Farm-Direct

Start Shopping

New In

Seasonal Specials

Log In

Hello, September approaches; the frantic bustle of London returns after an August exodus and we reach the point of the year when the supply of British seasonal produce is at its peak. Summer fruit and veg is still in its prime and this coincides with the arrival of autumn and winter produce. If your feeling the post-holiday blues then let this bring you some cheer. Squash are the perfect example of this crossover - ready to eat now and they'll be a colourful presence all the way into January. We've had organic sunburst squash from Ripple Farm for a few weeks now and their gem rolet will be available this week. North Maldon growers (responsible for our delicious sweetcorn) will be supplying us with spaghetti and harlequin squash too. As the name suggests, the flesh of the spaghetti squash separates into strands when cooked and makes a good gluten free alternative to pasta. As for the rest, I'm always keen to roast them to really bring out their natural sweetness.

Organic Sunburst Squash Organic Gem Rolet Squash Spaghetti Squash Harlequin Squash Jubileum Plums Greengages Grouse Smoke & Pickle Range Raw Fermented Veg Fennel Leaves Baby Orange Peppers Sausage of the Week Pasta of the Week Loaf of the Week

It has been a great year for soft fruits - bulbous blackberries last week were a sight to behold - and we're spoiled for choice at the moment. As well as Victoria plums, this week we have the similar, but slightly larger, Jubileum plums and juicy Greengages - a sweet desert plum. Greengages are best eaten raw, whilst Victoria and Jubileums are great culinary plums. Plum and pork is a particularly excellent combination - try your hand at Nigel Slater's plum and pork kebabs using our diced pork. Grouse is held in high regard by game lovers, so much so that the official start of the season on August 12th is known at the 'Glorious Twelfth'. Grouse like nothing better than munching on a bit of wild heather and this gives their meat a complex flavour beloved by chefs. You will need one bird per person. Smoke & Pickle's excellent range of sauces and soups return this week. And they are back with another Great Taste Gold Award under their belt after their Paprika Chicken received the accolade this year. This builds the company’s success in 2012 when it won Gold Awards for its Beef Bolognese, Paneer & Pea Dhansak & Fish Soup. Introducing a new section on our website dedicated to all things raw. Industrial methods of food processing and preservation have all but eradicated live-culture foods from our diet. Our Raw Foods section displays all the products we stock which haven't been pastuerised, cooked or otherwise adulterated. And to state the obvious, all our fresh fruit and veg fits this bill too. The addition of this new section was prompted by the arrival of a new range of fermented veg this week from Cultured Probiotics. We received a positive response to our poll on whether to introduce this range and have duly delivered. And if you polled that you were unsure what raw fermented vegetables were then have a read below for a brief introduction to lacto-fermentation. It really is interesting, promise! Finally, a few cheesy favourites are back in stock this week so have a look at our range to see what's new. All the best, Sam and the Farm Direct team.Start Your Weekly Shop Now >

FARM DIRECT NEWS...

Lacto-Fermentation for Dummies Lacto-fermentation is a process used to preserve vegetables. There is a long tradition of fermenting food across the world, for example, Kimchi has been a staple of the Korean diet since the early 18th Century. This method of fermentation makes use of naturally occurring lactobacilli on raw vegetables that convert starches and sugars into lactic acid, a very effective preservative which also accounts for the tang in your sauerkraut. As well as the benefits of preservation, fermentation has a number of nutritional benefits primarily

related to promoting the growth of 'good' bacteria in the gut. There is a far greater understanding of how health has been undermined by the 'wrecking of the ecology of the gut' (Michael Pollen, Cooked) by our modern obsession with killing all bacteria regardless of the fact that most are hugely beneficial to our health. So join the growing band of 'Post-Pasteurians' and treat your tummy to a dose of fermented goodness.

Jams, Chutneys & Pickles: Start Collecting your Jars It's nearly chutney making and pickling time - something we're big proponents of as a great way to savour the riches of summer all year round.  So we're giving you a handy reminder to start collecting jars now.