In season: Cold weather comfort food
Claire Power, product marketing manager, fresh produce, Pauleys: November is the start of winter vegetables and in particular the parsnip, a much-loved root vegetable. They actually improve with a frost, as the effect of freezing the living root converts some of the starch into sugar. Parsnips are versatile and can be cooked in much the same way as potatoes. Just remember, parsnips should be scrubbed, not peeled, as most of the flavours lie directly below the skin.
British baking potatoes are an autumn favourite as either a quick, healthy pub snack or the centre of a warming meal. Ours are mainly grown in the fertile fields of East Anglia, with crops from Herefordshire, Yorkshire and Scotland helping to ensure continuity of supply. To make the jackets crisp and crunchy, sprinkle some salt over them before baking.
New-season kiwi fruits are being sourced from both Italy and Greece while the new crop of 'navel' Spanish oranges is due to start in mid-November and run until the end of January. Crops are expected to be down 25 per cent on last year due to flower drop in May and June.
Fish and seafood
Alan Edmeades, marketing product manager, M&J Seafood: Megrim is a fish of many names. Also known as whiff here, it's more popular in Spain, where it's known as gallos, and France - cardine - than in the UK. However, this is slowly changing as chefs and the public discover the quality British seasonal produce we're fortunate to have.
Mostly caught off the South Coast, megrim is a flatfish with an oval body with a sandy-brown dark side. Despite being a fish from the same family as turbot and brill, megrim is more comparable in taste and texture to lemon sole, and right now is in its prime and at its fattest, making this the best time to buy. To get the best flavour, cook on the bone, trimmed, with the black skin removed (often known as "panready").
Alternatively try adding gilthead bream to your menu. The most popular and highly regarded of the sea breams, it is also known as dorade or royal bream and is a slightly sweeter alternative to sea bass. According to Greek mythology it is sacred to Aphrodite - the goddess of love, beauty and sexual rapture! Whole portion-sized sea bream are great simply stuffed with fennel, garlic and dill, baked in the oven and served with spring onion mash and a creamy white wine sauce.
A good tip is to introduce lesser-known species to your customers by pairing them with familiar ones; for example, pair gurnard with cod. This reduces risk, raises awareness and encourages trial.
Meat
John Martin, product marketing manager, Prime Meats: All game is now in season, including pheasant, duck, guinea fowl, grouse and partridge. The classic way to cook game birds is to roast them and serve with game chips, but with the availability of ready-to-cook portions they are just as good in casseroles, pies, pâtés, soups and sausages.
Cubed venison is great for a healthy, hearty casserole or minced for a burger with a difference. Bear in mind, however, that livestock feed prices are running at near double their level last year. This is being driven by poor harvests, higher fuel prices and a general worldwide shortage of grain - the main ingredient of most animal and poultry feeds - caused by a switch in arable production away from grain into biofuel crops.
This is leading to rapid and significant inflation in meat and poultry, mostly in those species that rely heavily on grain for feed. Hardest hit is the poultry market, with chicken, turkey and duck prices all rising. This year's Christmas turkey looks set to cost 15 to 30 per cent more than last year. On the red meat side pork is the main victim so far.
