Veg News 10th March 2010
Some great early spring conditions have been a blessing for UK growers, after a cold hard winter. Field preparations are well underway and some early sowings too. If you’re growing your own, it’s a good time to be outside preparing the soil, starting off early seeds (inside in the warm) and chitting your seed potatoes…
As for UK veg supply, we’re still waiting for cauliflowers and purple sprouting broccoli – when they come there should be plenty but, for now, we must wait. Leeks, swede, celeriac and beetroot are the star crops right now, as well as other roots.
The situation abroad, meanwhile, goes from bad to worse. Over 80cm of snow in the south of France has stopped the flow of produce from there and Spain too. Expect tight supplies at various points through the week.
For best value: fennel, avocadoes, Sicilian citrus and all things UK.
Last Modified - 11th March 2010
New bread from the Handmade Bakery
Bread from the Handmade Bakery in Slaithwaite (this side of
Huddersfield) has arrived at Unicorn. It's on sale behind the
deli,arriving on Tues and Friday by early afternoon.We will be majoring in sourdough and speciality varieties in order to broaden our range and offer lines with some keeping properties. The slow rising times used are important in developing flavour in the dough and we think you will be
impressed with the results.
The Handmade Bakery have been Radio 4 stars a few times of
late, campaigners as well as talented bakers and part of the remergence of craft or non-industrial bread. We hope they complement the excellent work done by Pauls, Saker and others over recent years.
UK production is dominated by the Chorley-Wood process, with rapid rising, lots of yeast, undeclared enzyme usage and implausible shelf-life. No surprise that a return to better bread is required. See link below for more info.
Handmade Bakery Last Modified - 5th March 2010 Allotment Guide
Those lucky enough to secure an allotment plot might find the Glebelands allotment guide (below) of some interest. The drop out rate on new plots remains high as we all get reacquainted with growing knowledge and culture, but this may help newcomers avoid the icebergs.
Link to growers guide Last Modified - 23rd February 2010 Supermarkets always cheaper? Think again....
Have a look at the randomly chosen sample of Unicorn packed goods against Asda prices - you might be surprised. Especially as our ORGANIC products often come out cheaper than the competition's NON-ORGANIC alternatives.
(prices taken 02/02/10)
Cumin (whole)/100g - Asda (non organic) £1.65, Unicorn (organic) £1.18
Tumeric/100g - Asda (non-organic) £1.20, Unicorn (organic) 98p
Puy lentils/kg - Asda (non organic) £2.30, Unicorn (organic) £2.19
Jasmine Rice/kg - Asda (non organic) £4.38, Unicorn (organic) £2.38
Baking power/100g - Asda 38p, Unicorn 36p
Sunflower seeds/100g - Asda (non-organic) 67p, Unicorn 32p
Pumpkin seeds/100g - Asda (non organic) 67p, Unicorn (organic) 60p
Brazil nuts (whole)/250g - Asda (non organic) £1.70, Unicorn (non organic) £1.69
Apricots/100g - Asda (non organic) 65p, Unicorn (organic) 60p
Mango/100g - Asda (non organic) £1.14, Unicorn (organic) £1.25
Porridge Oats/kg - Asda (organic) £1.52, Unicorn (organic) £1.19
Last Modified - 19th February 2010
Unicorn soup now available to take home!
Our daily hot soups at the deli have gone so well we're now making a range of flavours to sell tubbed up in the chiller too. A typical range might be butternut squash & sweetcorn, roasted red pepper, coconut & lentil, and caldo verde (kettle of greens).
At £1.95 for 500 ml and made with Unicorn's own fresh veg they're really good value. Flavours will change all the time so keep an eye out! Last Modified - 9th February 2010
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