This Week At Farm Direct....

The guns fall silent tomorrow as reared game season draws to a close. Cue our annual game sale - excellent value pheasant, partridge and mallard, primed and perfect for the pot (or freezer!).

On our farms, it's been a week of thawing, with fields turning from white to green as our leaves emerge from their snowy cover.

The increased temperature has given a huge boost to our winter salad, spinach and chard - with such an array of leaves returning it feels like spring already!

We have a new free range chicken producer this week - Sutton Hoo of Suffolk. Sadly, SJ Fredricks are no longer able to supply us, but our new great taste award-winning birds are a more than adequate replacement (whole birds are even cheaper too), with a range of new products - chicken mince, burgers, sausages, livers & marinaded spatchcocks - progress indeed!

From the La Tua Pasta kitchen, we have filled gnocchi for the first time. A completely unique product, It has gone down a treat on their market stalls. One to try this week.


Finally, very strong winds and a spring tide (deep waters) have forced our fishing fleet inshore this week. This brings them into the realm of the pollock and basking fish, meaning we are also likely to have wrasse and a bit of monk.

 

Friday Fish - An Ethical Alternative To Sea Bass

If you're seeking a real seasonal treat this Good Friday, look no further then grey mullet from Chris Bean (newly famous from The Fisherman's Apprentice).
Grey mullet is a great alternative to sea bass, it is firm, bakes beautifully and is a fraction of the price. Try it whole or filleted (serves 2).
If you want to be super ethical, we also have wrasse this week. Wrasse is a bycatch of the grey mullet - much neglected, it recently came top of a blind taste test by London's sashimi chefs.