Each Peach is fuelled by Le Crunch – a brilliant fruit and veg shop on Sheffield’s Ringinglow Road.
Le Crunch opened in 1988, and ever since then it’s been selling fresh, high quality produce to loyal customers from Bents Green and beyond – anyone and everyone who loves local convenience with a friendly, expert touch.
That expertise runs deep at Le Crunch. It’s owned by Russ Sharp whose family have been keeping Sheffield topped up with healthy produce for over a century. During that time there have been Sharps shops across the city, each one playing an important role in the food life of its community, drawing on years of hard-earned fruit and veg knowledge.
Russ himself joined the family business as a lad, learning everything there is to know about the trade before eventually setting up Le Crunch at Bents Green – back in the decade when Duran Duran and Frankie Goes to Hollywood ruled the world. It was a time when home cooking was getting a bit more sophisticated – although most Sheffielders still wouldn’t have known what to do with a sweet potato!
Over 30 years on, Russ and Le Crunch are still at the heart of the area – as are Doreen and Tracey who have been alongside him behind the counter for years. Russ’s father-in-law, Bob, often helps behind the scenes, and now his young daughter, Sophie, is lending a helping hand too.
She’s a Sharp, after all. Apples and oranges are in her blood!
Le Crunch is the kind of shop it’s easy to take for granted. I did at any rate, but once I got to know Russ and his team, I realised it was too good to lose.
I’ve never met anyone who gets so giddy about a new batch of cabbages, but talking to Russ is like entering a fruit-and-veg-flavoured world.
“I love it as the new seasons start,” he says. “I get excited! Everything has a season, and that’s always when it’s at its best quality. And it’s when the prices come down too.”
That’s one reason why I started Each Peach – to work alongside Le Crunch and help as many people as possible make the most of this amazing local shop.
Before I got to know Russ, I never knew the right time of year to buy strawberries – the moment when their flavour begins to burst through. And I didn’t understand why you might buy these potatoes this week… and those other ones next week. But now I do, and each day I learn a bit more.
And as you’ll discover when you use Each Peach, it’s knowledge I love to share.
You’ve been warned!