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British seasonal food in October

October 13th, 2011 by Penny Golightly

I love October’s seasonal foods. It’s the perfect excuse to make a casserole, followed by a blackberry and apple crumble. Or maybe a bouillabaisse, followed by some nice cheese and biscuits. Or maybe some cream of cauliflower soup.

Anyway, here’s what’s waiting for you at the market this month. Get stuck in.

Fruit: new season apples, blackberries, crab apples, damsons, elderberries, figs, hazelnuts, juniper berries, Kentish cobnuts, pears, plums, quinces, raspberries, sloes, sweet chestnuts, walnuts.

Vegetables: asian greens, autumn and red cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts and tops, cardoons, cauliflower at its peak, celeriac, celery, chicory, courgettes finishing, fennel, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, last of the lettuce, leeks, peppers, marrow, mushrooms (chanterelles, ceps, hedgehog fungus, horn of plenty), parsnips, pumpkins and squashes, radishes, rocket, salsify and scorzonera, spinach, spring onions, swedes, sweetcorn, turnips, watercress.

Fish and shellfish: brill, brown hen crab, brown shrimp, cod, Dover sole, eels, lobster, mackerel, mussels, native and rock oysters, prawns, scallops, sea bass, sprats, squid, spider crab, squid, turbot, wild salmon.

Meat, poultry and game: Autumn lamb, grouse, wild duck, partridge, pheasant, woodcock.

Cheeses: Caerphilly. Gruyere, Saint-Nectaire and all the other main French hard cheeses.

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So, what are you going to cook?

Tags: British seasonal food, ingredients in season, october seasonal food, seasonal food, seasonal foods for October, UK seasonal food
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Seasonal foods to eat in February

February 7th, 2011 by Penny Golightly

Hello February, what are you feeding us this month?

Fruit: apples from store, early forced rhubarb.

Vegetables: Asian greens, cabbage (white and green), celeriac, chicory, endive, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, new season garlic, parsnips, salsify and scorzonera, spring onions, the last sprouts and sprout tops, swedes, turnips, wild garlic.

Fish and shellfish: brown crab, clams, cockles, cod, cuttlefish, dab, gurnard, hake, halibut, lemon sole and other flat fish (plaice, sole), mackerel, mussels, native oysters, pike, pink prawns, scallops, wild salmon.

Meat, poultry and game: hare, rabbit.

Cheeses: Blue Cheshire, Cotherstone, Farmhouse Cheddar, Stilton, Blue Wensleydale. Bleu des Causses, Brie de Meaux, Tomme Arlesienne.

This month I’ll be finishing off those last sprouts and the sprout top with Sunday lunches, and making some kind of a casserole with root veggies, herby dumplings and loads of gravy.

Already had some Jerusalem artichoke soup, line caught cod, mussels, creamed leeks, rhubarb trifle and a tiny piece of Tomme. All fresh, all gorgeous.

What are you going to cook?

Tags: British seasonal food, cheap ingredients in February, in season in February, ingredients in season, money saving tips, root vegetables in season, seasonal food, seasonal food in the UK, shellfish season, vegetables in season
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Seasonal foods in June

June 2nd, 2010 by Penny Golightly

I’ve had a few meals out of the garden already, including lots of different salads, and am looking forward to getting the rest of June’s seasonal foods down on the market.

What’s in season this month?

Fruit: blackberries, cherries, elderflowers, gooseberries, raspberries, redcurrants, rhubarb, strawberries, tayberries. Imported figs, and some mangoes.

Vegetables: asparagus, baby carrots, broad beans, broccoli, chervil, chives, courgettes and flowers, cucumbers, fennel, globe artichokes, green beans, horseradish, lettuce, mangetout, new potatoes, peas, peppers, radishes, rocket and other salad leaves, samphire, spinach, sorrel, spring onions, tomatoes, watercress. Imported aubergines.

Fish and shellfish: black bream, brown and rainbow trout, brown shrimp, cuttlefish, first fresh kippers (run until Oct), grey mullet, haddock, hake, john dory, lobster, mackerel, pollack, prawns, sardines, sea bass, sea trout, signal crayfish, spider crab, whitebait, wild salmon.

Meat, poultry and game: hogget lamb (aged half way between a lamb and a sheep), Welsh lamb.

Cheeses: ewe’s milk cheeses, Stinking Bishop, British goats’ cheese, Farmhouse Cheddar. Bouille, Crottin de Chavignol, Saint Marcellin, Sancerre.

Tonight I’m cooking spicy prawns with stir fried home grown green beans, spring onions, spinach and mustard greens. That’ll be served up with lemon couscous with fresh coriander, mint and parsley. I’m starving now just thinking about it…

What are you going to cook?

Tags: British garden kitchen, British seasonal food, cheap fruit and veg, fish in season, fruits in season, ingredients in season, vegetables in season
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Seasonal foods for August

August 10th, 2009 by Penny Golightly

If it’s in season, it’s at its best, and August has to be one of the best months in the food calendar for sheer variety. Most of the time these ingredients are cheaper too due to their abundance, especially if you’re buying fruit and veg at the market or the greengrocer.

What’s in season for August?

Fruit: apricots, bilberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, currants (black, red, white), early apples, early damsons, figs, greengages, gooseberries, loganberries, peaches, plums, raspberries, strawberries and wild strawberries. Imported melons, nectarines.

Vegetables: aubergines, basil, broad beans, broccoli and calabrese, celery, chives, courgettes, cucumbers, fennel, globe artichokes, green beans, horseradish, kohlrabi, lamb’s lettuce, lettuce, mushrooms (ceps, chanterelles, field, oyster, porcini, puffball, shaggy ink cap), new potatoes, peas, peppers, radishes, rocket, samphire, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, summer squash, sweetcorn, tarragon, tomatoes, watercress.

Fish and shellfish: black bream, brown and rainbow trout, brown crab, crayfish, Dover sole, haddock, herring, john dory, lobster, pilchards, pollack, prawns, red and grey mullet, salmon, sea bass, squid.

Meat, poultry and game: grouse from the 12^th, hare at its best.

Cheeses: Farmhouse Cheddar, British goats’ cheese. Chaource, Charolles, Valencay.

While I’d like a fancy Dover sole dinner more than anything right now, I think it’d be more realistic to settle for some blueberries and cherries (is it my imagination or is there a glut of them this year?), or maybe some roasted squash soup or risotto.

What are you going to cook?

Tags: British seasonal food, cheap fruit and veg, cheap groceries, fish in season, foraging, fruits in season, game season, glorious twelfth, imported fruit, ingredients in season, mushroom season, ripe cheese, seasonal food, seasonal foods for August, summer fruits, summer salad, UK seasonal food, vegetables in season, wild food
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