Author Archives: Kim Hartshorne

New Herbal Teas from QI Teas

We are excited to be stocking a new range of teas from Qi teas. Crafted with organic, high-quality ingredients and inspired by ancient Chinese tea traditions, Qi Teas are all about balance, calm, and care.

Green, white, and herbal blends

Naturally caffeine-free options

Full of antioxidants and gentle flavour

Whether you’re starting your morning mindfully or winding down in the evening, Qi Teas offer a little pause in a busy day. Simple. Pure. Refreshing. Brew slowly, sip slowly — feel better, naturally.

We have

Green tea, Green tea with jasmine,

Green tea with ginkgo and peppermint and green tea with jasmine.

Little Doone Gold Modena with Mango

Little Doones have just launched a new vinegar, Gold of Modena with Mango Balsamic. Sweet, fruity, and bursting with tropical flavour, this is sunshine in a bottle!

Perfect for drizzling over salads, grilled chicken, seafood, or even fresh fruit– it adds a vibrant twist to your summer dishes.

Pop in the shop and ask for a taste, you won’t be disappointed. 

Olives

We are featuring two special olives this week:

Nocellara del Belice, whole Sicilian olives, naturally vibrant green in colour, these olives have an amazing nutty, buttery taste! £5.00 per pot and Gordal olives from Andalucia, with a firm bite and mild refreshing flavour. Gordal means the ‘Fat One’ in Spanish – it is a table olive with a profuse juiciness, but not bitter – it has an almost citrus-like taste on the palette. £5.00 per pot 

Fruit this week

You will notice there is less fruit in your boxes at the moment. We are committed to bringing you only the best, in-season produce. Right now, some fruits are naturally out of season, and we won’t fill our boxes with poor-quality imports just for the sake of it. We believe in freshness and flavour, so while the selection may be smaller, you can trust it’s the best of what’s truly in season. We have included Ruby apricots in both boxes this week, with their bright orange skin with a deep red blush, they have a sweet aromatic flavour with a honey like after taste. 

Early season Kent blackberries are now available, freshly picked, sweet, and juicy—marking the start of the British berry season. Grown in Kent, they’re full of flavour, great for snacking, baking, or freezing, a true taste of early British summer!

Seasonal Best

Alphonso Mangoes are in season, grown in India and are considered to be the most superior variety of mango, sought after by many chefs. Whilst the flesh inside the mangoes are a golden colour, the skin of the mango is yellow with red spots.

In India, the short season which is usually around 6 weeks, is a good reason to celebrate these little fruits at mango festivals where they are cooked with in a variety of ways in both savoury and sweet dishes. 

Don’t forget English Asparagus, such a short season, ours is the finest Norfolk asparagus grown by J W Allen & Sons.

Golden kiwi are back in stock, these are so popular when we can get them. The flesh of the golden kiwifruit is a vibrant yellow colour with a smaller core and fewer seeds than the green variety. Cutting in half and scooping out the flesh with a spoon is one of the easiest ways to enjoy them. 

Easter Weekend Hours

We will be open as normal this week just closing a little earlier on Good Friday 1.30pm

If you would like fish for Thursday, Friday or Saturday if you could please let us know by 4pm Tuesday to avoid disappointment.

All deliveries as normal this week, we just ask for Friday and Saturdays orders if you can confirm any changes or additions by 5pm Wednesday.

Please note we will be closed Tuesday 22nd April, if this is your normal delivery day we will contact you and arrange delivery for Wednesday 23rd April.

Shop Opening hours

Good Friday – 8.30am – 1.30pm
Saturday – 8.30am – 2pm
Easter Sunday – closed
Easter Monday – closed
Tuesday 22nd April – closed

We wish you all a lovely Easter break.

Amalfi Lemons

We are excited to have Amalfi lemons this week. Grown on the Italian Amalfi coast they are definitely the queen of lemons. These unusually large and fragrant fruit are grown on cliff-side terraces. Here, the groves have long played an important role in preventing landslips, and the harvest is done by hand. The lemons are heavy with juice, knobbly and pointed, with an intense fragrance and a balance of acidity; some like to eat them raw, like oranges. Because they’re unwaxed, Amalfi lemons are ideal for recipes which call for lemon zest or peel. These amazing lemons are harvested between March and July. They are perfect for making homemade Limoncello. £1.40 each

Cheese of the Week

Our cheese this week is a Crumbly Lancashire, which is sold young (2-6 weeks old) and is characterised by being bright-white, very crumbly, sharp and fresh in flavour. Crumbly Lancashire is a relative newcomer compared to the Creamy or Tasty Lancashire cheese. It was the demand for a younger and a less expensive cheese which resulted in the production of Crumbly Lancashire cheese some 50 years ago. This is definitely one of our best sellers and possibly the best Lancashire cheese we have tasted. 

Fresh Fish of the Week – Plaice

This weeks fish is Icelandic Plaice

Plaice is a very popular fish in northern Europe, especially in Holland, Belgium, Denmark, Norway and the UK, which border its main fishing area in the North Sea. It’s also found in much smaller quantities in the neighbouring seas – the Baltic, the English Channel and the Irish Sea as well as around Iceland, but is not present anywhere else in the world.
It’s a flat fish, meaning that it spends most of its time on the sea bed. Its underneath side is white and its topside is brown with orange spots. Lying flat on the sea bed, it is well camouflaged. Plaice can live for 40 or more years and grow to a metre in length at which the weight would be five kilos or more. Luckily ours aren’t that big. 

Plaice is a delicate fish and only needs cooking simply, we like to dust the fillets in a little seasoned plain flour, then heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan over a  medium/high heat. Add the fish, skin-side down, and cook for 2 minutes. Carefully turn over and cook for a further 2 minutes, or until cooked through. 
One side of plaice has 2 fillets enough for 1 portion £8 per side