Get Your five-a-day at Van Hage!
As many of you will have seen by now, our Great Amwell branch has a fantastic new artisan Food Hall. Here at Van Hage, we are championing local producers and sustainability, providing necessary resources for our community, and reducing food miles.
Our traditional farmers' market style Food Hall features a fresh meat counter, bakery, delicatessen, and a wide range of products from British and artisan producers - each one carefully hand-picked by our knowledgeable team of buyers.
A Food Hall wouldn’t be complete though without fresh fruit and vegetables and we’d like to introduce you to ML Fruit and Veg. Mitchell started working on fruit and vegetable markets when he was just 14 years old with a family friend and had his first shop by the age of 21 and Lewis started helping when he was 16. We are thrilled to announce that this father and son business with over 45 years of experience is now part of our local produce team!
Mitchell and Lewis have worked in markets such as Enfield, Epping and Waltham Cross and over the years have built up an excellent reputation for beautiful displays of high quality produce. This is hardly surprising when you consider that only class 1 products are sourced - the best quality money can buy. The team buy from Spitalfields Market but often source produce from more local suppliers, when available. Each piece is checked over by hand to make sure it is in tip-top condition and ready for the customer.
Mitchell offers an excellent delivery service to a wide range of consumers and businesses including high-end restaurants, pubs and care homes ensuring many people benefit from this top-quality produce. The range of produce available is vast but if you can’t find what you want, just let the guys know and they will do their very best to quickly source this for you.
Exotic produce is one of the specialities on offer and you will be able to find Lychees, Seville Oranges, Blood Oranges and Papaya when in season. Delicious!! We took a straw poll amongst some of our colleagues and decided that the satsumas at Christmas-time were second to none – sweet, fresh and juicy!
From a sustainable point of view, you’ll find the team only use recyclable paper bags but, as with most food retailers, customers are encouraged to use their own reusable bags. Food waste is also at the forefront of the team’s ethics, and you will often find bargain £1 bowls on offer on their market stalls to reduce as much food waste as possible.
Lewis’ aim is to create the same levels of loyalty and success within our local community that their market stalls have achieved over the years, and we have no doubt this will happen. Already we have received so much positive feedback from our customers regarding the quality and choice of these fantastic fruit and vegetables.
So, what are you waiting for? Come and see for yourselves – there’s no better time to stock up on your five-a-day!
There’s no end to the amazing list of dishes you can create with such fabulous ingredients on offer. With over 300sqm to browse you are sure to find something inspiring for your table!
Why not try our alternative recipe idea for a version of Scottish Cranachan ahead of Burns Night on 25th January? You can find all the ingredients in our Food Hall.
Substitute Raspberry Gin for Whisky and Scottish Shortbread for oats. Add Raspberries (soaked in Gin) to the bottom of the glass, add whipped double cream (can swirl with the juices too) then add broken Scottish Shortbread. Repeat for another layer or two then top with more raspberries. Leave out alcohol for children.
Please note this image is a suggestion only.