🥬🌿 Fresh Chicory – Crisp, Elegant & Deliciously Distinctive

Our Fresh Chicory, also known as Belgian Endive, is a crisp and elegant leafy vegetable with tightly packed pale leaves and a distinctive, gently bitter flavour.

Fresh chicory has a satisfying crunch when eaten raw. However, cooking transforms it beautifully. Grilling, roasting or braising softens the leaves and creates a milder, slightly sweeter flavour.

Serve it in fresh salads, use the leaves as elegant little appetiser cups, or cook it as a delicious side dish.

Crisp. Fresh. Distinctive. A wonderfully versatile vegetable. 🥬✨

💫 Fresh Chicory Taste Profile

Crisp 💥 | Gently bitter 🌿 | Fresh 🥬 | Slightly nutty 🌰 | Refreshing 💧

Raw chicory has a clean crunch and characteristic bitterness. Once cooked, its flavour becomes softer and more mellow.

🌟 Why You’ll Love Fresh Chicory

• 🥬 Fresh and wonderfully crisp – excellent in salads
• 🌿 Distinctive flavour – gently bitter with subtle nutty notes
• 🔥 Delicious cooked – roasting and grilling mellow the bitterness
• 🥗 Perfect for salads – especially with fruit, cheese and nuts
• 🍽️ Beautiful for entertaining – the leaves make natural serving cups
• 🌱 Naturally provides fibre and useful nutrients
• 👨‍🍳 Works in both simple everyday meals and elegant dishes
• 🧀 Pairs beautifully with strong and creamy cheeses

💚 Chicory Nutrition & Benefits

Fresh chicory is naturally low in calories and provides dietary fibre as part of a varied, balanced diet.

Chicory also provides nutrients including vitamin K and folate.

One of the interesting components associated with chicory is inulin, a type of naturally occurring dietary fibre.

Adding vegetables such as chicory to your meals is an easy way to increase the variety of fresh produce in your diet.

🔪 How to Prepare Fresh Chicory

Fresh chicory requires very little preparation.

1. Remove any damaged outer leaves.
2. Rinse briefly under cold water.
3. Pat dry with kitchen paper.
4. Trim a small amount from the base.
5. Separate the leaves for salads and appetisers.
6. Alternatively, halve or quarter the whole chicory for cooking.

💡 Chicory Tip

If you find raw chicory a little too bitter, pair it with something naturally sweet.

Apple, pear, orange, honey and balsamic dressing all work particularly well.

Cooking also mellows chicory’s bitterness and brings out a softer flavour.

🍽️ Delicious Ways to Enjoy Chicory

• 🥗 Slice into fresh salads for extra crunch
• 🍐 Pair with pears, apples or oranges
• 🧀 Serve with blue cheese, goat’s cheese or brie
• 🌰 Add walnuts, pecans or toasted almonds
• 🔥 Halve and grill until lightly caramelised
• 🧈 Braise gently with butter and herbs
• 🍯 Roast with honey and balsamic vinegar
• 🥬 Use whole leaves as edible appetiser cups
• 🍊 Combine with citrus for a fresh winter salad

🧀🍐 Chicory Boats with Pear, Walnut & Blue Cheese

Crisp, creamy and slightly sweet – an elegant appetiser that’s incredibly easy to prepare.

🛒 Ingredients – Serves 4

• 2 heads Fresh Chicory, leaves separated 🥬
• 1 ripe pear, thinly sliced 🍐
• 50g blue cheese, crumbled 🧀
• Handful of walnuts, toasted and chopped 🌰
• Honey or balsamic glaze 🍯
• Fresh thyme – optional 🌿
• Black pepper

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Carefully separate the chicory leaves.
2. Rinse and pat them completely dry.
3. Arrange the leaves on a serving plate.
4. Add a thin slice of pear to each leaf.
5. Sprinkle over the blue cheese.
6. Finish with toasted walnuts.
7. Drizzle lightly with honey or balsamic glaze.
8. Add a little black pepper and fresh thyme.
9. Serve immediately.

✨ Crisp chicory, juicy pear, creamy cheese and crunchy walnuts create a brilliant combination of flavours and textures.

🔥🥬 Honey-Roasted Chicory

A simple way to transform crisp chicory into a warm and beautifully caramelised side dish.

🛒 Ingredients – Serves 2

• 2 heads Fresh Chicory
• 1 tbsp olive oil 🫒
• 1 tsp honey 🍯
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt and black pepper
• Fresh thyme 🌿
• Optional: crumbled goat’s cheese for serving 🧀

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan.
2. Slice each chicory head in half lengthways.
3. Place on a baking tray.
4. Drizzle with olive oil, honey and balsamic vinegar.
5. Season lightly with salt and black pepper.
6. Add a few fresh thyme leaves.
7. Roast for around 20–25 minutes, turning once.
8. Cook until tender and lightly caramelised.
9. Serve warm, with goat’s cheese if desired.

✨ Roasting mellows chicory’s natural bitterness while adding a delicious caramelised finish.

🍊🥬 Chicory, Orange & Walnut Salad

Fresh, colourful and packed with contrasting flavours.

🛒 Ingredients – Serves 2–3

• 2 heads Fresh Chicory, sliced
• 1 orange, peeled and segmented 🍊
• 1 small apple, thinly sliced 🍏
• Handful of walnuts 🌰
• 50g goat’s cheese or feta 🧀
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp lemon juice 🍋
• Black pepper

👩‍🍳 Instructions

1. Arrange the sliced chicory on a serving plate.
2. Add the orange segments and apple.
3. Sprinkle over the walnuts and cheese.
4. Mix olive oil, honey and lemon juice.
5. Drizzle the dressing over the salad.
6. Finish with freshly cracked black pepper.
7. Serve immediately while everything is crisp.

✨ Sweet citrus balances the chicory beautifully, while walnuts and cheese add richness and crunch.

❓ Fresh Chicory FAQs

What is chicory?

The fresh chicory commonly sold as a vegetable in the UK is also known as Belgian endive. It forms compact heads of crisp, pale leaves.

What does fresh chicory taste like?

Chicory has a fresh, crisp texture with a distinctive mildly bitter flavour. Cooking makes the flavour softer and more mellow.

Can you eat chicory raw?

Yes. Chicory is excellent raw in salads or used as individual leaves for dips and appetisers.

Can you cook chicory?

Absolutely. Chicory can be roasted, grilled, braised or pan-fried.

How can I make chicory taste less bitter?

Try roasting or grilling it. You can also pair raw chicory with sweet ingredients such as pear, apple, orange, honey or balsamic dressing.

What cheese goes well with chicory?

Blue cheese, goat’s cheese, feta and brie all pair particularly well with chicory.

What fruit goes well with chicory?

Pears, apples, oranges and other citrus fruits work beautifully because their sweetness balances chicory’s natural bitterness.

How should I store fresh chicory?

Keep chicory refrigerated and use it while the leaves are firm and crisp. Keeping it away from strong light can also help maintain the quality of the pale leaves.