Shallot 'Zebrune'

This is my Desert Island onion. Zebrune is a banana shallot bursting with savoury-sweetness. Its mild enough to be served raw but really sings when cooked low and slow. The bulbs are about the size of an onion - you get proper shallot flavour without the extensive peeling. And they're beautiful - elegant, elongated bulbs with a rusty-rose skin.

Sow in March - 3-5 seeds per modules a la Charles Dowding. Harvest fresh and you can use the stems too. Later harvests have a more pungent flavour. Dry the bulbs out after harvest and they'll keep until December.

Sow: multi-sow 3-5 seeds per module, March undercover
Plant: 20cm spacing between modules
Harvest: July-August
Kitchen: Pairs with everything. Use raw or cooked in a myriad of dishes.