Forced Rhubarb is now in stock, courtesy of our fantastic grower John Chinn from the Wye Valley. John's outdoor rhubarb is likely to be available towards the end of April.
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France and Italy are 
continuing to provide the majority of apples and pears. In general, fruit quality is good, but market availability continues to be extremely tight. Sizing in general is large across most varieties with the mid range sizes very short. Bramleys
are still available from Reynolds for the time being, but very short in the open market.
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 Spanish strawberries may have some white shoulders at the moment due to the current cold spell and rain in Spain.
Meanwhile raspberries are also proving tricky because of the poor weather.
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 Red Grapes
from South Africa are probably the pick of the bunch at the moment with white grapes just a little difficult.
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 On the exotic front, pineapples are eating particularly well, especially the extra sweet variety. Passion fruit and pomegranates are also worth a look during April. Meanwhile, the eagerly awaited Spanish melon season is just a month away now.
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It's business as usual for  carrots, parsnips, turnips, swede
and most other roots although larger sizes are a bit elusive for now. French speciality beetroot is good with Candied, Choggia, Golden, White and Crapaudine all available.
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With potatoes now coming from storage, Large potatoes and Bakers
are still very short in supply. Volumes of Jersey Royals and Cornish new potatoes are a while off, as cropping is some two to three weeks behind schedule due to delayed planting. Perline potatoes will make a great alternative in the meantime.
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 Supply of most brassica crops is not being helped by the current variable weather, both at home and abroad.Spring greens, Savoy cabbage and kale are all short in the market. Both Spanish and UK cauliflower and broccoli production is difficult for now but full supply is being maintained.
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English indoor grown asparagus is a must right now. Meet our fantastic grower John Chinn from the Wye Valley, who also grows our rhubarb. Check out our asparagus recipes on our website including our tempting white chocolate and asparagus tart.
If you want something a little different, why not ask about our purple asparagus or white asparagus? It's coming soon!
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On the salad front, all leaf products are currently performing fine - just over a month or so now until the UK season kicks in.
Bell peppers are the main issue currently, with yellows proving extremely tight. Quality across all varieties is a little variable, with colouring proving tricky. The low light levels in Spain are to blame as the season draws to a close, compounded by a delayed start to the Dutch season.
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 Meanwhile, Beef tomatoes may be smaller than normal as the variable Spanish weather once again takes its toll! The lack of availability may mean that shelf life and overall quality are compromised slightly for this short period, but our QC team will work hard to keep this to an absolute minimum. Things will improve when Dutch volumes start to come through around mid-April time.
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