ISSUE
#2
FRENCH GARDEN TIMES
Member of the Associated Group
of Wholesale and Restaurant
Suppliers.
ILLUSTRATED MARKET NEWSPAPER
NOVEMBER 2014
Est. 2014
Jerusalem Chokes
Our fabulous French artichokes,
also known as sunchoke,
sunroot and even earth apple (!)
are giving the English a run for
their money.
Rich and nutty and
wonderfully velvety in soups
and purees, this tuber is in
increasing demand.
The French Garden
old boys come out of
retirement 
Price £0.00
New Covent Garden
Market turns 40!
THE MEDJOUL:
TRULY THE KING
OF DATES
This month saw New Covent
Garden Market turn 40 and for the
last 27 years, The French Garden
has been at the heart
of the operation.
In 1987 we became the first
specialist wholesaler of French
produce in the market. Back then
we only had one unit and a twenty
tonne lorry – here’s to the next 40
years. Congratulations!
Clementines, the tiniest of the mandarins
Often confused with tangerines, but a different variety altogether,
the small, very sweet and usually seedless clementine is a sweet
orange and Chinese mandarin hybrid
SPANISH GLOBE CHOKES
REPLACE THE FRENCH
DID YOU KNOW…….
“The Spanish devote
161,000 acres to growing
clementines.”
When French Garden found
themselves a driver short late at
night, it was all hands to the pumps
when the dream team came to the
rescue in the form of Transport
Manager Garry Boyle
and Company Director Nathan
Humphries. Never too old for one
more adventure, the pair swapped
the office for one of the French
Garden lorries and hit the road!
“Our Arc de Triomphe
clems (left) are Spanish,
despite the name!”
“Their popularity at this
time of year gives them the
name „Christmas Oranges‟
in some markets.”
NO SOONER HAS THE FRENCH GLOBE ARTICHOKE
SEASON DRAWN TO AN END THAN THE SPANISH
PRODUCTION STARTS. NO RELATION TO THE
JERUSALEM ARTICHOKE AND CONSIDERED THE
“TRUE” ARTICHOKE, THIS MEMBER OF THE
THISTLE FAMILY IS DELICIOUS SIMPLY DIPPED IN
BUTTER OR HOLLANDAISE SAUCE.
It really wouldn’t be Christmas
without the welcome appearance of
the sweet and delicious Medjoul Date.
One of the fruits of paradise in Israeli
tradition, dried dates first made their
appearance in the UK during
Medieval times and while being
available all year round by the 1950s,
dates were a firm festive favourite.
The fruit that became known as the
“King of Dates” due to it’s large size
and succulence, was traditionally
reserved for royalty and their guests,
but today is enjoyed as a guilt free
snack. Rich in fibre, magnesium,
potassium, vitamins and minerals. It
provides as much energy as two
bananas! Turning from red to yellow,
the fruit then becomes the iconic deep,
caramel brown colour as it ripens.
November 2014
Page 2
So bring us some figgy
pudding……it’s a date!
At this time of year thoughts turn to old fashioned
puddings, rich fruit cakes, warming casseroles and
the unique pairing of game meats with fruits.
Think lamb and apricot tagines, stewed rabbit with
prunes, steaming figgy pudding and a hefty slice
of your mum‟s fabulous Christmas cake. And it all
relies on traditional dried fruit, which we have in
bountiful quantities. The renowned d‟Agen prune
is a true delight.
Before being
dried the plums
are the Prunier
d‟Ente, grown in
the South-West
of France for
centuries to
achieve the
perfect balance of
sugar, acidity and
strength of skin.
This allows them
to be dried
without splitting
apart, therefore
PRESENTING A TOP QUALITY
SUPPLIER WHERE CONSISTENCY
IS A BYWORD
Here at French Garden
we are proud to be
known as the only fruit
wholesaler in the UK to
work direct with the
leading Spanish
growers Escobi. Now
in their 25th year, this is
a produce that can always be relied on for
it‟s high produce quality and consistent
standards.
Known for their excellent
courgettes and mixed peppers, Escobi also
sell the finest range of aubergines, tomatoes
and melons. Come and see the full selection
at the French Garden.
“And a partridge in a pear tree”
Despite the onslaught of trendy
superfruits in recent years
sometimes only the classic
fruits of our childhood will do
and that‟s where the pear
comes in. Available all year
round but at their best in
November, we have some
fabulous varieties to try.
„Delicious Grand Champion dessert
pears have a sweet, rich flavour and
golden russet colour. They have fine,
white, juicy and almost buttery flesh
and they store very well.‟
„It‟s clear at first glance that the Passe
Crassane pear, popular in France, is
something special. The producer has
taken the time to seal the end of the
stalk or “peduncle” if you‟re posh,
with a bold blood red tip of wax, which
slows the evaporation of water,
resulting in a juicy, crisp tart fruit.‟
„It‟s name is the best reflection of it‟s
taste and appearance: the Sweet
Sensation, which it‟s uber cute pink
lips sticker, is an attractive red
coloured Comice pear. Kids love „em!‟
producing the finest prunes. Figs are one of the
oldest fruits grown by man and drying them only
intensifies their unique flavour - the Ancient
Greeks even regarded them as an aphrodisiac!
Our powdered figs come boxed and ready to use.
And then there are dried apricots – with more
than three times the potassium content of
bananas and only a trace of salt, these little
beauties not only taste fantastic but are great at
keeping blood pressure down – medical marvels!
Tissues at the ready, it’s time to say goodbye to
Brittany’s finest: mixed tomatoes, coloured
cauliflowers and French globe chokes are all,
sob, on the way out.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire… or
pureed, or stewed or blitzed or simmered!
Cinema Listings
Showing now:
Spanish Baby Artichokes, French Pink Lady Apples
Coming soon:
Blood Oranges, new Salambo and Calico artichokes
The season may be brief and historically
chestnuts have always been used more in
continental kitchens than British, but their
popularity in the UK is increasing and they are
fantastic in both sweet and savoury dishes. Our
tasty Ponthier cooked chestnuts come vacuumpacked in 400g tubs.
Did You Know?
We have the Romans to thank for the abundance
of sweet chestnut trees in this country, originally
native to Southern Europe, Asia and Africa.