#natoora

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Top Left

Image by Aimee France.

Top Right

Image by Monique Lhuillier.

Middle Left

Image by Natoora.

Middle Right

Image by Disco Cubes.

Bottom Left

Image by Leslie Kirchhoff.

Bottom Right

Who buys the best?

Have you ever wondered where the top class fruit and vegetables come from? Obviously they are grown on farms, but the companies who source the best are not known to the public.

Last week I went with some other food writers to see Natoora, hidden away in Bermondsey, South London.  Compared to Covent Garden market, their operation is small, but what sets them apart is the high quality of everything they bring in from Europe (and the UK) to deliver to the top chefs and greengrocers. Every day they move out 15 tons of produce, much of it going to restaurants.

What first struck me was not just the perfection, but the size of the fruits and vegetables.  Peaches and lemons were more than ‘bite sized’ and aubergines were like purple balloons.

The explanation is that Natoora work closely with farmers, whether in North or Southern Italy, France, Spain or the many small suppliers who produce the unusual, as well as the most flavoursome items. Some of the tiny leaves (nasturtium among others) much loved by chefs, are grown with natural water, and actually snipped with scissors before being packed in their boxes!

Natoora brings melons, tomatoes and apricots three to four times a week.

Gherkin cucumbers come from Lithuania and the tiny salty sea purslane leaves are foraged by the sea in the UK.  Some of the growers have been perfecting their crops for years, like the 72 year-old Italian who is producing a tomato called Cuore del Vesuvio (heart of Vesuvius).  The criterion for this British importer is that they demand the best flavour and bring this about by their close relationship with the growers.  

They are soon planning to open a concession in Selfridges in London. It’s good to know that you don’t need to eat in the top restaurants to treat yourself to some of what’s best in the market.