Green Means Potent
Green Citrus is a new category of seasonality. Back in 2009 our founder, Franco, took the first fresh Bergamots to the best chefs in London. Reserved almost exclusively for the perfume industry, no one recognised the fruit, but what was instantly apparent was its culinary potential. Cut it open and it releases a powerful floral aroma.
In late summer 2013, Franco was visiting the Amalfi Coast. After lunch at La Tagliata in Monte Pertuso, he wandered into the small citrus grove behind the restaurant.
The oranges were green, hard and still a couple of months away from their fully-ripe harvest, but they brought to mind bergamots, which are at their most potent when their skins are still green.
He clipped two off a tree — one to eat there, and another to take back to London to share with Federico, our Head of Sourcing. As hoped, the skins were full of powerful oils, the juice was acidic and complex.
We then set about to find growers who would harvest their citrus green for us: from Mandarins to Cara Caras, we started to embrace many varieties weeks ahead of their usual, fully-ripe harvest.
Now, every year, we await citrus fruits in their green state before they mellow out, their sugars develop and their skins shift to the yellow and orange of fully developed oranges.
A LEAP OF FAITH TO FIND FLAVOUR
In order to pioneer this new category of seasonality, we needed growers prepared to trust our instincts and pick their citrus long before its usual harvest.
This is where Carmelo comes in — a grower whose critical attention to his groves raises his citrus fruits above anything else we’ve tried. In 2014, Carmelo started picking some of his most promising fruits up to eight weeks ahead of their fully ripe harvest for us. Although initially doubtful, he worked with us to make our vision a reality, applying his own knowledge to shape this revolutionary new category of seasonality with us.
Together, we have selected the balanced Green Navel Oranges, floral Green Mandarins and bittersweet Green Cara Caras as varieties that offer up unique characteristics under the Green Citrus category.
The restaurant industry has embraced Green Citrus. What started as Franco's moment of inspiration has become a go-to that chefs from London and Paris to Copenhagen and New York return to year after year.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE KITCHENS
Get inspired with some of our favourite green citrus shout outs and recipes from over the years, from Lyle’s in London to Dame in NYC.
Queen Scallops & Bergamot, James Lowe, Lyle's, 2018, 2021, 2022
Eggplant Sambal & Bergamot Labneh, Scully St James's (reviewed by Tim Hayward for the Financial Times), 2018
Seasonal Scallop Crudo, Ed Szymanski, Dame NYC, 2021
Winter Citrus Granita, Sunday Times Style and Eater London's George Reynolds, 2022
Green Mandarin Cake, Claire Ptak, Violet Cakes, 2022
Bergamot & Mandarin Tart, Violet & Blackcurrant Leaves, Marie Havnø Frank, 2022
Monkfish crudo, Bergamot & Orange, Lewis de Haas, Crispin, 2023
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Each fruit and vegetable has its own season, with subtle shifts which happen every day. Follow their microseasons to unlock flavour at every stage.
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Make your diet diverse
Our growers work with varieties chosen for quality and nutrition, not yield. By selecting their crops you keep heritage seeds in play, add to ecosystem biodiversity and preserve unique flavours.
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