Radicchio Grown by Riverford in the Vendée at Le Boutinard, France

£2.30 / x1

About

For years we have been growing radicchio for our veg boxes, trying to convert more customers to this vibrant winter leaf. Italians are crazy about its bold, bitter flavour: raw in salads, or griddled or roasted until mellow, radicchio has the potential to revive a palate jaded by stodgy cold-weather cooking. Behind its striking colour and bitter flavour are high levels of polyphenols, particularly beneficial for heart and brain health. Radicchio looks like a pretty lettuce, but is more closely related to dandelion.

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Country of origin

Produced in

France

UK Seasonality

A perfect green for the autumn due to its frost tolerance, its typically in season from September to December.

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As well as loving them, instinctively I just know they are good for me

- Guy Singh-Watson, Riverford founder

How to prepare

Cut the heads into quarters lengthways, cut out the core, then slice into ribbons. Glorious in salads where its bitterness is balanced by sweet and creamy flavours – think pear, walnut and blue cheese with balsamic vinaigrette.

Cooking softens its bitterness considerably – wilt into a risotto, an omelette, a frittata. Or make a creamy pasta sauce with salty bacon and a few fried mushrooms. Grilled radicchio is beautifully tender – just right served bubbling in a creamy, cheesy sauce.

Storage

Radicchio should keep well in the fridge as a whole head for at least a week, possibly two. If you’re using it in several sittings, peel off the outer leaves first, rather than cutting it in half. Fresh from the fields, so wash well before use.

Grown by Riverford in the Vendée, Le Boutinard, France

Our brilliant French grower team, led by Marco Altamirano, supply our boxes with loads of colourful veg throughout the year. There’s lettuces, sweet mini peppers, cucumbers, broad beans, aubergines, autumn squashes – plus some of our favourite unusual treats of the year, including Padron peppers, cape gooseberries and tangy Mexican-style tomatillos.