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SEASONAL SPOTLIGHT June 2019

Market overview The latest update on Fruit, Veg, Salad and Dairy.

INSIDE...

May was an extremely busy month for us here Fresh Direct as we started the transition over to the summer season and UK crops.

This month, we will switch over to British lettuce, and move back to UK grown brassicas and carrots following a period of imported crops. These will start landing in our depots throughout June. With the current weather patterns providing good growing conditions, we are anticipating a positive season.

We are still sourcing produce from Europe and further afield. June is a great month for Spanish melons, and many varieties are at their peak. Take a look at page 3 for an update on these.

Our Procurement, Technical and Marketing teams have been busy visiting our growers across the country to see how the new season summer crops have been developing. Over the winter many of our UK growers invested heavily in irrigation systems following last year’s challenging weather, and also new harvesting equipment to mitigate labour pressures. This will help manage many of the challenges we have seen in recent years.

The teams visited many of our key suppliers across our all fruit, vegetable and dairy categories, from lettuce growers in Lancashire to cheese, egg and dairy producers across the UK and the continent. These visits allow us to build stronger relationships with our growers, explore new varieties of produce, and look at NPD opportunities that will add value to our customer offering and fulfil changing trends in the market place.

As a business we are continuing to build strong strategic partnerships with our suppliers, and we are positive that we have the best supplier base in the UK and around the world. This month we will be attending the London Produce Show, where the leading global suppliers will be connecting with our buyers. Our CEO Raj Tugnait and Head of Food Development Andy Benn will also be speaking at the event, so if you’re there, come and say hello.

An update from Liz Wood Head of Procurement

freshdirect.co.uk

Fresh Direct Limited, Charbridge Way, Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 4SW

W: freshdirect.co.uk T: 01869 365 600 E: info@freshdirect.co.uk

SEE PAGE 8 FOR A

DISH IDEA USING

LITTLE GEM LETTUCe

LOOK OUT FOR NEXT MONTHS SEASONAL

SPOTLIGHT WHERE WE WILL BE FEATURING

OUR LETTUCE GROWERS.

Fruit

June see the starts of the Spanish melons, peaches, donut peaches and nectarines arriving in our depots. As we move into the European season you will notice the fruit will be slightly smaller, however you’ve got to try the early, season fruit as they will be extremely juicy and sweet in flavour.

In June we will also move to southern hemisphere citrus fruit including lemons, oranges and grapefruit and to the European plum crop.

Veg

This month, we will see new season brassicas. Planting for brassicas was earlier than usual due to the milder conditions in February through to April, and current weather is allowing the crops to develop well. Recent weather has also been favourable for carrots and the new season crop could start to come through from around 20th June. Imports may be required to bridge any gaps between old and new UK season, although we’ll keep you posted on this development in the Grapevine, our weekly crop update.

Salad

The quality across all lettuce varieties is looking great, although we are seeing slightly lighter head weights as a result of the colder nights. We’d like to have moved across to new season Dutch peppers by the end of May, however these are arriving slightly later due to a cooler spring and lower light levels at source, meaning the crop did not develop as expected earlier in season. Spanish celery availability has been limited, but we expect the UK to be available from the second week in June.

Dairy

Our Dairy Buyer has been visiting suppliers as part of our continuous drive to select the best cheese possible for our customers. We have selected a fantastic new range of French Camembert. Baked or eaten fresh, the new 125g and 250g Camembert options are a delicious addition to our range.

Want to check it out? Why not ask your account manager for a sample today?

JUNE MARKET OVERVIEW

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SEASONAL PICKS

Melons

New season Spanish melons are at the top of their game in June, with all varieties including Yellow Honeydew, Galia, Cantaloupe and Watermelon in full production. These varieties all differ in flavour, but one thing they do have in common is that they are extremely juicy, colourful and sweet. The view for the season is good, offering the full range of fresh colours and flavours, twinned with excellent eating quality, value and availability. We source the majority of our melons from specialist VIDAfresh, who are the largest single importer of Melons all year-round.

Melons epitomise the summer season, and they are a great supplement across the menu, from starters and sides to sharers and desserts. Watermelons can also be an excellent addtion to a cocktail. We’re thinking watermelon cosmos or martinis. Be creative, get them on your menus and they will burst your customers’ thirst this summer!

What's more our creative NPD chefs have produced a tasty sharing dish perfect for your summer menu using Cantaloupe melons. Check out page 8 for this fruity feast.

Lettuce

UK lettuce is back in our depots meaning summer is pretty much here, right?! We are sourcing our lettuce from a variety of versatile growers this year to ensure we keep a consistent supply to our customers. The UK summer season started at the end of May and will run through to the middle of October. Most of our growers are based in the north west near Lancaster, where the flat land, fertile soil and sea mist provides optimum growing conditions for these little gems.

The first harvest of the UK lettuce crop was slightly behind schedule this year due to inconsistent weather in Spring. To ensure we have enough supply for the entire season, our growers will be replanting in late June in preparation for the end of summer crop. See page 4 and 5 for an update from our salad growers.

Many of your menus will already have a salad option, however it’s not too late to try something different with little gems. Our NPD chefs have created their own take on pois à la Francais with halved little gem. Have a look at page 8 for this crunchy green dish.

SEE PAGE 4 FOR AN

UPDATE FROM OUR

GROWERS

SEE PAGE 8 FOR OUR SEASONAL MENU TRENDS

SPEAK TO YOUR ACCOUNT MANAGER TO

GET THESE PRODUCTS ON YOUR MENU3

A NOTE FROM OUR SALAD GROWERS

Here at Len Wright Salads’ we grow, pick and pack by hand many different varieties of lettuce. Most of Len Wrights Salads crops are grown within a 15 mile radius of our main site with everything cut and stacked by hand.

This year we plan to harvest over 50 million lettuce heads across all varieties!

Planting started in February for the spring crop and we will be re planting late June for the October harvest. The growth cycle differs throughout the year as the daylight hours change. The crops planted in late June may only take 6 weeks to grow, whereas those planted earlier in the year could take up to 10 weeks due to the seasonal changes in temperature and day light.

This summer season, we have minimised their risk to future heat-waves, by building two new reservoirs and have bought new irrigation equipment to ensure the lettuce quality is not affected by adverse weather.

In order to maintain a consistent supply across a variety of different lettuce’s we have to protect the crops with sheets to keep them warm and sheltered from adverse weather. However, if the warm weather and sporadic rainfall continues we will be in for a successful lettuce season.

In early May our team visited Len Wright Salads to get an update on the upcoming season, from Commercial Director Ian Torley.

Len Wright began growing salads in the mid 1960’s in just over 2 acres of lands in Lancaster. The business has expanded over the years and now the operation cover 2,500 acres of protected and outdoor salad crops.

LEN WRIGHT SALADS

Ian Torley, Commercial Director at Len Wright Salads

LETTUCES ARE

PLANTED BY MACHINES

7 WEEKS FROM HARVESTING

LETTUCE BULBS ARE PLANTED

3 WEEKS FROM HARVESTING

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GORE HALL SALADS Gore Hall Salads are a 7th generation family run farm who supply Fresh Direct all year round with round lettuce. Their round lettuces are grown in large temperature controlled greenhouses. In the winter it takes 17 weeks for lettuce to grow, compared with only 4 weeks in the summer.

BRYAN SALADSBryan Salads supply all of our bagged and prepared salad. They grow a large proportion of the salad Lancashire. Their vast production facility is equipped with state of the art washing, mixing and bagging machinery and is housed in a temperature controlled environment. Bryan Salads are grown all year round both out in the fields and in large temperature controlled greenhouses.

Did you know about our ready to

eat salad range? Here’s a few of our

customer favourites.

- Gourmet Salad

- Crispy salad mix

- Catering salad mix

- Premium baby leaf salad mix

- Continental salad mix

NEW PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

This year Len Wrights are trialling a new product called

Sweet Gem. Sweet Gem lettuces have a thicker leaf

than iceberg, they are naturally sweeter in taste and

extremely versatile. We’ve found that as the leaf is

thicker it has an extended shelf life and produces better

yields. See here the Sweet Gems being picked at the

start of season.

Speak to your Account Manager to find out more about

this new product!5

GORE HALL SALADS

LEN WRIGHTS SALADS

BRYANS SALADS

WE DEVELOP,

CREATE & COOK!

SAVING YOU TIME & EFFORT

We know that chefs are notoriously

tight on time and space, and it’s not

always feasible to produce certain

dish components within their kitchens.

For chefs managing multiple sites,

you can add in the complications of

delivering a consistent menu between

several kitchens, and that’s where

Fresh Kitchen can help.

Our Fresh Kitchen produces a

delicious range of innovative products

that will deliver quality, consistency

and add value to your menu, whilst

increasing efficiencies in your kitchen.

CONTACT YOUR ACCOUNT MANAGER FOR MORE DETAILS

DAIRY FREE COLD MIX GELATO HOT-FILLCHARGRILLED

OUR RANGEFROZEN | CHILLED | AMBIENT

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freshdirect.co.uk

Ice Cream

With summer just around the corner, consumers will soon be looking to indulge in your frozen treats. We have the perfect solution with our incredible range of delicious ice creams, sorbets and mousses that will be an amazing addition to your dessert menu.

These frozen sweet treats are made fresh to order in our state of the art on-site kitchen facility in Bicester, Oxfordshire.

SUMMER KITCHEN SPECIALS

We can create a whole range of delicious frozen treats! Frozen yoghurt Sorbet Mousse Premium ice cream Gelato Dairy free options

We’re not afraid to be a bold in the kitchen. You choose a flavour and we can create.

Get in touch to find out more about the Fresh Kitchen range and ordering from us. You can also pop in and visit our Fresh Kitchen facility and meet our expert NPD chefs. We’ll even let you try out some of these tasty treats for yourself!

Email fresh.kitchen@freshdirect.co.uk today, to find out how we can help.

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SEASONAL DISH IDEAS

COMPETITION TIME

Cantaloupe Melon & Parma Ham Sharing Plater

WIN A FRESH KITCHEN SAMPLE BOX! Create a seasonal dish using the produce we’ve listed in this month’s spotlight and share a picture of the dish on social media.

Tag us @freshdirectuk and use the hashtag #freshseasonaldish

freshdirect.co.uk

FOLLOW US

MENU TREND SPOTTINGHealth & Wellness: focusing on healthy seasonal produce that is nutritionally balanced. Melons are packed with potassiumn, known for helping to lower blood pressure.

Mediterranean: food that is healthy fresh and vibrant.

Sweet & Salty: Combining sweet and salty are the perfect match, to fix those cravings.

Informal/ Sharing: catering for occasions when customers want to graze and share dishes.

Retro: bringing back the classic dishes that are tasty and colourful.

Dairy free: Ensuring the menu can cater for allergens.

This fresh fruit feast is so simple to make but will go down a treat! Simply chop a deliciously sweet Cantaloupe Melon into segments and add Parma Ham. Serve with pea shoot, figs, basil, parmesan shavings and a balsamic glaze. The combination of all ingredients really complement each other. This dish will make a great fresh, summery, healthy sharing plater, or starter option on any menu!

Pois à la Francais Pois à la Francais sounds a little bit fancy hey? Rest assured this little gem delight will win over your customers and it can be made in no more than 15 minutes. Simply fry off the pancetta, boil the peas and combine the two. Add cream, and the little gem lettuce, keep on the heat for just 2 minutes, keeping the lettuce crunchy! This dish is best served as a side or sharing dish with chicken or pork. Alternatively it could be served with poached eggs as main.

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