It’s a BIG NEWSLETTER this week in more than one sense,

I’ve lots of grower goss to pass onto you guys but before I do, please note that it’s a BANK HOLIDAY on Monday so the usual protocols (some earlier order cut-offs and Monday pallet customers receiving pallets Tuesday unless chilled etc) apply.

Important Royal Oak update:

I’ll start with the biggest news about our key grower, Royal Oak, Bickerstaffe. Over the past 30yrs, the veg that these guys have grown for us has been an integral part of our success. They’ve grown and adapted with us, supplied us with more veg than any other grower and looked after us in times of shortage.

Earlier this year, we were hit with the unexpected news that after some years of ill health, the farm owner, Peter had decided to close the farm with almost immediate effect. After the initial shock, we had some chats with our pal, Cheryl who alongside Peter has grown the business since the mid-90s. Cheryl was keen to continue with the farm but without Peter’s backing was not in a position to continue on as before. Long story short and after much rubbing of chins, in order to protect our/your supply and in the process support our long-standing friend, we decided to go into partnership with Cheryl so she could continue to grow for us.

We’ve never considered doing anything like this before but because of the seriousness of the situation, we’ve decided to roll the dice…obvs in the driest ruddy year on record! We’ve fronted some coin so that this year’s seed can be bought and planted and we’re helping out in a variety of other ways too. The plan is that Cheryl will repay what we’re outlying over the course of the next couple of years and in time, relinquish her financial dependence on us. Whilst this decision was not taken at all lightly for a raft of reasons, as much as anything, we’re pleased to at least have been in a position in our friend’s time of need that we could show them some solidarity and support. For loving Royal Oak’s veg as you do, I’ve no doubt that you guys will continue to support Cheryl too so thanks for that in advance.

I’ll update you more on this as the season progresses because for the change in circumstance, we may be without the odd line from Royal Oak this year. However, the latest word on the farm is that despite the lack of rain, the brassicas are looking surprisingly good so fingers crossed Cheryl’s (and all of our other treasured growers) gonna have a decent year.

Organic North visit Royal Oak Farm Organics

Other noteworthy updates from me:

• As my newsletter-writing pal, Ell covers at the top, we’ve ANOTHER brand new grower for you guys this week in the form of Langton’s Farm and we’re bloody chuffed to be able to list them. As Ell says above, we supply these guys too and we really enjoy having these cyclical relationships with so many growers. We’ve never had the coin to properly tell the stories of things like this that we’re involved in but the hope is that in time we’ll spend more time and money on shining a light on these kinda things.

• Elsewhere Hael and Simpsons are having a week off this week as toms haven’t ripened so well and some things are bolting etc. Both likely to return next week though.

• There’s no such trouble with our other good pal’s up at Newfield’s though who for the recent bout of rain, return properly this week with chard, cav, spinach, lettuce, beets and plenty more too – really chuffed to see all these. Strawberry Fields also return with lettuce and sweetcorn too.

• Pardoe also returns this week with some haganta plums and scrumptious apples. Yields from the south coast orchards are down more than our Herefordshire growers this year but what we’ve received so far from Oakwood Farm (both plums and apples in their new packaging) has been fab!

Weekly veg updates:

• Starting in the UK, Royal Oak are back with a full offering this week including sweetheart cabbage, rainbow chard, mixed courgettes, kale, kohlrabi, lettuce, spinach and spring greens but make sure to have a good peruse through the full list.

• Elsewhere, Newfields has bunched beets and carrots, cavolo nero, rainbow chard, Batavia lettuce and spinach while Chapel has some swede.

• Next up, Brickyard has some casablancas and Roddy’s some green kale.

• Bedlam has more squash available next week including crown prince, green kabocha, spaghetti and some mixed boxes too.

• Fosketts has more radish again next week as well as some 5kg golden beets, gem squash and spaghetti squash.

• Strawberry Fields has plenty of lettuce available again as well as some acorn squash, blue ballet squash, green Hokkaido squash and sweetcorn.

• Awen in Pembrokeshire has some bunches rainbow carrots and midnight joy chard – a striking heirloom variety with dark burgundy leaves and yellow-orange ribs.

• From our market gardens, Trinity has some 2kg runner beans, Victoria plums and kaffir lime leaves.

• And for our Wednesday customers, Regather has purple kohl rabi, Moss Valley some chioggia with tops and rainbow chard.

• On the UK fruit front, Pardoe has scrumptious apples and haganta plums, Carey some red Windsor apples and Mole End some Bramleys and scrumptious too.

• Augernik has 5kg cobnuts.

• From Holland, Fairtrasa has 18kg eureka lemons as well as 13kg turmeric and Zann has maitake mushrooms, parsley root, cherry plum tomatoes and passionfruit.

• From France, Uni-Vert has gala apples, finger limes, plums and yuzu.

• Our top picks from Dynamis are yellow beans, Chinese cabbage, corne des Andes tomatoes, yellow pineapple tomatoes, king of the pipping apples, primgold apples and green figs.

• Lastly, to line your pantry’s we’re stocking back up on loads of bits from Mr Organic including breadsticks, flatbreads, naturally sweet ketchup and soups. We’re also getting some Nish and Noyster sauce in from Soyze and coconut cream, milk and water from Cocofina.

I’ll leave you this week with a link to a radio show that we’re gonna be featuring in later this week.

BBC Radio 4 – The Food Programme, A Day in the Life of a School Catering Manager

The Food Programme of BBC Radio 4 paid us another visit recently looking to learn more about the schools that we’ve been supplying up in Bury. The show lasts about 45mins and is due to air at 11am – hope you’ve time to tune in to learn more about one of the many things we love being part of these days.

Have a great week, everyone,
Sean, Mads, Alph, Ell, Cathyrn and Team ON x

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