In Season | October
Each month, the fresh produce experts at Fresh Direct bring you the best of the season. As we approach autumn, there is still lots of great, seasonal produce from at home and abroad to liven up menus. Deep autumnal flavours and colours create some fantastic and hearty dishes that are perfect for the colder and darker nights.
British Bi-Colour Apples
Available from early September to the end of March
The heatwaves over the summer may have caused havoc for many farmers, but according to the trade body British Apples & Pears apple orchards across the nation will be celebrating the best top fruit quality and flavour in years.
Flavour & texture
- An excellent taste is expected - sweet, juicy and bursting with flavour
- Beautiful skin finish
- Crisp, juicy bite that stays firm when sliced.
Did you know? Britain has an extraordinary apple heritage, with more than 2,500 varieties developed over the centuries, many still grown in historic orchards today. Henry VIII is credited with a key role in reviving English apple growing, commissioning new orchards in Kent (where our apples come from) and importing improved varieties in the Tudor period.
Chef’s tip Use eating apples when you want freshness and structure. Their crisp bite and natural sweetness make them ideal for salads, slaws, grazing boards and cold dishes, and a gentle roast or warm sauté intensifies their aromatics while keeping the flesh firm. Try British our bi-coloured apples stuffed with haggis, with pork belly and jus.
Nutrition note A whole apple counts as 1 of your 5 a day.
Seasonal Squash
Seasonal squash focuses on British during October and through until January
There’s nothing quite like the Halloween taste and flavour of seasonal squash. Our squash range is definitely a favourite, bringing together the best quality and availability from around the world. Hand-harvested to protect product quality, our varieties can include kabocha, crown prince and queen, depending on what’s the best of the harvest, making them perfect for creating a range of seasonal dishes.
Flavour & Texture
- Deep, concentrated sweetness with a chestnut‑like richness and gentle earthiness
- Dense, velvety flesh that cooks down to a smooth, almost custard‑like creaminess
- Holds structure when roasted while delivering a soft, melt‑away finish on the palate
Did you know? Winter squash develops richer flavours the longer they are stored after harvest because their natural starches slowly convert into sugars. The dense varieties like kabocha are technically fruits, yet they behave like vegetables in the kitchen thanks to their low moisture and savoury‑leaning flavour profile. The deep orange flesh in many varieties comes from beta‑carotene, which not only boosts colour, but also gives that warm, sweet, autumnal flavour chefs rely on.
Chef’s tip Roast squash in larger pieces to prevent moisture loss. This concentrates sweetness and keeps the flesh tender rather than stringy. Warm spices like nutmeg, cinnamon or smoked paprika perform beautifully in squash dishes. Toast them briefly in oil or butter before adding the squash to deepen flavour. Our chefs love their recipe for seasonal squash biryani, mixing rice, filo petal, riatha, sambal pickle and micro coriander, which brings out the flavours brilliantly.
Nutrition Note Our seasonal squash range is a source of vitamin E and vitamin C, high in vitamin A, an 80g serving counts as 1 of your 5 a day.
Beetroot
British Year Round
Our British beetroot is grown in Wiltshire and is harvested during late summer. It is stored and used throughout the year. Because it’s a robust vegetable, it grows and stores well, meaning that we can enjoy great British produce all year round. Look out for our vacuum-packed cooked beetroot, which takes the hassle out of preparation.
Flavour & texture
- Naturally sweet with a gentle earthy depth that becomes richer when cooked
- Firm, dense flesh that softens into a smooth, velvety texture when roasted or braised
- Clean, rounded flavour that holds well in both raw applications and slow‑cooked dishes
Did you know? Beetroot was one of the earliest cultivated vegetables in Europe, but for centuries people only ate the leaves, and the roots didn’t become widely popular until the Middle Ages when cooks realised how sweet they were. Beetroot has a long and varied history, with the Romans using it as an aphrodisiac, while the Victorians used it as a hair dye, which seems a waste of a versatile and tasty vegetable to us, but we’re sure there must have been some very red heads!
Chef’s tip Roast beetroot whole or in foil to lock in sweetness and keep the flesh tender. Once cooked, treat it like a flavour sponge, it absorbs vinaigrettes, citrus and spice beautifully. For raw applications, shave it finely to keep the texture crisp and the earthy notes light. Our chefs love Golden Beetroot Terrine with pickled baby golden beets, frisée, diced beetroot, golden beetroot gel and red sorrel – a feast for beetroot lovers.
Nutrition note Beetroot is a source of potassium and high in folate, and an 80g serving counts as 1 of your 5 a day.
Pumpkins
British season from end of September to late October
This year’s weather means that pumpkins haven’t grown as large as normal. But fear not, there are plenty of smaller pumpkins to go around and make Halloween a spooky success. Ours are grown within five miles of Outwell in Cambridgeshire.
Flavour & Texture
- Our Harvest Moon variety are grown for carving
- The deep orange outer is the perfect symbol of Halloween
Did you know? The tradition of carving pumpkins began with Irish immigrants in the nineteenth century. In Ireland they carved turnips, but switched to pumpkins in America because they were larger and easier to work with. Pumpkins became a Halloween staple thanks to their autumn harvest timing. Communities used them for lanterns, feasts and celebrations long before modern trick‑or‑treating took off.
Chef’s Tip While the Harvest Moon variety is grown for carving, select culinary varieties like Kabocha for cooking. Pumpkins are incredibly versatile and can be used in desserts such as cheesecakes and pies as well as savoury applications like soups, purees or roasted and served hot or cold either in salads or side dishes and they also make a great houmous. Their naturally sweet flesh pairs well with acidic dressing and seasonings such as yoghurt, citrus dressings and vinaigrettes.
Nutrition note Pumpkins are a source of vitamin C.
Portabellini Mushrooms
Our Portabellini mushrooms are from Northern Ireland year-round
Portabellini mushrooms are a relatively recent introduction and are sized between a standard chestnut and a large portobello mushroom. Portabellinis are young portobellos, picked earlier for a firmer bite and a more concentrated, savoury flavour and a great talking point on menus.
Flavour & Texture
- Deep, savoury umami with a richer, more rounded flavour than standard chestnut mushrooms
- Firm, meaty texture that stays robust in high‑heat cooking
- Juicy bite with a smooth finish that carries seasoning beautifully
Did you know? Portabellinis are the same species as button and chestnut mushrooms, just grown longer. Their transformation from small and mild to deep, meaty and umami‑rich is one of the fastest flavour evolutions in the vegetable world. As fungi are closer to animals than plants in their biological makeup, portabellinis deliver a naturally savoury, almost “meaty” flavour profile without any help from seasoning.
Chef’s tip Sear portabellinis hard and fast to deepen their natural umami and keep the texture meaty. They love bold seasoning, for example garlic, soy, herbs and acids all cling well, and slicing them thick gives you a satisfying bite that stands up in both plant‑forward and mixed dishes. Their size also makes them ideal for vegan sliders.
Sable Black Grapes
Various locations over the winter – a mix of European, South American and North African
Sable is one of the black seedless varieties that have helped bring real flavour back to the table‑grape category. It’s a relatively young variety, first sold just over twenty years ago, but has quickly earned a reputation for its intense sweetness, perfumed aroma and almost berry‑like depth. Chefs love it because it delivers consistent eating quality and a standout flavour profile that lifts fruit bowls, desserts and cheese boards.
Flavour & Texture
- Intensely sweet with a signature Parma Violet note, giving a floral, candy‑like lift that sets them apart from other black seedless grapes
- Small to medium, slightly elongated berries with a thick, ebony‑black skin that delivers a big, satisfying crunch without any bitterness
- Chewy, juicy flesh that holds its structure, releasing concentrated sweetness and a perfumed finish with every bite
Did you know? Sable grapes were developed in California as part of a breeding programme focused on reviving flavour in seedless varieties, and they quickly became known as one of the most distinctive black grapes on the market. Their trademark Parma Violet note comes from a unique combination of natural aromatic compounds that give them a floral, almost perfumed character rarely found in table grapes. The grapes are small, elongated and jet‑black, a shape and colour that breeders selected deliberately to echo old heritage grapes while keeping the convenience of seedlessness. Sables also have unusually thick skins, which not only deliver that signature crunch, but also help protect the grape’s sweetness and aroma during transport and chilling.
Chef’s tip Chill Sables well before service as the cold sharpens the floral sweetness and boosts the crunch. Pair them with creamy or salty elements (ricotta, mascarpone, feta, aged cheddar) to highlight their perfume and balance the intensity. For savoury dishes, slice them thinly and use their floral sweetness as a counterpoint to heat, smoke or acidity as they lift salads, grain bowls and charcuterie beautifully.
Nutrition note An 80g serving of Sable grapes counts as 1 of your 5 a day.
