Nuts

In Shell

In-shell walnuts are Juglans regia nuts sold still protected by hard shells for longer storage and table cracking. Shells slow oxygen and light, often keeping kernels fresher than poorly stored shelled nuts. Guests crack their own for interactive snacking; bakers shell ahead for control. Flavour once opened should be sweet-bitter and rich—never mouldy or paint-like. Store cool and dry. Discard nuts with holes, soft spots, a dusty rattle, or stained damp shells. Use a proper cracker; smashing too hard pulverises kernels into shell grit. Provide a bowl for waste so fragments do not migrate into desserts. Holiday bowls remain a classic retail form. Major tree-nut allergen rules apply once meats are exposed. Compared with black walnut, English in-shell stock is easier to crack for casual table use.