 1788 during the age of sail 17,000 km would have been deemed a perfectly safe distance, but in the age of the jet airliner it obviously isn’t.

THIS WEEK : There’s a particularly fine selection of four reasonably priced English-grown Brassica varieties available from your favourite greengrocer (that’s us, in case you needed reminding). For a start, we have both Regular and Red Curly Kale, which can be prepared and served in so many different ways - in fact I can think of at least four just off the top of my head, all of which require the removal of the tough stalk. Firstly, you can cut it into thick strips and steam or boil for around 5 minutes until tender; or you can slice into 1cm strips and stir-fry in sesame oil and garlic for the same amount of time; or cut into ½ cm strips and deep-fry until crisp and golden; or sauté in a covered saucepan with a little butter for up to 5 minutes or until wilted. Voila! Also available, English Purple Sprouting Broccoli, which is perhaps ideally served steamed or boiled, but can also be stir-fried if the stems are tender enough or removed altogether. Then we have English Cavalo Nero (aka Black Cabbage) which is an ideal ingredient in Mediterranean or Oriental style soups. To complete the quartet, we have really superb January King Cabbages, which are an English variety first grown in 1880s. They thrive in even the frostiest of conditions and possess tightly-packed light green rounded heads surrounded by crinkly blue-green leaves blushed with purple. Early crops tend to weigh in at around the 750gm-1kg mark, but will usually increase in size over the course of harvesting to reach an average of 1½-2 kg.

New season Italian Bunched Mid-Sized Carrots have just arrived in our warehouse. Very clean, beautifully bright, and possessing a profusion of lush greenery, you’ll get approximately 8 to a bunch. Spanish Broccoli is very reasonable at the moment and of excellent quality.

At last the price of superb South African Grapes seems to be moving in a downwards direction - albeit fairly slowly. Nice, anyway.

PRODUCT ALERT:

As has been anticipated over the last couple of weeks, the prices of Italian-grown Cucumbers, Courgettes, Aubergines, Peppers and Tomatoes are continuing their steady rise. Tomatoes aren’t as badly affected due to their availability from other sources, such as the Canary Islands and Morocco, which helps prevent the overall price running too far out of control. After the promising news last week regarding an improvement in the quality and availability of Kenyan Extra Fine Beans and Mange Tout, it appears that supplies are becoming a bit erratic. For the time being at least the situation doesn’t appear to be too worrisome. French Cauliflowers are up in price slightly, but they’re still producing larger heads that our less expensive English, which is why we’ll continue to stick with them.


	Although the Chinese New Year commences of January 23^rd 2012, in Chinese astrology the Year of the Dragon doesn’t itself begin until February 4^th. Of the twelve animals represented In Chinese astrology, the Dragon is the only one which is entirely mythological and was traditionally believed to have been made from a combination of tiger, fish, snake and eagle. The Oriental dragon is regarded as a divine beast - the complete opposite of the cruel, malicious and evil monster depicted in European folklore. A symbol of good fortune and sign of intense power and wisdom, the Dragon is said to be a master of authority, possessing control over natural elements such as water, rainfall, hurricane and flood. In modern times the Dragon continues to be highly revered within Chinese culture and holds special significance for its people. Even today it is still considered taboo to disfigure or treat with disrespect the visual representation or depiction of a dragon in any form.

The Good, The Bad & The Indifferent
*Price indicators and quality ratings are for general guidance only and based on The Buyer’s overall assessment of market trends at the time of writing.

FRUIT VEGETABLES SALADS

PRODUCT	Rating	Price	PRODUCT	Rating	Price	PRODUCT	Rating	Price
APPLES	4˜	£££	ARTICHOKES	4	££	AVOCADOS	5	£
BANANAS	5	£££—	ASPARAGUS	3˜	£££	CELERY	4	££
CLEMS / SATS	5	££˜	AUBERGINES	5	£££	CHICORY	4	£££
FIGS FRESH	5	££˜	BEANS EX FINE	5	£££	CORN SALAD	3	££
GRAPES S’DLESS	5	£££˜	BROCCOLI	5	££	CUCUMBER	5—	£££—
KIWIFRUIT	5	£	CABBAGE GREEN	5	£˜	FRISEE	5	£££
LEMONS	5	£	CABBAGE WHITE	5	£˜	LETTUCE COS	5—	£˜
LIMES	5	££˜	CARROTS	5	££	LETTUCE ICEBERG	5	£££
LYCHEES	5	£££	CAULIFLOWER	5	£££—	LETTUCE ROUND	5	£££
MANGOES	5	£	COURGETTES	5	£££—	LOLLO ROSSO	5	££
MELON HONEYD’W	5	£££	LEEKS	5	££	OAKLEAF	5	££
MELON GALIA	5	£££	MANGE TOUT	5	£££	PARSLEY	4	££
MELON WATER	3˜	£££	MUSHROOMS	5	££	PEPPERS	5	£££
NECTARINES	3	££	ONIONS	5	££—	RADICCHIO	4	££
ORANGES	5	££	PARSNIPS	5	£	RADISHES	5	£££
PEACHES	3	££	POTATOES JACKET	5	££	ROQUETTE	5	££
PEARS	5	££—	POTATOES MID	4—	££	SPRING ONIONS	5	£££—
PINEAPPLES	5	£££—	SPINACH	5	£££	TOMATOES	5	£££
PLUMS	5—	££	SWEDES	5	£	TOMS CHERRY	5	£££
STRAWBERRIES	5	£˜	TURNIPS	4	££	WATERCRESS	5	££

SHORTAGES/QUALITY ISSUES MUST BE REPORTED BY 9:00AM


	Fruit of the Week For Point Of Sale info on this week’s Fruit of the Week, Kiwi Fruit (France contact carmel@4degreesc.com

Recipe

Chinese Style Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

(Serves 4)

1.5 litres weak chicken stock

Approx 5 thin slices fresh ginger, plus a 1cm piece peeled and cut lengthwise into strips, julienne style

5 chopped spring onions

2 garlic cloves, peeled and gently crushed

1 tbsp chopped coriander stems

2 tbsp soy sauce

1½ tsp caster sugar

75g shiitake mushrooms

100g bean sprouts

1 large carrot, cut into julienne-style strips

100g mange tout, thinly sliced diagonally

The leaves (including stems) of 2 Pak Choi, roughly torn

1 tsp sesame oil

Method

1. Place the chicken stock, the 5 pieces of sliced ginger, chopped onions, garlic cloves and coriander stems into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes.

2. Strain the stock into a separate pan and stir in the soy sauce, the caster sugar, the julienne-cut ginger and the shiitake mushrooms.

3. Simmer for 1 minute, then add the bean sprouts, the carrot, the mange tout and the Pak Choi. Simmer for a further 2 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

4. Remove from the heat, stir in 1 tsp sesame oil and serve with a scattering of (optional) mint leaves