Tuesday, 25 January 2022

Fruit that tastes like fruit used to taste

Supermarket chains can be ultra-demanding when it comes to the fresh fruits that will grace their shelves.

Supermarket buyers want fruits that are pristine, uniformly and specifically sized, identically coloured, blemish free and under-ripe, so that they have a shelf life of eight days or more. 

They also want to buy in large volume from big farms, so they can have a supply chain that links several outlets, and often suffocate the fruit in plastic wrapping. 

That's bad news for small growers who need to hand-sort their produce to meet supermarket criteria.

Unfortunately, when it comes to fruit, good-looking does not always mean good tasting. 

Enter Andrew Driscall, a former private chef and food entrepreneur who is well known to Tasmanians for his food truck businesses Cafe de Paris and Proper Pasties. 

Cornish-born Driscall realised that fruit does not have to be perfect looking to taste good, particularly if it is being used in a fruit salad, in an ice cream sundae or to make a jam or preserves. 

A lot of perfectly good fruit, which could have gone to waste, or be sold as animal feed, can now be found in old-fashioned punnets, ripe, unwrapped and ready to eat, either from his mobile food truck or to take home. 

Driscall is selling a range of seasonal fruit (currently cherries, strawberries and apricots) from his truck, which can be found at Huonville Esplanade, south of Hobart, or at various local markets in Tasmania. 

Pop by to pick up fruit, or enjoy an ice cream or ice-cream fruit sundae.

"A lot of supermarkets will not take ripe fruit, because they want everything to have a long shelf life, which can leave fruit growers in a bind," Driscall says. "I can access fruit direct from the growers and sell it the same day it is picked.

"I've found a lot of customers have been surprised at how good fruit that may be mis-shaped or slightly marked can taste if enjoyed straight away."

Driscall's days can vary, so call him on 0437 951 751 if you are in Tasmania and have a need for fresh fruit.           

 

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