A super sweet French onion that was grown by the Romans has been produced in Britain for the first time as part of a push on UK innovation.
The Sweet Cevenne onion, also known as the Oakley Onion, is being grown exclusively in the UK on the Tendring peninsula in Essex facing the North Sea by George Thompson Ltd.
The premium onion, planted in April, is a labour-intensive vegetable harvested, turned twice and packed by hand due to its delicate nature. Prior to lifting it had a brix level of 7.6, exceeding that of an average Cox apple. The produce has been sourced in France by Morus Nigra, a company run by Liz and Will Sibley and set up to fuel innovation and ideas in growing new products in the UK.
George Thompson, run by MD Peter Thompson, farms on 300 acres of land.
The firm hopes to produce five tonnes of the trial product this season and hosted a testing event for chefs, journalists and prospective buyers at the picturesque Mistley Quay Café on Friday. The product will be targeted at high-end chefs, foodservice businesses and the wholesale trade.
The company has also ventured into fruit growing on its Brook Farm site.
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