GO BEYOND FOUR SEASONS

EARLY

FRESH PEAS
Campania, Italy
Feb - Until UK season starts

Domenico’s fresh Peas are the Verdone variety, grown from saved seeds that have been passed down through three generations of his family. Consistently small in size, tender in texture and intensely sweet, all signs of a crop that has been left to grow at its natural pace. The same goes for his Broad Beans: grown from seeds saved for tender skins and no bitterness.

Once the heat kicks in down in Campania, and the peas and beans start to become starchy, we move over to our British growers, usually by mid June — we aim to avoid a break in supply but everything comes down to the weather.

Back in 2011, we tracked down Domenico via a truly incredible White Peach. What we found was a dedicated Campanian grower, whose orchards and fields lie between Naples and Caserta.

Domenico's family have been growing for over 3 generations, specialising in peaches, plums and nectarines, alongside other crops such as strawberries, peas, beans and melons. As well as growing his own crops, he also works closely with and buys from other growers nearby. We go back to Domenico year after year because of his exceptional care for produce - as exemplified in his peas and broad beans.

LATE

TOMATO - IBERIKO
Almería, Spain
Dec - Late Apr

Max out on the last few weeks of Camone, Marinda, Iberiko and RAF – four varieties of winter tomato that come into their own in the cooler months. With at least five weeks to go on all four, being in the later stages of their growing season doesn’t mean a reduction in the key characteristics that mark out this pioneering category.

In the case of José’s Iberiko, the harvests coming in right now are exactly what we look for: firm, wine-dark flesh topped with a moss-green collar and marked by its umami sweetness, balanced with the bright acidity of the seeds inside. Low water content means concentrated flavour - towards the end of April, Iberiko comes into its own as a sauce.

Over a decade ago, we coined the term Winter Tomatoes, marking out Marinda, Camone, Iberiko and Raf as varieties that only reach their full potential in the colder months.

The grower's skill and decision making is the most important factor in producing exceptional Winter Tomatoes - it is their innate ability to create and manage stress that creates the unique characteristics we have come to associate with this category. In under-watering the plants through their growth cycles, they are kept at a level that is survivable but arduous, forcing the plant to cling to any nutrients it can draw on.

The salinity of these coastal regions - Almería, Sardinia, Sicily - heightens stress on the tomatoes, further decreasing water content in the fruit and concentrating flavour. Plus, the sandy, free draining soils force the plants to work even harder to draw up what they need.

Their resilience and adaptation to these stress factors is palpable: taut skin topped by a stark green collar; firm flesh with a salinity that speaks to their growing environments and complex, umami-rich flavour.