Struggling for Salad? Supermarkets are short of Veg. but we’re not short of ideas to help! #Artisan vs Supermarket

Victoria Hayes
6th March 2023

Due to recent vegetable shortages, stores have empty shelves and consumers are faced with difficult food choices. We’ve got your back if the only things you can locate in the supermarket’s fresh aisles are the occasional brassica.

First and foremost we’d like to highlight the availability of fabulous fruit and veg at Cheshire’s brilliant farm shops. With shelves that are groaning with local produce, there are no shortages there. However we have pulled together some ideas for those you may not always think of when you do a standard supermarket shop.

Here are some suggestions for dependable, consistently abundant, and straightforward to prepare vegetables to fall back on if this restricted availability has made your meal plans for the week appear shaky. Watch out for salad dressings and lunchbox snacks that don’t rely on the tomatoes and cucumbers that are presently less common.

Beetroot

Beetroot is a tasty addition to winter salads because it is sweet whether it is cooked or fresh. Beetroot keeps well through the winter, so shortages are less common. Both large and tiny ones are sweet, but yellow or white varieties have a tendency to be less sweet (although very pretty).

Beetroots that have been prepared, peeled, and vacuum-packed are an inexpensive alternative that require less time and effort to prepare. They can be used in a variety of dishes, including sandwiches, salads, hummus, and pink spaghetti sauce.

Beetroot that has been roasted in slices will have a more concentrated flavour and a caramelised exterior. When it’s done, combine it with grains, beans, or couscous in a salad. It is less versatile to purchase pickled beetroot in this form because it can be especially vinegary, but it is excellent in sandwiches.

Along with carrots, celeriac, and even swede, raw beets create a fantastic slaw because their sweetness (and colour) contaminates the other root vegetables. A good dressing can be made with a little vinegar, salt, and sugar; a squeeze of lemon or orange juice is a pleasant addition. Anything salty is a natural counterbalance to sweetness, so recipes frequently call for smooth goat cheese or cheeses like feta (also known as salad cheese) and halloumi. Additionally, peanuts and nuts can change up the texture.

Frozen Sweetcorn

When you need to win the youngsters over, have this in the freezer. You can use as much or as little frozen sweetcorn as you like, and it is more affordable by weight than canned sweetcorn. It can be toasted in a dry frying pan direct from frozen, giving it a chewy texture and toasty flavour. It can also be immediately defrosted under boiling water.

When sweetcorn and tuna mayo are mixed, they make a traditional jacket potato and sandwich filling.

It makes a tasty but simple fritter choice.  It frequently features with beans in Tex-Mex recipes like quesadillas, stews, and salsa, though those typically also call for tomatoes, if they’re difficult to find, lime, spring onions, and chillis can add the needed flavour and acidity.

Sweetcorn is a helpful addition to other frozen vegetables in noodle soups, pasta dishes, and savoury pancakes for quick dinner choices. Additionally, sweetcorn adds colour and affordability to soup, particularly when combined with potatoes, sweet potatoes, or squash. Although they cost a little more than packages of kernels, frozen corn cobs go well with some fish fingers or sausages.

Radishes

Because they are so quick and simple to produce, radishes are probably always in stock. Despite the fact that they are frequently eaten sliced in a salad, we British seriously underestimate their versatility.

Radishes are frequently combined with carrots, cabbage, and a peanut dressing in salads made in the East Asian manner. Add more substance by adding pasta, rice, or even fries.

In Middle Eastern couscous salads, cut into falafel wraps, and dipped in hummus, radishes are frequently used as an ingredient. They can be turned into a stunning luminous garnish by pickling them for a short period of time in lime juice (or vinegar), sugar, and salt.

Radishes lose some of their colour and crunch when they are roasted, but the peppery taste is eliminated. In contrast to sweet roasted vegetables, they also go well when presented raw.

Red and White Cabbage

In the fridge, wrapped in a plastic bag, red and white cabbage will keep for a very long period. Those tight cannonballs will remain for weeks after any worn-out exterior layers have been removed. Although it is frequently disregarded, cabbage is an excellent option for a salad vegetable because of its hardiness.

Even though they are tough, cabbages will soften in a combination of oil, salt, sugar, acid (such as vinegar or lemon juice), and vinegar in about 15 minutes to produce a tangy and mouth watering slaw. Homemade coleslaw is entirely different from the mushy, sweet coleslaw you get at the grocery store. Slaw works well in any burger, whether it is fruity, spicy, or mustardy.

Mayonnaise is not a requirement for slaw either. A vinaigrette or some yoghurt can be substituted for a healthy (yet still creamy) option. The flavour is revived by sweet additions like apple, orange, and even grapefruit, which make it the ideal complement to fried foods or smoky barbecued poultry.

The majority of cabbages can be shredded or chopped into a slaw and combined with kohlrabi, kohlrabi, fennel, onion, and celeriac. Brussels sprouts are also effective!

Peas

In the kitchen, a container of frozen peas can be a very potent tool. Peas can be stored in large quantities in supermarkets because they can happily remain in the freezer for a year or more, which is probably why there is always a ready supply available.

The texture and flavour of a frozen pea and a raw pea are nearly identical after they have been thawed. And because they are preserved as soon as they are picked, they retain a lot of the nutrients that would otherwise be lost over time.

They can be blended with stock to make pea soup or simply mashed up with oil, lemon, and cheese to make a pesto in place of leaves to add colour and nutrition to a dinner.

Although they are identical in terms of variation, garden peas and petit pois are both available for purchase. Just earlier harvesting results in smaller and slightly sweeter, but otherwise identical, petit pois. Choose whatever is available or best fits your money.

While peas are frequently served as a side dish with supper, they are also ideal for brunches and lunches. To make them creamy with yoghurt, pile them on toast with an egg (move over, pricey avo), or encase them in a savoury pancake.

Tinned Pulses

Although canned beans and pulses are frequently disregarded as salad ingredients, they still contribute towards your five-a-day requirement, making them both a convenient and nutritious choice. However, regardless of the variety you consume in a day, one serving of pulses is always considered to be one cup.

But they also have many other benefits, including the fact that they are largely sustainable to produce, abundant, and a good source of protein and fibre – and that’s before we even mention how adaptable they are.

Because tinned varieties are already cooked, they can be rapidly warmed with onion to create a straightforward side dish for fish and meat or drained (rinsing is occasionally a good idea).

Maybe create soup out of them, adding canned tomatoes and stock for a hearty and warming lunch.

Give chickpeas a quick spell in a frying pan to crisp them up: they can then add crunch and bulk to easy salads that don’t depend too heavily on fresh veg. Of course, chickpeas are also the star of the hummus, so if you don’t have any tahini, try blending a drained tin with some vacuum-sealed beets and other pantry staples to create a low-maintenance version that’s great for spreading on bread, using as a filling for sandwiches, or using as a dipping sauce for carrot sticks.

Frozen Broad Beans

Broad beans are another summer vegetable that really doesn’t mind the freezer treatment, thawing fairly agreeably. They are probably less popular than their cousin peas, who you can find next to them in the frozen food aisle. Because they are also known as fava beans, their short season makes it difficult to find fresh ones for much of the year. Using frozen is a wonderful way to use them all year long.

They can be used in bright salads and combined with other greens and grains for a filling and nutritious side dish or meal after being defrosted and mildly warmed.

They go well with slightly salty ingredients like feta and goat cheese because of their mildly sweet flavour, and they taste great when gently crushed and combined with hot ingredients like lemon or chilli to create a flavourful toast topping, sandwich filler, or side dish.