The British palate is changing - or at least it would seem so, if the latest new product developments are anything to go by. We have got much more of a sweet tooth in the last decade or so, according to breeders.
One example is blackberries, which practically had to be reinvented to please fussy consumers who found them much too acidic in the past. The flavour of blackberries is the result of a combination of sweetness (sugars), acids (citric and malic acid) and flavour volatiles. “I think we might have a sweeter palate than in the past,” says Jamie Petchell, commercial director at Hargreaves Plants. “We are certainly being asked about the sweetness of new varieties. Although sweetness is only one aspect of flavour, these days when people ask ‘has it got good flavour?’ what they actually mean is ‘is it sweet?’” he explains.
Last November, Hargreaves Plants held an event at New Covent Garden Market, ‘Understanding Blackberries,’ which was designed to educate consumers about different types of blackberries and how to use them.
A couple of years ago, the company also commissioned a scientific report in collaboration with a breeding programme in Arkansas which analysed up to 100 different aspects of blackberries. Wild blackberries were included as “people always say the wild ones taste better,” according to Petchell.
The aims of the study were to compare the flavour of Arkansas varieties of blackberry (Ouachita, Navaho, Reuben and Apache) with industry standard varieties, which are generally used for cooking as they are harder and more acidic.
The study confirmed that the Arkansas varieties have lower tartaric levels and thus taste significantly sweeter. They also contain several different volatiles to traditional varieties, which could confer higher floral or fruity notes.
Commissioning a study like this one obviously helps breeders understand what consumers are looking for, which in turn allows for a more tailored product. But there are other ways to gain insight into consumer preferences. One way is to set up focus groups and conduct taste tests, a method Hargreaves Plants employs extensively.
“It varies depending on the crop,” says Petchell, “but we do have both asparagus and soft-fruit trials, which include chefs, garden writers and food writers - a whole range of people.”
During a taste test, samples are taken of eight to 10 varieties, new as well as established ones, and included in a ‘blind’ test. Hargreaves Plants conducts as many as 20 taste tests throughout the course of a season.
In addition to taste tests, when the company has a new variety to launch it sends samples to the retailers in order to make them aware of the new flavour. “The retailer will have standards that they need to reach,” explains Petchell.
Introducing a new variety can sometimes be difficult, however, especially if the flavour is the only thing that differentiates it from established varieties. As an example, Petchell mentions asparagus. He has overseen the development of several new asparagus varieties, like Mondeo, which took six years to bring to market. “What’s difficult with asparagus is that they don’t necessarily have major visual differences, and people tend to buy with their eyes,” he says. “Purple asparagus is a lot sweeter and looks very different so that’s an easier story to sell.”
Another variety from Hargreaves Plants is Buddy the strawberry, a sweet-tasting
everbearer which the company wanted to have listed as a premium variety. The large glossy berry has a high resistance to powdery mildew and a good shelf life. The yield for Buddy is 967g per plant in replicated trials. “In strawberries, particularly everbearing, a high yield doesn’t mean a high proportion of sweetness. The best-tasting varieties are not the ones that have the highest yields,” explains Petchell.
In order to combine the best of both worlds it is therefore necessary for suppliers to work closely with the retail sector, as well as chefs and foodservice suppliers.
Chef Ben Tish, of the Salt Yard Group, has noticed an increase in collaboration between chefs and suppliers and feels it is a step in the right direction. “I think there is plenty of contact with chefs and suppliers now, certainly more so than there used to be,” he says.
“I don’t know about product development but certainly intelligent sourcing, where you describe the flavours you are looking for to a supplier and they help point you in that direction.”
In terms of changing consumer taste, Tish believes his customers are more clued up these days and have a wider knowledge of food products. “They want free range, line caught, sustainable etc, and they want traceability and seasonality. This is a very good thing.” He adds: “Consumers are also much more quality driven than, say, seven or eight years ago and have higher expectations. This is all media driven and with so many restaurants to choose from now people can be picky.”
Undeniably, globalisation has allowed chefs to be more imaginative, using more flavoursome ingredients as people have expanded the repertoire of what they like to eat. Tish agrees that the British palate has developed due to the influx of different cultures to the country. “Chefs have had to be more creative to interest the more knowledgeable general public. The public palate has become more experimental and more refined.”
So what does he think will be the trends for fruit and veg in 2012? “The rise of cheaper, organic vegetables and also the rise of cheaper farmers’ markets. This is all good, however I’m not convinced about consistent quality. I think there is going to be a surge in Turkish cuisine soon, so produce associated with that, and there is currently a fashion for South American cuisine which will be more mainstream over the coming year, so again expect produce associated with that.” -
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