This Week At Farm Direct....

Another beautiful spring day in North London, but the lack of rain is still a cause for concern on our farms.

Drought continues in the South East and with newly bedded plants in desperate need of water our harvest later in the year could well suffer.

The last few spring crops are trickling in before the hungry-gap begins (usually about Easter time), we have spring greens from Wild Fields Farm as well as kohlrabi from Perry Court in Kent.

Our over wintered greens are also coming along nicely (rainbow chard should be back next week), and given a bit of rain we may well see a few more crops ready a little early this year.

The price of our Jersey Royals have started to drop (down £1/kg from last week) and will continue to do so as supply increases.

Wild nettles on Wild Fields Farm are now big enough to pick. Last year we harvested them slightly too late (they were very stringy and tough!), but this year we've got it right - these nettles are young, tender and add a delicate flavour to soups, pasta and rice dishes.

Andrew at Gill Wing Farm has been hunting down rabbits for us this week - the perfect summer take on game. They are in such abundance at this time of year that even he can't miss!

We have a gap in our mutton season - lambing has begun and Nicola's sheep are busy tending to their offspring, while all the barren sheep have already been culled. Expect the return of mutton in a couple of months.

And finally, with the end of lent now approaching, it's time to feast and enjoy the English sunshine. Our service next week will be a day early (delivery slots run from Thursday to Sunday) and we will also be running a special Saturday evening delivery slot. Take a look at our Easter section for a bit of inspiration.

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This Week At Farm Direct....

Fighting off the snow, frost and oversized wood pigeons, it's never a dull day on our farms. A white blanket still coats much of our veg and with temperatures as low as minus 13C over the weekend, we have lost a few crops that may have otherwise lasted until the end of the month.

Fortunately it's getting warmer and as shooting has resumed this week we are able to bring you hare, rabbit and woodpigeon - the return of our really wild game. If you are not quite ready to face the great outdoors, we have plenty to keep you busy; Phillip explains how to use our ducks to make confit (reduced to £5.99/kg), while we also have smoked ham hocks from Dorset Farms (ideal for terrines or warming soups). Otherwise, sit back and relax with our new home-made dishes, and a bottle of Hepworth Prospect.

To kick start lent, Tuesday the 21st Feb marks Shrove Tuesday, the traditional time to use up your rich foodstuffs (butter, eggs, milk, sugar) before the 40 days of fasting. Take a look at our Shrove Tuesday section for a reduced price pancake making kit, recipes and whole load of toppings - there really is no excuse this year not to make your own.

From the Curious Yellow Kafe kitchen, Shokoh is making Swedish beetroot salad, stewed lentils, winter coleslaw and apple compote for us this week. If you would like to have a go at making your own compote, stewing apples are now available at only 70p/kg.

From the New Breed Sausage company we have chicken & red pepper, Creole smokey, pork, bacon & sage, steak & Guinness and venison & red wine sausages. Give them a try and tell us what you think.

This week have a new beer for you to sample - the Hepwoth Prospect is an organic bottle conditioned beer, with a complex aroma of leafy hops, woody notes, tart lemon fruit and a cracker-like malt, only £2.60.

And finally, we are extending our order deadlines (excluding bread) to 7am on Friday mornings. Hopefully this will provide that extra bit of time to ensure you get what you want for the weekend.