In Season- March/April

march + april

spring eating with

Riverford organic

food with

free

delivery

recipes

inside

springtime seasonal veg

bank holiday

family eating

grow your own

fruit, veg + flowers

spring greens

wild garlic

asparagus

spring awakening We’ve been hard pushed for greens this year and as spring begins its approach, we’re crossing our f ingers for more to f ill the boxes. With a little more sunshine, the soil will soon be warm and inviting enough to encourage next season’s crops. We still have the ‘hungry gap’ to contend with, but with a generous smattering of bank holidays and the chance for an early BBQ with friends, there’s plenty to keep the spirits up. seasonal heroes spring greens purple sprouting broccoli wild garlic spanish asparagus ‘grow your own’ boxes easter food early bbqs Our food is seasonal, so not everything is available all the time. But it will taste all the better for it.

f ind out more at www.riverford.co.uk

Graham and Chris Negus trimming leeks for Sacrewell Farm’s boxes

harvesting pak choi at Stockley Farm the first asparagus arriving from Pepe in Spain

purple sprouting broccoli standing proud in our Devon fields

cutting spring greens at Home Farm

small £12.35

Typically 8 varieties with potatoes, carrots and onions every week. A good choice if you’re new to box life - and one of our most popular boxes.

mini £9.85

Typically 7 varieties in smallish portions to keep your meals interesting. You’ll get potatoes, carrots and onions most, but not every week.

mini fruit + veg £11.85

3-4+ people per week

1-2 people per week

keep meals interesting and swap between boxes whenever you like

2-3 people per week

a box for everyone

medium £15.45

Typically 10 varieties with potatoes, carrots and onions every week. A great family standby.

A smaller version of our popular fruit + vegbox, typically 5 easyeating veg (never potatoes) and 2 fruit varieties.

our vegboxes are around 20% cheaper than supermarkets

something lighter fruit £10.75

Typically 5 fruit varieties.

Order on its own or as an ‘add-on’ to a vegbox if you’re a healthy snacker.

fruit + veg £16.35

A big hit with small and large families alike, typically 7 easy-eating veg (never potatoes) and 3 fruit varieties.

favourites £13.95

Typically 8 varieties of popular veg. Expect tomatoes, broccoli, peppers and mushrooms along with potatoes, carrots and onions.

seasons £12.95

Avoiding potatoes? You won’t find any here - just 8-10 varieties of fresh seasonal veg.

salad £10.95

large £17.95

roots + greens £12.25

Typically 12 varieties with potatoes, carrots and onions every week. Ideal if you’re feeding a hungry family or love a bit more diversity.

Typically 7 varieties for easy-to-prepare light meals. Expect salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumber and other seasonal salads.

Typically 7 varieties in generous portions. An excellent value seasonal larder-filler for traditional cooks (try a fortnightly delivery if you’re feeling ultra thrifty).

Available until the end of March.

or make up your own order at www.riverford.co.uk

spring veg on our farms Get some relief from those roots with hardy spring greens and the last of the leeks. spring greens

£1.75/350g Spring greens are sown in late summer and survive the winter as young, leafy plants. John Walton at Stockley Farm finds it a struggle to keep the pigeons off his crop in a hard winter, but come spring, the leaves are bursting with flavour and vitality. A bit of hardship and slow growth often helps develop the flavour. Try them stir fried with garlic and parmesan or add steamed spring greens to an omelette, with some chorizo or chilli for extra spice.

leeks

£2.65/750g Leeks are an important staple at all our five farms, keeping the boxes full through winter and providing some welcome greenery amid the roots. Peter Richardson’s crop at Home Farm is doing well; he planted different varieties to last through the seasons and the hardier ones are coming into their own right now. Rain splash in the field can wash mud down between the leek’s layers, making them a trial to clean. If you have ever cursed a muddy leek at the sink, take this tip

from a Welshman who used to work at the farm. Insert a knife just above the bottom of the leek and slice up to the top, splitting it in two with the halves still attached at the bottom. You can then wash the mud out under a running tap, shake off the excess water and put the halves back together for slicing. Spring is the last you’ll see of leeks before they return in autumn.

caulif lower

£1.59 Usually from December to March, cauliflower can be reliably harvested only in mild coastal areas. This winter even the South West was hit by the freezing weather, but they should be plentiful for March and April as the temperature rises.

Our cauliflowers are cut by hand by our ‘A team’, a bunch of hardened workers who can sense a cauliflower’s shape and size from five paces. Give cauliflower a new lease of life on the plate by cooking chopped garlic, chilli and oregano in olive oil for a couple of minutes, mixing it with cooked cauliflower and sprinkling with lemon juice. It’s very good deepfried, too.

watch our weekly recipe videos at www.riverford.co.uk/video

veg heroes The pick of the seasonal bunch to inspire your early spring cooking. but the surviving spears are looking very promising.

Nigel Venni is growing a Until 30 years ago, purple fair amount at Sacrewell sprouting was the Farm too. It is a tricky crop standard, widely available to harvest, as it’s done by broccoli, before the hand and you have to pick meteoric rise of green through the field several (calabrese) broccoli. It has times. As with calabrese, a stronger flavour and it’s good boiled, steamed grows well in the colder or stir fried - but don’t let months of the year. At the flower go mushy before Upper Norton Farm, the stem is tender. The leaf Duncan Janaway’s crop is tasty too - leave on the took a bit of a beating from spear for cooking or use as the harsh winter weather an alternative green,

purple sprouting broccoli £2.49/350g

wilted into stews, soups and curries.

wild garlic £1.49/100g Wild garlic is generally found in woods and country lanes in the spring.

Just follow your nose; you’ll smell it before you see it.

Every year, Guy’s children earn a bit of pocket money picking wild garlic from the woods on our Devon farm.

The mild flavoured leaves always seem to go down well; given the unpredictability of other greens at this time of year they provide some much needed freshness to the boxes. Ramsons, as the Devon locals call wild garlic, may well make several appearances in the boxes this spring. Look out for it, then try out our risotto recipe (generous platefuls of which are what Guy’s children demand as bonus payment).

add extra portions of veg to your order www.riverford.co.uk

psb with mustard + tarragon hollandaise serves 4 400g purple sprouting broccoli, trimmed for the hollandaise: 250g unsalted butter 3 egg yolks juice of 1 lemon a pinch of cayenne pepper 2 tsp wholegrain mustard 1 tsp chopped tarragon 1 tsp chopped chives salt + black pepper To make the sauce, melt the butter slowly in a pan, then remove from the heat. Put the egg yolks, lemon juice and cayenne in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk until slightly thickened, then add the melted butter a little at a time until it is incorporated.

The sauce should be thick and glossy. Stir in the mustard, herbs and seasoning. The sauce will keep in a warm place for about an hour. Cook the broccoli in a large pan of boiling salted water until just tender. Drain and

refresh in cold water, then dry well. Cook on a ridged grill pan or BBQ, turning occasionally, until slightly charred.

Arrange on a serving dish and drizzle over the hollandaise sauce.

wild garlic risotto serves 4 30g butter 1 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 250g risotto rice (arborio) splash white wine 1 ltr veg/chicken stock (hot) 2 large handfuls wild garlic leaves, roughly chopped 50g parmesan, grated wild garlic flowers, to garnish Cook the chopped garlic cloves and onion slowly in a little butter and oil for about 10 mins without colouring. Add the rice, turn up the heat and cook until the rice is coated.

Season, add the wine and stir until absorbed. Next,

add the stock until the rice is just covered and turn down the heat. Keep at a gentle simmer and add stock gradually, letting it absorb. After about 10 mins stir in the wild garlic leaves, then the remaining stock. After 5 mins, when rice is just cooked but has some bite, add the remaining butter and cheese. Season and serve with more parmesan.

Recipes by Jane Baxter.

Find more in the Riverford Farm Cook Book, ÂŁ12.99.

spanish asparagus Pepe, our hang gliding grower in Granada, brings you beautiful asparagus ahead of the UK season.

In recent years we have been working with a small group of growers in Spain, Italy and a few further afield. One of our favourite growers is the bike riding, hang gliding Pepe near Granada, who grows asparagus for our early spring boxes.

Guy visited Pepe in January to see the first spears of asparagus poking through the ground.

Pepe is our ideal grower: technically proficient, committed to doing the job well, very reliable and full of character (like the purple tinged spears themselves). His family has been growing asparagus in a fertile valley for many

generations. The crop is irrigated naturally by water from the surrounding mountains. His asparagus will be in your boxes through to late April, before the UK season starts in May. There’s always the question of whether we should offer Spanish asparagus ahead of the UK season. The reality is that if you want asparagus in early spring (as many people do), it will mostly be airfreighted from Peru. In environmental terms Pepe’s asparagus, trucked from Spain, is much better. It lets us offer you more variety in the boxes at what can be a pretty barren time of year, and we feel proud that our box scheme helps Pepe and his farm.

Asparagus is best kept in the fridge; standing it upright in a little water will help to preserve its life. If you need to trim the end of the stalk, the point where the stalk snaps cleanly is a good guide.

You can keep the trimmings to use in stock for asparagus soup or risotto. We like asparagus sprinkled with salt and olive oil and roasted in a hot oven for about 5-7 minutes; it seems to intensify the flavour. You could also steam it or

watch out for uk asparagus in may

boil the spears in a deep pan of boiling water for 2-4 minutes, ideally with the stems in the water and the heads in the steam above to avoid them going mushy. They don’t need much more than salt, and maybe some butter and lemon. And they’re great for breakfast dipped into a soft-boiled egg.

Pepe showing Guy his fertile Spanish fields

roasted asparagus with hazelnut dressing serves 4 a bunch of asparagus 75g whole hazelnuts 3 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp hazelnut/walnut oil 1 tbsp white wine or balsamic vinegar salt + pepper Toast the hazelnuts in a 180°C oven for about 10 mins, then remove. Place the nuts in a clean tea towel, fold the towel over and rub to remove the skins. Coarsely chop or lightly blitz the nuts in a food processor.

Keep to one side. To make the dressing, put the hazelnut oil, half the olive oil, vinegar and seasoning in a bowl, whisk and set aside. Place the asparagus on a baking tray and toss with the remaining olive oil and seasoning. Roast at 220°C for about 12 mins until lightly browned and tender. Transfer to a serving dish and drizzle over the dressing.

Sprinkle over the hazelnuts and serve.

box to grow

Feeling green f ingered? Give growing a go with our ‘boxes to grow’.

Whether you’re a gardening novice or a seasoned pro, our boxes to grow give everything you need for a taste of the good life. We’ll deliver high quality seedling plants in a box, along with a detailed planting guide to get you started. With a bit of help from Mother Naure, you’ll soon be wallowing in homegrown produce. We’ll deliver during the Easter Holidays - we recommend getting your order in early so you don’t miss out.

about our seedlings The seedlings in our boxes to grow come from Delfland, who also supply us at the farm. Delfland is a family-run business, with husband and wife team John and Jill at the helm. John has over 30 years’ experience in raising plants. We put our collective heads together to choose varieties for success and flavour that you’ll be able to grow at home.

choose from veg (small £19.45, large £25.95) a mix of seedlings, potted herbs, seeds and potatoes herbs £17.95 a mix of potted herbs flowers £18.45 a selection of seeds and seedlings to grow your own cutting garden Veg available for delivery 11th-16th April; herbs and flowers 18th-23rd April.

Find out more online now.

top up your harvest at www.riverford.co.uk

easter eating

Gather friends and family for a celebratory roast and crowd-pleasing pudding. starter

main

roasted asparagus with smoked salmon + lemon dressing

roast turkey with wild garlic pesto + seasonal veg

asparagus £2.75/250g loch fyne smoked salmon £9.49/200g lemons £0.99/x2

turkey £78.59/7.5kg 15% off

Serve ready sliced, naturally pale-skinned salmon from the Shetland Isles with Pepe’s lovingly grown asparagus. Finish with chunks of lemon from our grower Ginés in Andalucía.

Think turkey’s just for Christmas? We’ve given it a springtime twist with fresh wild garlic pesto, one of the brand new recipes from our upcoming cook book. Good Housekeeping magazine says our turkeys have “firm meat, with a fresh taste and appetising aroma” - try organic turkey for your Easter feast with 15% off (turkeys will be sent out frozen).

everythingeverything we grow + we sellgrow is organic + sell iswww.riverford.co.uk organic

apple, orange + dried apricot crumble serves 6-8 8 dessert apples, peeled, cored + cut into 1cm dice 1 orange, peeled + divided into segments (or diced) juice + grated zest of 1 orange 100g dried apricots, roughly chopped 60g dates, roughly chopped 60g light soft brown sugar for the crumble topping: 175g plain flour

125g butter 100g caster sugar 60g rolled oats To make the topping, put the flour and butter in a food processor and whiz until the mixture has a fine consistency.

Remove and place in a bowl. Add the sugar and oats and rub together with your fingertips so the mixture is slightly lumpy and not dry.

Mix the apples and orange with all the remaining ingredients and place in an ovenproof dish. Top with the crumble

lamb roast from £12.69

mixture and bake in an oven preheated to 150°C for 45 minutes, until the fruit is tender and the topping golden brown.

pudding

Early season lamb is tender with a mild flavour. Choose from legs, shoulders, or, if you really want to impress, a french trimmed lamb rack. beef roasts from £12.95 Our beef is from traditional grass fed herds in Devon. Well hung and packed full of flavour. Choose from sirloin, topsides and fore rib joints

apple, orange + dried apricot crumble apples from £2.45 oranges £2.45/1kg cream from £1.59 A new take on a classic pud. If you’re feeling daring, apple and banana works well too. Serve with a liberal dousing of cream or custard.

or... wild garlic frittata with pesto + seasonal veg (v) wild garlic £1.49/100g eggs £1.95/half dozen

www.riverford.co.uk

bank holiday bbqs Royal weddings, Easter and bank holidays galore.

Sounds like the ideal excuse for an early BBQ - just pray for some sunshine (our crops need it too!).

for the bbq

on the side

to drink

bbq meatbox £29.95 packed with favourites like chicken pieces, sausages and burgers

salad box £10.95 lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and other seasonal salads

veg for kebabs from £1.49 raid your box or buy individual portions of courgettes, mushrooms, peppers and onion

riverford sweet chilli sauce £2.65/240ml made with our own chillies - hot, sweet and sticky!

luscombe soft drinks from £1.55 choose from St Clements, Sicilian lemonade or ginger beer

cucumber pickle £2.39 20% off for March packed with our awardwinning mini cucumbers

heron valley juice from £3.05 find an apple juice to suit your taste - naturally sweet, sharp, or mixed with ginger or orange

see organic wine + beer at www.riverford.co.uk

prices We grow and deliver from your local Riverford farm.

There are a few small differences in our range and prices at each farm (this f lexibility helps us pay our growers a fair price) - please check www.riverford.co.uk for details.

veg + fruit boxes mini vegbox mini fruit + vegbox small vegbox medium vegbox large vegbox fruit + vegbox roots + greens vegbox seasons vegbox favourites vegbox salad box fruit box fruit box for work

meat boxes

small meatbox large meatbox new quick + easy meatbox new bbq box winter warmer chicken box half lamb box nothing but meat box

plants box to grow - small veg box to grow - large veg box to grow - herbs box to grow - flowers

veg

aubergines x2 asparagus 250g

from £9.85 £11.85 £12.35 £15.45 £17.95 £16.35 £12.25 £12.95 £13.95 £10.95 £10.75 £22.95 from £51.95 £69.95 £29.95 £29.95 £35.95 £65.49 £75.99 £51.95 from £19.45 £25.95 £17.95 £18.45 from £2.49 £2.75

savoy cabbage calabrese broccoli 500g purple sprouting broccoli 350g cauliflower carrots 1kg carrots 2kg courgettes x3 leeks 750g mushrooms 200g mushrooms - portobello 200g onions 1kg onions 500g parsnips 1kg parsnips 2kg mixed peppers x3 (min. 2 colours) red pepper x2 ramiro peppers 2 pack baking potatoes 5kg baking potatoes x6 baking potatoes x3 potatoes 1kg potatoes 2kg white potatoes 5kg spring greens 350g swede 1kg wild garlic 100g

salad herbs + spices

salad bag avocado x2 avocado x4 celery cucumber dried garlic 3 bulbs ginger 100g

£1.45 £1.95 £2.49 £1.59 £1.55 £2.95 £2.25 £2.65 £1.49 £1.75 £1.95 £1.25 £2.45 £3.65 £2.95 £1.95 £2.25 £4.95 £2.45 £1.45 £1.45 £2.45 £4.49 £1.75 £1.49 £1.49 from £6.45 £2.49 £4.49 £1.95 £1.75 £1.45 £1.25

lettuce alfalfa sprouted seeds 100g mixed sprouted seeds 227g tomatoes 750g cherry tomatoes 250g cherry tomatoes 450g tomatoes 480g watercress 100g

fruit fruit bag apples 1.5kg apples 750g bananas 1kg grapefruit x2 lemons x2 lemons x6 oranges 1kg pears 750g pears 1.5kg kiwi x6

dairy, milk + eggs

milk semi 1l milk semi 2l* milk skimmed 1l milk skimmed 2l* milk whole 1l milk whole 2l* eggs mixed - half dozen riverford clotted cream 250g double cream 250ml acorn double cream 284ml* acorn single cream 284ml* riverford butter 250g acorn butter 250g* greens cheddar 350g cropwell bishop stilton 250g e greens double gloucester 350g cheese - st eadburgha 170g min acorn brie 230g* buffalo mozzarella 25g x5 parmesan 200g yoghurt - fat free 475g yoghurt - whole milk 475g

£1.85 £1.45 £1.45 £3.25 £1.85 £2.95 £2.45 £1.95 from £6.45 £3.95 £2.45 £1.99 £1.95 £0.99 £1.99 £2.45 £2.55 £4.25 £2.25 from £0.99 £1.89 £0.99 £1.89 £0.99 £1.89 £1.95 £2.75 £1.59 £1.39 £1.09 £1.95 £1.79 £3.95 £4.45 £3.45 £4.45 £4.95 £2.99 £5.49 £1.55 £1.59

chilled cooked sliced ham 250g smoked ham - thinly sliced 150g pastrami 150g sliced roast beef 150g smoked salmon 200g soup of the month 600ml soup - vegetable + pesto 600ml soup - chicken + vegetable 600ml beanie burger - mushroom 100g x2 beanie burger - nut 100g x2 beanie burger - spicy 100g x2 tofu natural 250g

bread - norton farm

town mill - malted bloomer 800g town mill - pure rye 800g town mill - small sourdough 400g town mill - small spelt 400g town mill - white batch (soft crust) 400g town mill - workers white 800g town mill - wholemeal bloomer 800g town mill - 3 seeded bloomer 800g town mill - cheese + walnut 400g town mill - country cob 400g town mill - tomato + olive focaccia 500g

from £6.65 £4.65 £4.65 £4.65 £9.49 £2.99 £2.99 £3.19 £2.35 £2.35 £2.35 £2.35 from £2.19 £2.79 £2.19 £2.79 £1.69 £2.19 £2.19 £2.79 £2.59 £1.89 £2.75

bread - wash farm

freshly baked bread - available in some areas, check the website for details from £1.69

from

kitchen pantry

pesto rosso £2.99 pesto genovese £2.99 sundried tomatoes £3.65 olive oil - italian extra virgin 500ml £4.45 olive oil - italian extra virgin dolce 500ml £4.45 olive oil - italian extra virgin dolce 2 litre £12.99 riverford banana chutney 340g £2.99 riverford ploughmans pickle 340g £2.99 riverford cucumber pickle 340g £2.99 doverhouse chutney 340g £2.99 mayonnaise 250g £2.99 sweet chilli sauce 240ml £2.65 pimhill oatcakes 150g £2.59

rude health muesli 1kg pimhill muesli 1kg pimhill porridge oats 850g chocolate - dark 100g chocolate - milk 100g chocolate - white 100g chocolate - giant milk buttons 180g

soft drinks

£5.49 £3.85 £2.45 £2.09 £2.09 £2.09 £2.29

mas de la ville merlot

from

bottle case (12) ale - samuel smiths 55cl £2.45 £26.45 lager - samuel smiths 12x 55cl £2.45 £26.45 cider medium - sheppys 12x 50cl £2.45 £26.45

floresta coffee single estate - beans 250g coffee single estate - ground 250g

£3.95 £3.95

heron valley apple juice naturally sharper 75cl apple juice naturally sweeter 75cl apple + ginger juice75cl apple + orange juice 75cl

£3.05 £3.05 £3.05 £3.05

luscombe st clements 74cl sicilian lemonade 74cl

ginger beer hot 32cl ginger beer cool 32cl

£2.65 £2.65 bottle case (24) £1.55 £33.49 £1.55 £33.49

oakwood cox apple juice 1l fiesta apple juice 1l

£3.25 £3.25

wine

from

white mas de la ville chardonnay la jara prosecco frizzante vega lucia blanco airen la jara pinot grigio bianco marigny-neuf sauvignon blanc gavi docg

bottle case (6) £8.45 £45.65 £9.19 £49.65 £6.15 £33.25 £9.19 £49.65 £11.49 £62.05 £12.79 £69.09

rosé vega lucia garnacha mas de la ville gard rosé marigny-neuf pinot noir rosé

£6.15 £33.25 £8.45 £45.65 £11.49 £62.05

red quinto arrio rioja ott tinto de navarra mognon contadino marigny-neuf pinot noir

£7.15 £7.15 £8.95 £11.49

£38.65 £38.65 £48.35 £62.05

£8.45 £45.65

mixed - all red mixed - red + white mixed - all white mixed - white + rosé

beer + cider

kitchen kit recipe binder 2011 riverford long handled cotton shopper eco cool safe - large eco cool safe - medium eco cool safe - small riverford farm cook book riverford cool bag eco-cool blanket

£46.95 £42.35 £50.89 £47.65 from

from £2.25 £2.05 £95.95 £85.15 £76.25 £12.99 £2.69 £3.95

Minimum order £12.50 or £25 on meat. See our full range at www.riverford.co.uk. *Only available at Home Farm

coming soon ‘grow your own’ boxes our new cook book in May crème fraîche coming from the Riverford Dairy

Ri v

e r f ord

01565 723506 Stockley Farm 01780 789700 Sacrewell Farm 01803 762059 Wash Farm, Home Farm + Upper Norton Farm

www.riverford.co.uk free delivery