Roscoff Onions AOC

Name: Roscoff Onions AOC
Brand: LE MARCHE
SKU: FROSO-3
Price: 11.50 GBP
Availability: InStock

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£11.50

Net: 1kg (whole string) AOC and AOP protected Pink-copper skin, sweet mild flesh, high juice content

Brittany's AOC-protected pink onion — grown on the north coast around Roscoff, where the Atlantic maritime climate produces a sweetness and mildness that inland onions cannot match. Sold as a traditional hand-plaited string. Caramelise, roast whole, use raw in salads, or confit gently in butter and white wine.

Roscoff Onions AOC

£11.50

Oignon de Roscoff (Allium cepa) — the pink onion from the northern coast of Brittany, holding AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, granted 2009) and AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) status. These are grown exclusively in a defined area around the port town of Roscoff in Finistère, where the maritime climate — mild winters, cool summers, salt air and reliably wet Atlantic weather — produces an onion with a sweetness and juice content that inland varieties do not reach. The pink-copper skin is the visual marker, but it is the flavour that earned the designation: sweet, mild, and with a complexity that survives both raw and cooked applications without the harshness that makes most onions difficult to eat uncooked.

Roscoff onions have a history that crosses the Channel. From the early 19th century, Breton farmers — known as Johnnies — sailed from Roscoff to England and Wales each autumn, selling strings of pink onions door to door from their bicycles. The tradition lasted well into the 20th century and is the reason the Roscoff onion is one of the few French vegetables with genuine name recognition in Britain. These arrive as a traditional string — the onions are hand-plaited by their dried stems, which is both the traditional storage method and the most practical way to keep them at home. Hang in a cool, dry place and cut onions from the string as needed.

Origin: Roscoff, Finistère, Brittany, France (AOC/AOP)

Ingredients: Roscoff onions (Allium cepa)

Storage: Hang the string in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place out of direct sunlight. Do not refrigerate. Cut individual onions from the string as needed. Properly stored, they keep for several months.

Cut individual onions from the string as needed. Peel and trim the root end.

For onion confit: halve or quarter, then cook very gently in butter with a splash of white wine over a low heat for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally, until completely soft and golden. Season with salt and a touch of white pepper. Use alongside roasted poultry, with charcuterie, or spread on toast with cheese.

To roast whole: peel, leaving the root intact to hold the onion together. Drizzle with olive oil and season. Roast at 180°C for 40–50 minutes until soft through the centre and deeply caramelised on the outside. The natural sugars concentrate as the moisture reduces.

For French onion soup: slice thinly and cook slowly in butter over a medium-low heat until deeply golden — this takes 30–40 minutes and should not be rushed. Deglaze with white wine, add stock, and finish in the usual way. The sweetness of the Roscoff onion carries the soup without needing added sugar.

Raw: slice thinly into salads. The mildness and sweetness make Roscoff one of the few onion varieties that works well uncooked without being overpowering.

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Full delivery details and shipping rates: here

Description

Oignon de Roscoff (Allium cepa) — the pink onion from the northern coast of Brittany, holding AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée, granted 2009) and AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) status. These are grown exclusively in a defined area around the port town of Roscoff in Finistère, where the maritime climate — mild winters, cool summers, salt air and reliably wet Atlantic weather — produces an onion with a sweetness and juice content that inland varieties do not reach. The pink-copper skin is the visual marker, but it is the flavour that earned the designation: sweet, mild, and with a complexity that survives both raw and cooked applications without the harshness that makes most onions difficult to eat uncooked.

Roscoff onions have a history that crosses the Channel. From the early 19th century, Breton farmers — known as Johnnies — sailed from Roscoff to England and Wales each autumn, selling strings of pink onions door to door from their bicycles. The tradition lasted well into the 20th century and is the reason the Roscoff onion is one of the few French vegetables with genuine name recognition in Britain. These arrive as a traditional string — the onions are hand-plaited by their dried stems, which is both the traditional storage method and the most practical way to keep them at home. Hang in a cool, dry place and cut onions from the string as needed.