Long-term sustainability is not only our legacy, it is a part of our DNA. At Halls, when looking at the future increased demand for avocados, sustainability is at the top of our agenda. In terms of our general supply process, fruit is received from our own and grower partner farms and packed for export at […]
Category: Fresh Produce
Kalettes: A Chef’s Guide
It’s the time of year when dozens of British brassicas are just coming into their best. And whilst you may know much about the run of the mill varieties — think red and white cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli — there are also many more specialist varieties that deserve a bit more of the limelight. One […]
Crapaudine Beetroot: A Chef’s Guide
What is a crapaudine beetroot? The crapaudine beetroot is a heritage vegetable and one of the oldest varieties of beetroot. So old, in fact, that it dates back well over 1,000 years. Back then it was only found it France — where it originated — but it soon spread to kitchens around Europe. Despite its […]
Chef’s Guide to Wild Garlic
Wild garlic is, quite simply, a fantastic foraged product. Chef’s go wild (quite literally) for this delicious British wild crop each and every year. What is wild garlic? Wild garlic is an edible salad crop that grows wild across the UK as well as Europe and parts of Asia. It’s a bulbous perennial flowering plant […]
Chef’s Guide to Oca Tubers
Oca tubers are the potato-like tuberous vegetables of the oca plant (oxalis tuberosa). They’re a small vegetable that comes in a variety of colours: red, yellow, orange, purple, pink and even ‘apricot’. They have a chubby finger-like shape with a very recognisable bobbly skin. These tubers are known throughout the world by a variety of […]
Chef’s Guide to Calcots
What are calçots? Calcots (or calçots to give them their true Catalonian spelling) are a type of scallion in the onion family. As a result, in the UK they’re commonly known as calcot onions. They’re a close relative of the spring onion (said to be a cross between the spring onion and the leek) and […]
What is Fenland Celery?
Fenland celery is a white winter celery that has become the gold standard of all celery varieties. Grown right here in the UK within the Fens — a coastal plain in eastern England — it’s a crop with a strong heritage that dates back to Victorian times. During that time, it was cultivated in the […]
What is a Sudachi Lime?
The sudachi (commonly referred to in the UK as the sudachi lime) is a citrus fruit that originates from Japan. It’s a natural genetic mutation the yuzu. It was first cultivated in the Tokushima Prefecture on Shikoku Island and is still cultivated there today. Cultivation has spread further afield since, with a notable level of […]
A Chef’s List of Unusual Citrus Fruits
Autumn through to the end of winter is when our warehouse welcomes a wide selection of one type of fresh produce: the citrus fruits. Our list includes your everyday lemons and limes but it’s the quirkier varieties that get us excited. Sourced from all over the world — from the USA through to Japan — […]
When is Jersey Royals Season?
The humble potato has been a staple vegetable around the world for many years. In fact, its origins can be traced back to southern Peru between 8000 and 5000 BC! After the Spanish took over they brought the crop back to Europe, and from there it spread worldwide — including onto the shores of a […]