Where Our Food Comes From…….

British Carrots:

Sticky Roast Chantenay Carrot Medley with Pomegranate

Molasses

Freshly dug: Purple Chantenay Carrots

Welcome to a new series of posts called “Where Our Food Comes From”……..over the last few months I have been lucky enough to visit numerous factories, farms, orchards and food events where the focus has been all about home-grown British (and European) food and ingredients. Today’s post is all about a very British carrot with a French name – the Chantenay carrot. Just over four weeks ago I visited the “hub” of the British Chantenay carrot industry at Freshgro in Nottinghamshire; Freshgro, which is the trade name for Fresh Growers Ltd, is a co-operative formed in June 1998 by ten farmers.

Martin Evans CEO of Freshgro in the carrot fields

These ten farmers then sought about bringing back Chantenay carrots to the UK and are now the world’s leading supplier, supplying over 90% of the UK Chantenay market. Freshgro has a farming base of over 20 000 acres where they grow and market both conventional and organic vegetables; they also produces piccolo parsnips, asparagus and other root crops and there are nearly 2 acres of factory space which serves all the country’s retailers, which is where I visited a few weeks ago. The two Martins, Martin Evans, the CEO of Freshgro and Martin Brittain, the technical director, welcomed me to the factory as well as taking me out onto some nearby carrot fields.

Chantenay Carrots

I have always loved Chanteany carrots – they are pretty little carrots that have a sublime sweet taste as well as being crunchy with a crisp texture, so it was a fascinating day to seeing them being freshly harvested as well as visiting where they are sorted, washed and packed for the retail market. Most people know the orange Chantenay carrots, we always have them on the Christmas table, but, Freshgro are also growing and marketing the “heirloom” purple and white varieties now, which I also saw being harvested and packed for market. Purple carrots, for those of you in the know, are the original carrots, along with white and yellow ones, and it wasn’t until the 17th century that the more well-known modern-day orange carrot came onto existence.

Purple. Orange and White Chantenay Carrots

There is little difference in the taste between the orange, purple and white carrots, although when cut, the purple carrots always have a different colour and pattern inside them, which makes them such a pretty vegetable for salads and crudités. And, the white carrots look very similar to parsnips……but taste like carrot of course! Having seen some of the carrots being harvested, I was then treated to a “carroty” taste session before visiting the factory. Some of the accompaniments that were offered with freshly sliced Chantenay carrots were cheese, fruit, crackers and creamy dips, which I enjoyed, as well as Nutella,which I wasn’t so sure about, but I have to say it did work, regardless of my dislike for Nutella.

Sticky Roast Chantenay Carrot Medley with Pomegranate Molasses

The whole washing, sorting and packing procedure at Freshgro was seamless……and I was pleased to see that there is very little “processing” before the carrots are sent out to various farm shops, greengrocers and all of the major UK supermarkets. In a nutshell, the carrots are dug up, sent to the factory where they are washed, sorted into colour, type, grade and sizes, before being packed and dispatched. Most of the carrots are sent out whole, but some are peeled, diced, sliced and chopped for supermarkets and the food industry. It was wonderful to see something that had been harvested in the morning making its way to the stores and ultimately our table so soon after being dug up.

Packing Chantenay Carrots for the Supermarkets

In an age of mass consumerism, we DO need factory sites to sort and pack our food, and it was refreshing to see a large factory complex working almost like a small farm but on a larger scale, with bigger machines, obviously. There were also boxes of loose carrots being sent to greengrocers and farm shops, in their natural state with a bit of honest Nottinghamshire dirt on them! On leaving I was given a large bag of assorted Chantenay carrots, as well as some Piccolo Parsnips; the recipe for my parsnips will follow nearer the festive season, but for now, I’d like to share a new recipe I created in homage to the not so humble carrot – Sticky Roast Chantenay Carrot Medley with Pomegranate Molasses.

The recipe for this vibrant carrot dish shared below, and it absolutely gorgeous, with a sticky, sweet and sour taste and a crunchy texture, it would make the ideal accompaniment of any special family meal, Thanksgiving or for Christmas and the New Year. I have used all the different colours of Chantenay carrots in this recipe, but you can just used one colour of course, although it seems a shame not to try to get hold of the purple and white ones, which are available in most major supermarkets now, as well as independent shops and retailers. This recipe is also a great idea for a veggie main course – serve with crusty bread and maybe a glass of chilled white wine.

I hope you have enjoyed the first in my series of “Where Our Food Comes From”……please pop back soon to read all about my trips to a Rapeseed Farm, an Apple Orchard and Cider/Vinegar Distillery, an Organic Flour Mill and Farm, a French Apple Orchard as well as my Food Safari in Suffolk at the Aldeburgh Food Festival…….and oh yes, there’s more foodie tales from Singapore, Italy, the South of France and Northern Island……and a mini cruise too. See you soon, Karen

Disclaimer: With thanks to Freshgro and Sophie for inviting me to the factory and farm. I was not paid to write this post and all views and opinions are my own.  

Sticky Roast Chantenay Carrot Medley with Pomegranate Molasses

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Serves	4 to depending on how you serve them
Prep time	10 minutes
Cook time	35 minutes
Total time	45 minutes
Dietary	Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Meal type	Lunch, Main Dish, Side Dish, Snack
Misc	Serve Hot
Occasion	Casual Party, Christmas, Easter, Formal Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving
Region	Moroccan
By author	Karen S Burns-Booth

A wonderful way to serve whole Chantenay carrots; these sticky roast carrots have a distinctly Middle Eastern flavour to them and can be served as an accompaniment or as a main course vegetarian meal with crusty bread. If you cannot source purple and white Chantenay carrots, then just use the orange ones, they are just as delicious when cooked this way. Pomegranate molasses can also be hard to find, so use honey in its place if desired.

Ingredients

• 1.350g (3lbs) assorted Chantenay Carrots, trimmed and washed to remove any dirt but not peeled (I used purple, orange and white carrots)
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 2 tablespoons rapeseed oil
• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• sea salt flakes to taste
• freshly ground black pepper
• fresh chopped parsley or coriander to garnish

Note

A wonderful way to serve whole Chantenay carrots; these sticky roast carrots have a distinctly Middle Eastern flavour to them and can be served as an accompaniment or as a main course vegetarian meal with crusty bread. If you cannot source purple and white Chantenay carrots, then just use the orange ones, they are just as delicious when cooked this way. Pomegranate molasses can also be hard to find, so use honey in its place if desired.

Directions

Step 1	Pre-heat oven to 200C/180C Fan/400F/Gas mark 6.
Step 2	Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add the prepared carrots - there's no need the peel them, just wash them and trim the tops. Boil the carrots for 3 to 4 minutes, drain them and leave them to dry in a colander for 5 minutes.
Step 3	Put the carrots in a large roasting tray and add the rapeseed oil, pomegranate molasses, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper. Toss the carrots in this mixture to make sure they are all covered in the seasoning, molasses and oil mixture.
Step 4	Roast them for 25 to 30 minutes until they are slightly charred, sticky and soft. Spoon them into a serving dish and scatter the chopped parsley or coriander over them.
Step 5	Serve them as an accompaniment to a main meal or as a vegetarian meal with crusty bread.

Purple Chantenay Carrots

A Potted History about Chantenay Carrots:

As the name suggests, the Chantenay carrot originated from the Chantenay region of France. Early references to the Chantenay carrot can be found back in the mid 1800′s where it was used in medicine.

As food production became more organised after the war there was a rise in the popularity of Chantenay carrots. This peaked in the 60′s but the Chantenay fell out of favour as the market place developed and food production became increasingly mechanised.

Production of Chantenay for the fresh market almost ceased in the 1970′s although Chantenay remained a favourite with the canned carrot market due to their sweetness and size.

The recent revival has been brought about with a complete product overhaul which looked at varieties, size and production techniques.

The Chantenay carrot is a natural product that can be tricky to grow but it is its very ‘naturalness’ which gives it its flavour and results in carrots that taste ‘as carrots used to taste